“But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.”
The dove returns to Noah because it found nowhere to rest — the water still covers the surface of the ground. Noah reaches out his hand and takes the dove back into the ark. The return of the dove is not good news about the state of the earth, but Noah's response is instructive: he does not regard the dove's return as a failure but receives it back. He reaches out his hand. He takes it back in. There is care in this small detail — the dove that could not find rest is given rest inside the ark. Psalm 55:6 expresses the longing to have the wings of a dove and fly away to rest — the dove's longing here is the same. Matthew 11:28 offers rest to those who find no rest elsewhere. The application is pastoral: when someone in your circle comes back empty-handed — unable to find what they were looking for, unable to sustain the mission they set out on — do you receive them back with the same hand Noah extends? The one who finds no rest outside deserves a hand stretched toward them.
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