The Ark of Safety
Vicky Moots, PastorKingman, Kansas
The story of the flood and the ark is found in Genesis chapters 6-8. Almost 5,000 years ago, God looked down from heaven and “…saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Verse 6 tells us that this wickedness grieved God’s heart. Sin always grieves God’s heart and brings judgment. Throughout the Bible God sent judgment on mankind whenever they turned away from Him, but He always provided a way of escape. That is called “grace,” for it is by grace that we are saved.
In v. 8 we read that “…Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Noah found grace because he was seeking it in the midst of an evil world. Noah’s testimony according to v.. 9, was that “…Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Noah not only walked with God, but he also talked with Him. By God’s grace, we too can have such a testimony, but we must be willing to listen to Him and to heed His Word.
God spoke to Noah and told him that He was going to send a flood of waters to destroy the earth and everything in it. But in His mercy, God provided a way of escape. In vv. 14-16 God gave Noah specific instructions on how to build an ark to protect them from the flood waters. Our ark of safety today is Jesus, our shelter in the time of storm and our protection from God’s judgment. But only those who enter in can be saved, just as it was in Noah’s day.
Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” according to II Peter 2:5 and preached for 120 years while he was building the ark. In spite of all of his efforts during that time, the message which he preached was rejected, and only his family entered with him into the ark. Don’t be discouraged if you cannot see the fruit of your labor or if you feel that you have not been successful in your Christian walk and witness. Just be faithful in whatever God asks you to do. The results may not be seen in your lifetime.
Noah simply walked by faith and obeyed God, as we read in Hebrews 11:7: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” The world was condemned because they refused to accept the message of grace that would have brought them salvation. And so, it is today. Our job is to preach the gospel with our lives and to let our light shine in a darkened world. We are not responsible for the result, but we are responsible to keep our lamps trimmed and burning brightly. The rest is up to God and the Holy Spirit.
In Genesis 6:14, God instructed Noah to build the ark out of gopher wood and to “pitch it within and without with pitch.” Pitch is a black, sticky substance used for water proofing. This was an important step to keep the flood waters from entering into the ark. It also has an important spiritual meaning. The word which was translated “pitch” in this verse is the same Hebrew word that is translated “atonement” in Leviticus. 17:11: “…for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Just as everyone inside the ark was protected from the flood waters of judgment by the pitch, so does the atoning blood of Calvary protect us who are in Christ from God’s judgment for sin.
The ark and all those who were inside it were literally baptized in the waters of judgment, waters from above and waters from below. They were then brought up in resurrection out of the waters of judgment on dry ground. This represents Christ being completely immersed in God’s judgment on the cross. We were taken down into death with Him and then resurrected just as the ark was. Paul describes our death and resurrection with Him in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…”
In Genesis. 7:7 we read, “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.” But most importantly, in v. 16, it states that the animals also went in, as God had commanded, “…and the LORD shut him in.” Jesus is not only the Ark of Safety, but He is also the Door of the Ark. When we enter into the Ark through the Door and God shuts us in, nothing of the flood of judgment can enter in and reach us. We are safe in Christ and come out on dry ground (no condemnation) as a new creation. The old creation died, as we read in II Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
After the flood, God did something beautiful. He placed in the sky a rainbow, a symbol of His grace, a token of His covenant of love, a promise that He would never again destroy the world by a flood. That covenant is found in Genesis 9:12-17. However, a rainbow is never seen until after a storm. It is like God is smiling down on us and saying, “Remember me? My grace got you through this storm!”
Around us today there are so many dark storm clouds of uncertainty and fears: fears for our families and friends, and perhaps even for ourselves, clouds of impending financial loss, and the list goes on. But God is calling out to us today to shelter in Him, and He will take care of the clouds. And after the clouds comes the blessing of the rainbow and the sunshine. The rainbow was also sent to remind us of God’s grace, that He provided His Son to bear our judgment for sin. The waters of judgment cannot overflow us and drown us because we are safe in Him.
