Here is the ultimate reset in history, when God performed radical surgery to give us humans another chance.
The waters took a long time to recede, but once it was over, God gave us four beautiful pictures of Christ’s finished work at Calvary. There was the resting of the ark, the returning of the dove, the rising up of a sweet aroma to God, and the rainbow set in the clouds. First, the ark rested on Ararat, amazingly on the same day of the year as Christ’s resurrection: “The ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month…” (Gen 8:4). In the new calendar that the Lord provided in Egypt, this was three days after Passover, which was on the fourteenth of the month. We can now rest—because Christ, like the ark of safety, has completed His work. As at Mt. Ararat, so at Mt. Calvary, we hear this wonderful truth: “It is finished!” Christ is now seated at God’s right hand. But then Noah sent out a dove from the window of the ark. It returned, unlike the raven, because it would not rest on a floating carcass. Only when fresh vegetation sprouted did it find a place of rest. The scene at Christ’s baptism answers to this. The Holy Spirit came down from heaven in the form of a dove and found one clean place to rest—on the sinless Son of God. Again there is rest, but this time it is the Spirit. Then third, when they at last came out of the ark, one of each clean animal was offered to the Lord. There was just one pair of the ceremonially unclean animals on board, but three pairs of the clean ones—plus one. That one had been saved for sacrifice (v 20). When this offering was made, we read, “The Lord smelled a soothing aroma,” or, “a savor of rest” (Gen 8:21). God now could rest in the sweetness of His Son’s offering. Then He put a bow in the clouds so we can rest—His promise that never again will He destroy humanity with a flood.