Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. Then Noah built an altarThe Hebrew word for "altar" is "mizbeach," which signifies a place of sacrifice and worship. This is the first mention of an altar in the Bible, marking a significant moment in human history where Noah, as the patriarch of a renewed humanity, acknowledges God's sovereignty and grace. The act of building an altar signifies a deliberate and conscious effort to worship and thank God for His deliverance. Historically, altars were central to worship in ancient cultures, serving as a physical representation of a spiritual reality, where the divine and human realms intersect. to the LORD
The term "LORD" here is translated from the Hebrew "YHWH," the personal name of God, often rendered as "Yahweh." This name emphasizes God's eternal existence and His covenant relationship with humanity. Noah's offering is directed specifically to Yahweh, highlighting a personal and covenantal relationship. This act of worship is not just a ritual but a personal acknowledgment of God's faithfulness and mercy. and taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird
The distinction between "clean" and "unclean" animals is significant, as it predates the Mosaic Law, indicating an early understanding of purity and holiness. The Hebrew word for "clean" is "tahor," meaning pure or ceremonially clean. Noah's selection of clean animals for sacrifice underscores the importance of offering God what is pure and acceptable. This act foreshadows the sacrificial system later established in the Law of Moses, where only clean animals were deemed suitable for offerings. he offered burnt offerings
The Hebrew term for "burnt offering" is "olah," which means "that which goes up" or "ascent," referring to the smoke rising to God. Burnt offerings were entirely consumed by fire, symbolizing total dedication and surrender to God. This act of offering signifies Noah's complete devotion and gratitude, acknowledging God's provision and protection. It is a profound expression of worship, where the entirety of the offering is given to God, reflecting a heart wholly devoted to Him. on the altar
The altar serves as the focal point of worship and sacrifice. In ancient times, altars were often made of stone and placed in significant locations, symbolizing a meeting place between God and man. Noah's altar becomes a sacred space where he communicates with God, offering thanks and seeking continued favor. This act of sacrifice on the altar is a precursor to the later established tabernacle and temple worship, where altars played a central role in Israel's religious life. Persons / Places / Events 1. NoahA righteous man chosen by God to survive the flood and repopulate the earth. His obedience and faith are central to this passage. 2. AltarA structure built by Noah to offer sacrifices to God, symbolizing worship, gratitude, and atonement. 3. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship with humanity and His faithfulness. 4. Clean Animals and BirdsSpecific animals deemed suitable for sacrifice, indicating Noah's adherence to God's instructions. 5. Burnt OfferingsSacrifices completely consumed by fire, representing total dedication and surrender to God. Teaching Points Obedience and WorshipNoah's immediate response to God's deliverance was to worship through sacrifice. Our worship should be a response to God's faithfulness and grace. Gratitude and SacrificeNoah's offering was an expression of gratitude. We are called to live lives marked by thankfulness, offering ourselves to God in service and devotion. Faith and ActionNoah's faith was demonstrated through action. True faith is evidenced by our willingness to act in accordance with God's will. Cleanliness and PurityThe use of clean animals signifies the importance of purity in our offerings to God. We are called to live holy lives, set apart for His purposes. Covenant RelationshipNoah's altar signifies a renewed relationship with God. As believers, we are part of a new covenant through Christ, called to live in fellowship with Him. Bible Study Questions 1. What does Noah's building of the altar and offering sacrifices teach us about the importance of worship in our lives? 2. How can we apply the concept of "clean" offerings in our daily walk with God, ensuring our lives are pleasing to Him? 3. In what ways does Noah's faith and obedience challenge us to act on our faith today? 4. How does the idea of a "burnt offering" as total dedication relate to Paul's exhortation in Romans 12:1? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's deliverance. How did you respond, and how can Noah's example guide your future responses? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 7:2-3This passage provides context for Noah's selection of clean animals, as God instructed him to take seven pairs of each clean animal onto the ark. Leviticus 1:1-17Details the laws concerning burnt offerings, highlighting their significance in Israelite worship and their role in atonement. Hebrews 11:7Noah is commended for his faith, which is demonstrated through his obedience in building the ark and offering sacrifices. Romans 12:1Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, drawing a parallel to the total dedication seen in burnt offerings. People NoahPlaces Mount AraratTopics Altar, Animal, Animals, Ascend, Beast, Bird, Birds, Builded, Buildeth, Built, Burned, Burnt, Burnt-offerings, Causeth, Clean, Fowl, Noah, Offered, Offerings, Sacrificed, Taketh, TakingDictionary of Bible Themes Genesis 8:20 4017 life, animal and plant
4019 life, believers' experience
4605 animals, religious role
5240 building
7302 altar
7322 burnt offering
7340 clean and unclean
7424 ritual law
7435 sacrifice, in OT
8624 worship, reasons
8626 worship, places Genesis 8:15-22 5106 Noah Genesis 8:17-20 4612 birds Library December 27. "He Sent Forth the Dove which Returned not Again unto Him" (Gen. viii. 12).
