Do you have a pet peeve? Is there something that really drives you crazy? One of my pet peeves is constant noises. I really dislike it when an alarm keeps going off, or a phone rings and rings and rings, etc. So I find it ironic that repetition is precisely what God uses to get my attention when I read the Bible. It’s like He’s wired me to naturally see repeated words and themes in Scripture.
One repeated theme I saw recently, I found especially interesting and I’m excited to share it with you. It’s the idea of dry ground, and not the kind that symbolizes a spiritual desert, in fact it’s quite the opposite.
The first place I noticed the concept of dry ground was in Genesis chapters 7 and 8. After Noah, his family and all the animals are on the ark, it rained for 40 days and nights and the waters flooded the earth for 150 days. Then God sent a wind over the earth and the waters receded.
Noah then sent out a raven, and later a dove, to see if the waters had receded enough for them to disembark. When the dove didn’t return, he removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. But when it was completely dry, God told Noah and his family to come out of the ark (Gen. 8:16).
After having been cooped up for so long on the ark with family (regardless of how much you love your family, that’s a considerable amount of time to be in such close proximity with them), I bet Noah and his family had never been so happy to step onto dry ground. If you’ve ever been on a boat for a length of time, you know that when you step onto land, you still kind of have your sea legs and it feels as though you are still moving.
The second place I noticed the idea of dry ground was in Exodus 14 when the Israelites were fleeing from Pharaoh. He had finally agreed to let them go and then changed his mind. When they turned around and saw him and the Egyptians coming after them, they were terrified.
I love how Moses encourages them in that moment. He says, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today…the Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” (Ex. 14:13-14).
Then the Lord tells Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea to divide the water so the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. The rescue is about to begin, but before it happens, verse 18 says, “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” God was going to use this miraculous event not just to save the Israelites, but to show the Egyptians exactly who He is.
Then Moses stretched out his hand and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. I couldn’t help but notice that just as God sent a wind to make the waters recede for Noah, He sent a wind again to part the waters for the Israelites.
When the waters were divided, the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. *Side note, there is an interesting video that shows archeological evidence of the chariots in the sea where the Israelites crossed. The video has a bit of a slow beginning and the quality isn’t top notch, but if you stick with it, the findings are pretty amazing. Click here to link to the video.
The third place I noticed the concept of dry ground was in the book of Jonah. God tells him to go to Nineveh and Jonah doesn’t want to. In his rebellious disobedience, he boards a ship to Tarshish (in the opposite direction).
Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea. A strong storm arose and threatened to break apart the ship. They cast lots to find out who is to blame and the lot falls on Jonah. The sailors ask him who he is and I love his response in Jonah 1:9, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
They end up throwing Jonah overboard and the sea immediately grew calm. In verse 16 of chapter 1, we find out that as a result of this, the men on the boat greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to Him and made vows to Him. What an incredible outcome from Jonah’s disobedience! I’m always amazed at how God uses even someone’s disobedience to bring people to Him. This is the first place we see a salvation moment in Jonah.
The second place we see a salvation moment is when God provides a huge fish to swallow Jonah. He was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like other than smelly darkness. But while he’s there, he prays and we get a glimpse of the turmoil and trauma he’s experienced. “The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.” (Jonah 2:5).
Not long after that, the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Again, God saves Jonah and I would wager he had never been so glad to touch dry ground.
Jonah then goes on to Nineveh and the people actually listen to what he says and they repent. As a result, God relents and doesn’t bring destruction on them (chapter 3). Salvation yet again.
As I think about the similarities between these three passages, I can’t help but notice the use of wind – to recede the waters (Noah), to push them back (Red Sea) and to create a storm (Jonah). He used something natural to do something supernatural.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I tend to dream about large bodies of water. Being a bit more of a thinker than a feeler at times, it’s God’s way of helping me identify my feelings.
Another similarity I see between these passages is that God always provides a way to be saved, and only one. There was one door to the ark, one path through the Red Sea and one big fish. In the new Testament, Jesus is that one way to be saved. It is such a good reminder that we have a God who saves! He rescues us!
As I thought about the impact of these passages, I couldn’t help but be encouraged. I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by something lately and how I’ve tried to stay radiant is by praying for dry ground. Like Jonah, I worship the Lord of heaven who created the sea and dry land. I find such comfort in that and in knowing that He rescues His people.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately, may I suggest praying for dry ground?
I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about the idea of dry ground. Have you seen this concept in other areas of Scripture? If so, please comment below.
In the meantime, let’s go be radiant this week.
Go Be Radiant 