The Ark of Salvation
Genesis 6:14-16
I Peter 3:20-21
The flood was caused by one sin – interfaith marriage – just as Adam’s sin brought death into this world. There was only one sin that cast the entire human race into eternal damnation – the sin of disobedience. There is only one way of salvation – through Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the only living God. There is only one Bible – all the rest are fakes. There is only one church – the church built by Jesus Christ during his own personal ministry.
Verse 14, Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
I. The word "ark" means "box".
A. The ark of the bulrushes Moses was placed in was a box, not intended for sailing, but for finding.
B. The ark of the covenant was a box with a lid on it, not intended for sailing.
C. The common idea that the ark was shaped like a boat is completely wrong.
1. The imagination of man is always wrong when considering the things of God.
2. The only reason the ark is thought to have a shape like a boat is because it was on water.
D. The Ark is a type of Christ.
1. The ark was made from material found on the earth, just as Christ took upon himself the form of a sinful man yet without sin.
2. No body would have believed the ark could save anybody from a world-wide flood, and nobody would have believed that a simple baby, born in Bethlehem, raised to be a carpenter, would save anybody from an everlasting hell.
II. Heb. 11:7 - Noah built the ark by faith. God could have saved Noah by letting the angels bear him up, and Noah wouldn’t have had to work. This is not God’s plan for Noah, nor for us. He desires us to "work out our own salvation " - Phil. 2:12.
A. Noah told how to save himself before God told him of the destruction to come (v. 17)
1. In verse 13, God told Noah he would destroy the earth, but he did not tell Noah how he was going to destroy it.
2. It is very likely Noah was thinking "What about me and my family?" when God finished the conversation, informing Noah that he was to build an ark, then in verse 17, telling Noah the world would be flooded with water.
B. We don’t know many of the details of the ark’s construction because we don’t need to know.
1. The few details we know all point to Christ, not just to satisfy our natural curiosity.
2. We have the detailed description of the tabernacle because:
a. It is a place of worship.
b. All the articles mentioned point to Christ in one way or another.
C. Some assorted facts.
1. God had never sent rain before (Gen. 2:5).
2. Christ has never come the way He’s going to come. We, by faith, believe He is coming.
3. II Peter 3:3, 4 - Don’t be like the scoffers of the last days.
4. I Thess. 4:13-18 - God’s promise was sure in the days of Noah and the promise of His return is sure today.
D. An "impossible job" - Mark 10:27 - All things are possible with God.
1. John 3:36 - Believe to salvation of Soul.
a. Mark 3:5 - Christ telling the man with the withered hand to stretch it forth.
b. John 11:43 - Christ raising Lazarus from the dead.
2. Eph. 2:10 - To live a Christian life.
3. Matt. 28:18-20 - "Impossible" for 120 members to reach the world for Christ.
4. All of the above is done by Grace through faith in Christ, not by the works of the flesh.
III. Gen. 6:3 - Noah didn’t know the exact time of the flood, only general (120 years).
A. Matt. 24:36 - We know in general terms when the Lord will return, but not the day or hour.
B. When the time came to get in the ark, God told Noah to get in. (Gen. 7:1)
C. When it comes time for us to be raptured, God will call us home. (I Thess. 4:16, 17)
IV. Gopher wood
A. The only time used in the Bible.
B. Only two thoughts as to the kind of tree.
1. Resinous trees such as pine, fir, cedar, etc;
2. Cypress trees. This is because the Greek word for cypress comes from a word similar to the Greek word for gopher. But the Old Testament is written in Hebrew.
C. Doesn’t really make too much difference because the boards are completely covered with pitch.
1. I Corinthians 3:11-13 - The works done with faith in Christ don’t rot either. No matter what kind of person does the works (as long as they’re God’s).
2. The blood of Jesus Christ completely covers our sins and will keep us from destruction.
3. Matt. 6:19-21 - We need to lay up treasure in heaven where they’re covered by the blood of Jesus.
V. Rooms
A. We don’t know the size or placement of the rooms.
1. John 14:1-3 - We don’t know what "heaven" will look like.
2. I Corinthians 2:9 - We can have no idea of the glories of heaven except it be revealed by the Spirit. (V. 10) "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
3. Rev. 21:10-27 - We don’t know the placement of "rooms" in the New Jerusalem just a general view of the highlights.
B. The "rooms" seem to be a part of the structure.
1. Noah built a perimeter, then added the rooms inside the structure.
2. The rooms would add structural strength.
a. The ark had no earthly foundation, but was so built that its structure held it together.
b. Jesus, who has no earthly foundation, is the foundation stone of the kingdom of God, and the local churches of Jesus Christ.
c. It would have been terrible if the ark had an earthly foundation it could not turn loose of and would not float. Many churches today have an earthly foundation and will not float when the flood waters of tribulation come upon them.
d. A church is so constructed that the members hold each other up before the Lord and also hold each other together by their love, fellowship, prayers, and support through mutual temptation.
