Paula Wiseman

Faith and life meet in a story

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Read
    • Subscribe
  • Books
  • STORE
  • I Read! Now What?
  • Contact
    • Press
    • Paula Wiseman Speaking Info
  • About
    • Testimony
  • Free Resources
Home » Sage Words » Ararat: A New Beginning

Ararat: A New Beginning

By Paula

Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. Genesis 8:4

Over the next several posts, we’re going to climb some mountains, figuratively anyway. It takes some time, some preparation, and some effort to climb a mountain. Once you’re there, though, the payoff is a view like no other, a perspective you just can’t get anywhere else.

Ararat stands near the point where Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran meet. The seventh highest peak in the world, it stands nearly 17000 feet (over 5000 m) and is, in fact, a dormant volcano. Little Ararat, over 12000 feet itself (nearly 4000 m) is its companion.

It is the first named mountain mentioned in Scripture. Granted, the account doesn’t specify THAT particular mountain, but rather the mountains in that region. Not having the geographical or archaeological pinpoint won’t take away from our consideration, however.

So what happened at Ararat?

Rest – Noah and his family (and the animals) had come through a season of unimaginable upheaval, a literal tempest. But at last, there was rest. The ark is a picture of the deliverance from judgment we have through Christ. Christ will bring us through, not just escaping the wrath of God, but the trials we face. You may be in a season of tossing, of uncertainty, of storms and floods … There will be rest.

A New Beginning – Noah faced a new beginning rivaled only by Adam’s. New civilization. New race of mankind. New covenant with God. With a new beginning, a range of emotions is stirred up from anticipation to trepidation to regret to resolve. We can identify. After God brings us through a tempest, there is a new beginning. Sometimes that’s a welcome relief. Sometimes it comes with a fear that the new is just the old wearing a different outfit. The God who brought us THROUGH the tempest and flood has also brought us TO the new beginning. He’s not leaving now.

Going Out – In verse 16, God gives Noah the green light – go out of the ark. The storm is over. The flood has receded. The rest is accomplished. The beginning awaits. Time to embrace it. Just as God commissioned Noah to go, bring his family and the varmints with him, and replenish the earth, Jesus commissioned us to carry out the gospel and to make disciples. Resting is great. Reflecting on God’s care is great, but we cannot stay there. We have to go.

 

Next week: Sinai

 

 

 

 

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

You might also like

Filed Under: Thursday Theology Tagged With: Genesis, mountain, Noah

Encounters Series

From the opening pages of Scripture, no one who has encountered a holy God has come away unchanged. Adam, Abraham, Hagar, Moses and many, many others realized that God is not distant but a God who … Read More

Covenant of Trust rings icon

Covenant of Trust Series

A covenant is a solemn, binding agreement. God chose to unilaterally enter into a covenant with Abraham. No matter what Abraham said or did, God vowed to uphold the terms and bless Abraham. Marriage … Read More...

brick icon for Foundations

Foundations Series

Jesus told a parable about a wise builder and a foolish one, underscoring how important it is to have a solid foundation. He declared that obedience to His word was the surest foundation of all. In … Read More...

© 2017 Paula Wiseman & Sage Words · Site Developed by MindStir Media & Paula Wiseman · MindStirMedia.com | Privacy Policy

Array

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are okay with it.OkNo