I love Genesis. It’s one of my favorite books. In fact the first five books of the Bible, are my favorite. And so I was reading through the story of Noah and the flood, and I get to the part where it’s obvious that Noah is ready to dock the boat.
The Bible tells the story like this, that Noah “He sent out a raven, it flew back and forth waiting for the floodwaters to dry up. Then he sent a dove to check on the flood conditions, but it couldn’t even find a place to perch–water still covered the Earth. Noah reached out and caught it, and brought it back into ship.”
Noah goes on to release this dove 2 more times, before it finally flies away on the third time.
It’s interesting that the passage says that Noah sent out a raven to scout.
Ravens are opposite of what doves are about. They are creatures of destruction and chaos. But this story is not just about sending birds out on a scouting report. This is about the heart of Noah, but it is also about our heart; it is his story, but it is also our story.
God has just brought destruction, and has told Noah that he is pleased with him and has decided to try again with humanity through him. It’s a tall order.
But, Noah seems to think that the story is going to be the same; because this story is not just about a raven out on a search, it’s about the fact that Noah is waiting for things to get back to how they were. Back to chaos. Back to destruction. And it’s our story too. Because it can be hard to believe that a new story is waiting. We send our voice out and we find ourselves standing behind our own echo, waiting for things to get back to normal. And we do whatever it takes.
Because it can be hard to believe in a Bigger story.
But Noah sends out a dove, and it doesn’t come back. Doves are about peace. Again, this isn’t about the wild adventures of a bird, it’s about Noah choosing to release himself to the Bigger Story going on. It’s about those times when our story stops coming back around to us, because we realize it’s about Something Bigger than ourselves.
Jesus…after he’s baptized, looks and sees a dove landing on Him. And doves are about peace. Why doesn’t the dove fly away from Jesus? Why does it land on Him?
Because Jesus is the Bigger Story.
So peace has rested on Jesus.
It’s a beautiful thing.
But it can be hard to believe in.
Perhaps, because it asks us to see things differently.
Perhaps, because it asks us to see others differently.
But in truth, because it asks us to see ourselves differently.
I want to be the kind of person who sends out doves, instead of ravens.