3. Structural strength would be necessary to survive the uproar of the flood. Gen. 7:11
4. Evidence of an uproar is seen by fossil remains.
a. Some fossils high, others low.
b. Many animals evidently crammed into one place by the flood waters.
c. Paluxy River Bed near Glen Rose, Texas. Dinosaur and human footprints together, running. Not running from each other - but from the flood waters? Why did the footprints form a fossil - probably covered with a different kind of earth very quickly.
d. "Giant" footprints also found there. About three times the size of human footprints.
e. "Giant" footprints also found in:
1) Arizona
Near Mt. Whitney in California.
Near White Sands in New Mexico.
Other places.
VI. Pitch within and without.
A. Definition.
1. The first word "pitch" is from the Hebrew "Kaphan" meaning "to cover" as in The atonement.
a. The word is like a verb, which speaks of action.
b. The atonement is an action of Christ, when he covers our sins with his blood (which is represented by the pitch that covered the ark).
2. The second word "pitch" is from the Hebrew "Kophan" meaning "bitumen" as in an asphalt like substance.
a. The word is like a noun, which describes the substance being used.
b. The word atonement can also be used as a noun, as blood is a noun, and the word "pitch" is a noun.
3. Pitch is a tar like substance, mineral or asphalt. It bubbles up from subterranean fountains in a liquid state, hardens on contact with air, and softens when heated.
B. Ex. 2:3 - Used to make a vessel water-tight.
C. Completely covered the vessel, inside and out and in between each board.
1. Why was the ark sealed on the outside and the inside?
a. If the ark was sealed on the outside, wouldn’t that be enough to keep water from coming to the inside?
b. That is true, but there is a double seal when the pitch is also on the inside.
c. Colossians 3:3 – For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
1) Satan cannot get to us, unless he goes through God and Jesus Christ.
We are double protected in salvation.
d. We are protected by God on the outside and the inside.
1) Satan cannot get our lives unless he goes through God and Jesus Christ and receives permission.
This is how Job fell under the condemnation of Satan.
This is what happened to Peter, because Satan had to ask permission from Christ to try Satan.
e. The ark would be dark on the inside because the walls would be black.
1) This would be a constant reminder that after we are safe in the eternal arms of Christ that our only light is Jesus Christ.
We should constant remember that true vision is only through the light of Jesus, the word of God, not our physical sight.
We walk by faith, not by sight.
2. Teaches us security of the believer.
a. Water (sin) can’t get in.
b. It is the pitch that keeps the boards of the ark from rotting.
c. It is the blood of Christ that keeps us from destruction.
3. In our Christian life, we are safe only in Christ, not by our works, kept by something else.
4. Pitch makes the ark ugly.
a. Faith is ugly (unappealing) to all unbelievers.
b. I Corinthians 1:18 - Lost people don’t like the preaching of the word.
c. Salvation is not appealing to the natural man.
d. Heb. 9:22 - We have a bloody religion and lost people don’t like that.
5. The tabernacle in the wilderness was not beautiful on the outside.
a. From the outside, the tabernacle looked something like a box covered with dyed skins.
b. The beauty of the tabernacle was on the inside.
c. That is where the gold, silver, and other precious metals were.
d. Inner beauty is much more important than any outward beauty.
Verse 15, And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
I. What the ark didn’t look like.
A. "Noah’s Ark" in St. Charles, Missouri.
B. Not a "V-bottom boat", or rounded bottom at all.
II. Ark looked like.
A. A black shoe box.
1. There was no beauty about Christ that would physically draw people to him.
2. Isaiah 53:2 - …and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
B. No motor (means of motivation).
1. Had no place to go -- we don’t either.
2. God directs the movement of the ark by faith. So it is with us.
3. We don’t need to take the church anywhere; God moves the church.
4. We don’t need to take our own lives anywhere, God is supposed to be in charge of our movement.
5. Many good minded people never get the notion through their hearts that God will build his church, therefore God doesn’t need the plans and programs of men.
