12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.
We complain about being stuck in an airplane for a few minutes waiting to take off or to deplane. Noah and his family have been cooped up in the ark for months. We complain because there is no fresh air or no cool air coming through the air vents. The ark only had a small window for fresh air through which Noah launched the dove. And don’t forget, Noah was stuck with hundreds of animals doing what animals do! When I was growing up my family did lots of traveling. The car I remember the most was a Rambler station wagon. My parents and the four boys would pile into the station wagon and off we would go. Often the vehicle was packed high with our stuff. I often got thrown in the rear compartment of the station wagon. It had a seat concealed below the floor. It would get opened and I would sit facing backward in the car. None of us could wait to get out of the car and get fresh air. When the wheels finally stopped turning it was as if the car forcefully ejected its occupants in every direction. I hear this type of anticipatory energy in the actions of Noah with the dove. He returns weekly to that window and finally the dove does not return. This signals enough vegetation for the dove to feel comfortable outside the ark. It also signals that their time of captivity is almost complete. Soon they will exit the ark into freedom. All of life is like the ark. We are stuck in this body longing for heaven and the freedom we will experience there. During our lives we experience many unpleasant things, smells if you will, and we want the fresh air of God’s presence. Some day we will be free of this sinful abode. We will instead live in the freedom God designed us to experience. Just as Noah longed to get back to real life on ground and grass, so we long for the Garden and the cool of the evening walking with God.
The Arnold Journey 