"He sent forth the dove which returned not again unto him" (Gen. viii. 12). First, we have the dove going forth from the ark, and finding no rest upon the wild and drifting waste of sin and judgment. This represents the Old Testament period, perhaps, when the Holy Ghost visited this sinful world, but could find no resting-place, and went back to the bosom of God. Next, we have the dove going forth and returning with the olive leaf in her mouth, the symbol and the pledge of peace and reconciliation, …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth 'Clear Shining after Rain'
'And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Sermon of the Seasons
"Oh, the long and dreary Winter! Oh, the cold and cruel Winter!" We say to ourselves, Will spring-time never come? In addition to this, trade and commerce continue in a state of stagnation; crowds are out of employment, and where business is carried on, it yields little profit. Our watchmen are asked if they discern any signs of returning day, and they answer, "No." Thus we bow our heads in a common affliction, and ask each man comfort of his fellow; for as yet we see not our signs, neither does …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886 The Best of the Best
"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."--Song of Solomon 2:1. THE time of flowers has come, and as they are in some faint degree emblems of our Lord, it is well, when God thus calls, that we should seek to learn what he desires to teach us by them. If nature now spreads out her roses and her lilies, or prepares to do so, let us try, not only to see them, but to see Christ as he is shadowed forth in them. "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." If these are the words …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 42: 1896 The Unchangeable One
Psalm cxix. 89-96. For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants. Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction. I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me. I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts. The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: …
Charles Kingsley—Town and Country Sermons On Gen. viii. I
On Gen. viii. I Hippolytus, the expositor of the Targum, and my master, Jacobus Rohaviensis, have said: On the twenty-seventh day of the month Jiar, which is the second Hebrew month, the ark rose from the base of the holy mount; and already the waters bore it, and it was carried upon them round about towards the four cardinal points of the world. The ark accordingly held off from the holy mount towards the east, then returned towards the west, then turned to the south, and finally, bearing off eastwards, …
Hippolytus—The Extant Works and Fragments of Hippolytus The Song of the Three Children
DANIEL iii. 16, 17, 18. O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. We read this morning, instead of the Te Deum, the Song of the Three Children, beginning, 'Oh all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting That it is Profitable to Communicate Often
The Voice of the Disciple Behold I come unto Thee, O Lord, that I may be blessed through Thy gift, and be made joyful in Thy holy feast which Thou, O God, of Thy goodness hast prepared for the poor.(1) Behold in Thee is all that I can and ought to desire, Thou art my salvation and redemption, my hope and strength, my honour and glory. Therefore rejoice the soul of Thy servant this day, for unto Thee, O Lord Jesus, do I lift up my soul.(2) I long now to receive Thee devoutly and reverently, I desire …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed. The lights in the firmament of heaven were appointed to be for signs, affording direction to the mariner, the husbandman, and others. Miracles wrought on memorable occasions, were constituted signs or tokens of God's universal government. The gracious grant of covenant signs was made in order to proclaim the truth of the existence of God's covenant with his people, to urge the performance …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Genesis 8:20 NIVGenesis 8:20 NLTGenesis 8:20 ESVGenesis 8:20 NASBGenesis 8:20 KJV
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