The flood narative moves on from the presentation of Noah’s faith and trust in God’s word, to God’s response to Noah’s faithfulness. He “remembered…” In the Bible when God “remembers,” it’s not that something had slipped His mind. It’s a way of introducing God’s actions as they fulfill His promises. God is always “faithfull” to the “faithfilled.”

God brings the flood to an end, dries up the waters, blesses Noah and his family and sends them out into the big, wide, wonderful world to live life to the full. But God, as usual, does more than He promised. He extends to Noah and the entire creation another special promise, which He has kept to this very day.

It says, “when God smelled the sweet aroma” of Noah’s sacrifice he said, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.” (8:21)

I believe verse 22 is a song. We find several places in the Bible where God is said to sing. The Hebrew text and many of our English translations put this verse as a poem or a song.

While the earth remains,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night,
shall not cease.