III. This is supposed, according to ship building experts, the best size for structural stability.
A. A Cubic is about 18", based on what we know of a cubit.
1. This measurement is based on the length from the tip of the fingers to the elbow.
2. The measurement would be different with different people.
3. There are some who believe Noah was approximately 12’ tall.
4. This would make his cubic almost 36" long.
5. Therefore the ark would be much larger than we have calculated with the cubic based on 18".
6. The truth is that we do not know how long Noah’s cubic was, therefore we do not know how big the ark was.
B. 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet tall.
1. 101,250 sq. feet of floor space. (33,750 sq. feet on each of three floors.)
2. 1,518,750 cubit feet of space.
3. Same cubic space as 522 box cars.
C. If the cubit was 36" long instead of 18" long, the ark would be 900 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 90 feet tall.
1. 405,000 sq. feet of floor space. (135,000 sq. feet on each of three floors.)
2. 12,150,000 cubic feet of space.
3. Same cubic space as 4,177 box cars.
D. Simply going by the size of the ark, we know the flood was world-wide, not local. It’s ridiculous to think of a man spending 100 years building a boat to escape a local flood, when he could have escaped the flood by simply moving.
E. Was not built on an earthly foundation.
1. The foundation of the ark was integrated into the structure of the ark, just as Jesus Christ, our foundation, is integrated into salvation.
2. Its foundation (that makes it permanent) is the promise of God.
F. The ark was built as sound as humanly possible, but only Christ could keep it afloat. We drive our cars as carefully as we can, depending on God, not our driving ability, to cause us to reach our destination.
G. Some assorted thoughts.
1. What did Noah do for a living? We don’t know, but we do know that Noah not only prepared for daily necessities, but also prepared for the necessities during the time spent on the ark.
a. This is not only talking about physical necessities, but,
b. Spiritual necessities.
2. Did Noah ever doubt what he was doing?
a. According to Heb. 11:7, he built the ark by faith, believing the promises of God.
b. We need to get to the place of not doubting God’s promises.
3. God could have rescued Noah and his family by arranging for the angels to take them out of the world while the flood destroyed the remainder of the people. The fact that God did not do this is important.
a. God used the work of Noah to get glory to himself.
b. Today, we expect God to do many and great things, while we sit and watch. This is not the way God works. God expects us to obey him, and we can be sure He will hold up His end of the bargain.
Verse 16, A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
I. Window
A. Hebrew "Tsohar" meaning "noon" or "noonday", dual, double light.
B. We don’t know the placement or size of the window, but we know there was one.
1. I John 1:5 - Jesus is the light.
2. John 12:46 - Jesus is come a light to the world.
3. Matt. 5:14 - We, through Christ, are a light in the world.
C. The window was probably used for ventilation.
D. "Window" of Gen 8:6 - a covered window. The window of Genesis 6:16 is a "bright object", or dual, double light.
1. They must have been different.
2. Gen. 8:6 - Window comes from the Hebrew "Challon" meaning "a piercing."
E. A cubit shalt thou finish it above.
1. The window, 18" high all around the top of the ark.
2. The window, 18" square; was placed in the top of the ark.
3. #1 explanation is much more acceptable.
II. Door
A. We don’t know the size or placement of the door.
1. The door was big enough to let all the animals in.
2. Christ is big enough to let every sinner in.
3. Mark 19:24 – "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." - The door is also small enough that the camel has to crawl on his knees to get in.
B. According to Genesis 7:4, Noah and his family, and all the animals went into the ark seven days before the flood began.
1. It may have been that the unbelievers of that world mocked, but there is no record of that happening.
2. There are some that say when the flood waters began, many people tried to get into the ark, but the Bible does not record that as happening.
3. According to Genesis 7:16, God shut them in, (God shut the door).
4. When God shuts the door, no body else will be able to get in.
5. No human will be able to open the door once God shuts the door.
6. The time to get into the ark is seven days before the flood starts – that is when God said to get into the ark.
7. The time to be saved is today, because God says that today is the day to be saved.
8. Tomorrow may be too late.
9. Today is the day of grace, not tomorrow.
10. Tomorrow is the day of judgment.
C. Christ is the door and we can’t understand Him.
1. John 10:7 - Christ is the door.
2. Is. 40:13, 14 - We are unable to understand God.
3. Ps. 147:5 - God’s understanding is infinite.