Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Genesis Chapter 8
Metaphysically Interpreting Genesis 8:1-22
8:1And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; 8:2the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 8:3and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
8:4And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.8:5And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
8:6And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 8:7and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.8:8And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 8:9but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. 8:10And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 8:11and the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 8:12And he stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him any more.
8:13And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dried. 8:14And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry.
8:15And God spake unto Noah, saying,8:16Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 8:17Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 8:18And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 8:19every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark.
8:20And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. 8:21And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 8:22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
July 8, 1945: Genesis 8:1,4
Why did God remember Noah and all that were with him in the ark? Because Noah ([meaning] “rest,” “tranquility”) had kept himself in harmony with the divine law. He had been obedient to the voice of God and had followed its leading faithfully. His faithfulness and obedience brought their logical reward. The divine law shields those who “rest,” take refuge, in it.
July 8, 1945: Genesis 8:20-22
What is the “sweet savor” that causes Jehovah to spare the ground and everything living henceforth? This is the sacrifice of the animal consciousness that is innocent of intentional wrongdoing but incapable of realizing anything better.
April 25, 1937: Genesis 8:20-22
What does the name Noah mean? Noah means peace, quiet, tranquility, equilibrium. In developing the idea of obedience it is well to remember these meanings.
How can one realize peace, quiet, or tranquility in the midst of unquiet surroundings and adverse circumstances? Peace and quiet are inner states of mind and soul, and as such are not destroyed by confusion and other adverse conditions in the outer world. Noah “walked with God” and was conscious of God's voice speaking conviction within him, though he lived among wicked people in degenerate times.
Of what is the Flood a prototype? It is the prototype of the overwhelming thoughts and feelings that in seasons of negativeness sweep over the soul and threaten to engulf it.
What does Noah's ark symbolize? The ark symbolizes the spiritual part of us, built to override the floods of error. Built upon the affirmation of what we are in Spirit, the ark affords us a safe refuge, until we again stand on solid ground and are able again to assert our dominion.
As soon as Noah left the ark, he sacrificed to the Lord. What does this statement mean? Noah's sacrifice of clean beasts and clean birds immediately upon leaving the ark symbolizes the refining process that a person begins to work out in his life and affairs after he has spent some time in communion with Spirit.
Explain the significance of the altar. The altar represents the place in consciousness where we are willing to give up the lower for the higher, the personal for the impersonal, the animal for the divine.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 12-05-2013
