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Atonement. Hebrew kaphar,
the covering of sin.
God has provided a covering for sin, called
atonement. We can remember this by at-one-ment, a reconciliation
between God and man, accomplished by the shedding of blood by the pure
Lamb of God, Jesus. It is complete and cannot be improved upon by man.
Some scriptures suggest that propitiation, which is God’s
satisfaction as He sees the shed blood, also carries the same meaning.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the
construction of the Ark of the Covenant. Ex 37 describes this. The
Ark, made of acacia wood, had a covering of gold. The altar laid upon
it also was covered with gold. When God saw the blood sprinkled upon
the altar by the priest, He was propitiated, or satisfied. All
of this is a shadow of Christ, who died to accomplish the reconciliation
between God and man. When we accept Christ, we are clothed with Christ,
who becomes our atonement, or covering. God is satisfied, and we are
set free to enjoy His presence and His life within us.
So do not be surprised to see this pattern of
atonement in the Old Testament writings. Even before the Ark of the
Covenant, which contained the presence of God, we see a shadow of this
in the Ark of Noah.
The Ark, a Shadow of Christ
We need to look upon the writings of Genesis as an
introduction to Christ. We should not be surprised at this, for Jesus
explained on the road to Emmaus, “and beginning with Moses and with all
the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all
the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:27) We learn from this that all Scripture
points to the coming Messiah, that all of it shows us characteristics of
Jesus—both small and large—and that we are better prepared from reading
these Scriptures to fully understand how much God loves us and how much
He has shown the way to our new destination in heaven.
Some initial facts:
The Ark carries man from one condition into a new
beginning. Jesus carries us from a life of sin into the resurrected
life in eternity. There were no life rafts.
The message of salvation through the Ark was
supernaturally revealed. There was only one Ark. There is only one
Savior, Jesus.
God is the designer of the Ark. There is no design
or instruction from man. We can not work our own way into heaven.
The dimensions are ideal for a floating transition
through rough seas. (450 ft. long by 75 ft. wide by 45 ft. high).
The material used was ‘gopher wood’—a material that
is unknown today. (Gen. 6:14 and Unger’s Bible Dictionary). NIV says
“the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain.” Apparently this is a
God-given material.
It had never rained before, so Noah worked in
faith. (Gen. 2:5,6). Noah was warned of things not yet seen. (Heb
11:7). We also are saved by faith placed in Jesus. We have never yet
seen Him.
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Characteristic |
Old Testament
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New Testament
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Design |
All by God. Gen. 6:14-16.
Never before seen by man. A new creation. |
1 Peter 1:20. Foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but manifest in these last times for
you. We are a new creation. (2 Cor. 5:17) |
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Covering. This covering accounts for the
absolute security and preservation of all the occupants of the
Ark. They all arrived intact. |
With pitch. Gen. 6:14. Usually defined as
asphalt, but here the word kaphar (verb) or kopher (noun) is
used. The only time used this way. Used 70 times elsewhere
as ‘atonement’. Lev. 16:16,17 for example |
Put on the new self who is being renewed to
a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created
him---Christ is all, and in all. (Col. 3:10,11)
No one shall snatch them out of My hand.
(John 10:28) |
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Rooms |
Rooms shall thou make. Gen. 6:14 |
In my father’s house are many mansions.
(John 14:2) |
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Window |
At the top (Gen. 6:16). Noah could only
look up, not down toward the troubled waters. |
We are to look up to Jesus. (Col. 3:1).
The Israelites in the wilderness looked up at the cloud and the
fire. |
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Door |
A single door (Gen. 6:16),
It was closed by God. (Gen. 7:16). The
dimensions are not given, so all sizes may enter. |
Jesus is our door. (John 10:9). No comes
to the Father but by Me. All may come to repentance (2 Pet.
3:9) |
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Levels |
Three (Gen. 6:16) |
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Body, soul, and spirit |
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Direction |
No mention of a rudder. Guided by God. A
dove was used to find the dry ground. |
We are to be guided by the Holy Spirit.
The dove is a shadow of the Spirit. |
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These days |
The righteous were saved. Noah walked with
God. (Gen. 6:9b). |
As in the days of Noah, so shall it be.
(Luke 17:26) |
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Work |
Noah did all that God had commanded him.
(Gen. 6:22)
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Work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and
to do of his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:12,13). The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge. (Prov. 1:7) |
At the journey’s end Noah built an altar and
offered a burnt offering to the Lord. (Gen. 8:20). Thus the shed blood
fulfilled the atonement.
I personally believe the physical remains of the
Ark will never be found. Like the Ark of the Covenant it was designed
by God, covered with the promise of atonement and the shedding of
blood. It would not bear the scrutiny of man or his analysis of
construction, for it cannot even be touched by man, let alone be
analyzed. Man cannot enter into the things of God without His
preparation or permission.
I am so overwhelmed by all of this. God has
patiently planned for our salvation, not just once but again and again.
Despite the sin of man, He Himself, as the Son, Jesus, came to earth to
finally accomplish it all. We should have no reason to trust in any
other means of conduct for our life. He has done it all.
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