Everyon Needs An Ark Series

Disaster movies ominously predict the end of the world. Whether it be asteroids or aliens, nuclear war or epidemic, our poor old planet is constantly being wiped out by some larger than life disaster. These movies sell because we seem to thrive on FEAR.

One of the biggest disaster movies was the recent movie “2012.” In this plot, scientists discover the impending doom facing the earth and create a plan to rescue a small group to rebuild a new earth. One family discovers the plan and races to the ends of the earth to escape the coming disaster. Of course the arrive at the secret destination, but to their surprise, the government has not built a spaceship, but rather GIANT BOATS, called ARKS. A remnant of the world board these arks, complete with giraffes, elephants, and every other creation you would expect to see on Noah’s ark.

There are over 200 flood accounts from ancient cultures around the world, from cultures that never interacted with one another.

For instance, the Pawnee tribe in Nebraska has the following tradition: the creator Ti-ra-wa destroyed the first people, who were giants, by water because of his indignation about their corruption and after that he created a man and a woman like present people, who became the Pawnees’ ancestors.

In addition, the Miao tribe who resides in southwest China had a tradition which is like the Genesis account even before they met Christian missionaries. According to their tradition, when god destroyed the whole world by the flood because of wickedness of man, Nuah the righteous man and his wife Matriarch, their three sons, Lo Han, Lo Shen, and Jah-hu survived by building a very broad ship and embarked on it with pairs of animals.

95% of these flood traditions have common elements with Genesis, even though there is no possible literary or historic link between many of the various records.

by Nozomi Osanai, 8/3/05 “Answers in Genesis” www.answersingenesis.org/articles/csgeg/comparison-secular-historical-records

There is much that we can say about the importance of the FLOOD.

We can talk about the SIZE of the ark, and the accuracy of the Bible.

But we should not miss the LESSON that the ark teaches us.

Here’s our text for today. “This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.” (Genesis 6:9–14, NIV84)

“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22, NIV84)

“Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” (Genesis 7:23–8:1, NIV84)

The truth is that Everyone needs an Ark!

What is an ARK?

There are two Hebrew words that are translate “ark” in the Old Testament. The first is Tebah. It means a container, and is used to describe a basket, coffin or container.... even a boat! In Genesis 6-9 it is the word used for the BOAT that Noah built. In Exodus 2:3, 5, it refers to the basket that was built for MOSES. Both were covered in pitch. Both delivered their cargo to safety.

The second Hebrew word is Aron. It too can mean a box, chest or a coffin. The most frequent usage of this word is to describe the ARK of the Covenant! By comparison, Noah’s ark is mentioned 25 times in the book of Genesis. The ark of the covenant is mentioned 21 times in Exodus. It is interesting that both books focus on an ark.

The ARK is a PICTURE of SALVATION

1. Noah’s ark saved Noah’s family from the FLOOD

2. The Ark of the Covenant saved ISRAEL from their SIN

All THREE ARKS in the OT, Point us to JESUS CHRIST

The BASKET of MOSES is used by the Lord to save Moses, who would become the deliverer of Israel.

The ARK of the COVENANT is the place where the Glory of God dwelt, and the place where the blood of the covenant was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat. This was Israel’s salvation, as they were led by the Glory of the Lord, and as their sins were covered when the blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat. Christ has made ATONEMENT for our sins by his blood, as we read in Heb 9:11-14. So the Ark is also in a way, a picture of the work of Christ