Good Morning.
And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” (Genesis 6:13-14)
Man’s violence rose to such a state that the Creator and Giver of Life was provoked to end the lives of all those who moved upon the earth, with the exception of Noah and his family. The Hebrew word translated as “violence” is חמס hamas and denotes something that is hot which grows increasingly pervasive; imagine a boiling pot on the stove that spills over and runs everywhere. The deeds of mankind caused the Almighty to take action; He had to destroy the source of the violence in order to preserve the earth and the future of mankind.
As is witnessed many times in Scripture, before God removes someone from the scene in judgment, He always prepares someone else to step into the situation to ensure continuity. In other words, He always has someone ready to be used by Him to advance His purpose before He brings judgment upon another. In this situation, He tells Noah to prepare the ark. The writer of Hebrews said:
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)
Being chosen for such would have been quite intimidating I would imagine but Noah was faithful, motivated by Godly fear. But there is something else in the text that, though not obvious, is quite profound. Noah was told to “cover” the ark inside and out with “pitch.” The Hebrew root for both “cover” and “pitch” is כפר kaphar. This is of interest to us because it is the same word from which is derived כפור kippur as in Yom Kippur. Of course that is the Day of Atonement.
The hint is this: God was bringing judgment upon man for his sins but Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Consequently, God made provision for Noah and his family to escape this judgment. Any transgression they may have been guilty of was “covered” and “atoned” for because of Noah’s commitment to walk with God. In essence, the Ark served as their salvation.
As God’s people, you and I have been chosen or this time and are being equipped to advance God’s purposes in this age. Also like Noah, we are provided a covering and a means for atonement to the extent that we might be delivered from those things that are coming upon the earth. Our Ark, the Messiah, provides that covering for us and is our salvation in this very uncertain time. Let us, therefore, move with Godly fear and with faith in our Creator that what He has spoken will come to pass. We must heed His voice, knowing that if we obey His Word and trust in His salvation, He will deliver us.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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