In Genesis 5-8, we read about Noah and his obedience to God in building an ark. What significance does this have for us today?
Noah’s ark was a type and picture of Jesus Christ and our salvation that is found in him alone. In Hebrews 11:7, we read that “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Only those inside the ark were safe. In the same way, Acts 4:12 says, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
God planned the ark, just as He planned to send Jesus. His provision is perfect and all-sufficient. ALL who came to Noah’s ark were safe, just as ALL who come to Jesus are safe. Just as the ark housed all kinds of creatures, Jesus is a refuge for all kinds of people. Any repentant sinner is welcome. There was one door in the ark through which they all entered. In John 10:9, Jesus says there is just one door and that Door is Himself. There is NO other way to be saved. (John 14:6)
One more interesting note about the ark. In Genesis 6:14, God commands Noah to “make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.” The word used here for pitch means “to cover” or “to take away.” At least 70 times in the Old Testament it is translated “to make atonement.” The pitch was a covering which sheltered Noah, and all who were in the ark from the terrible storm of God’s wrath. But what does “atonement” mean for us? Jesus died in our place, as our substitute. According to Theopedia.com, “God imputed all the guilt of our sins to Christ, and he, in our place, bore the punishment that we deserve. This was a full payment for sins, which satisfied both the wrath and the righteousness of God, so that He could forgive sinners without compromising His own holy standard.”
How does this relate to the ark? Just as Noah covered the ark in pitch, inside and out, so Jesus’ blood covers us, and it is the only shield that will save us from the wrath of God, which we deserve!
O the love that drew salvation’s plan!
O the grace that brought it down to man!
O the mighty gulf that God did span,
At Calvary!
Words: William R. Newell, in Famous Hymns, 1895
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