Noah's Ark a Type of Christ

Noah's Ark replica in Hong Kong

Did you realize that the ark that Noah built was a type of Christ?

God told Noah, “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.” (Gen 6:14)

The KJV translates it like this: “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” (Gen 6:14)

So the Lord commanded Noah to “pitch it within and without with pitch.”  The phrase “pitch it…with pitch” contains a verb (pitch) and a noun (pitch).  The Hebrew word for the verb “to pitch” is “kaphar” (pronounced kaw-far'), which means “to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel: - appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation).” (Strongs).  So this verb connotes the act of covering, as well as that of appeasing, making atonement, pacifying, and making reconciliation.  One example of the use of the word "kaphar" in the Old Testament is in Leviticus, which says, "'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.'" (Lev 17:11). Therefore, when God commanded Noah to cover the ark with pitch, the practical purpose was to make it waterproof, thereby preventing leaks and keeping it afloat in the flood, so that it wouldn't sink, which symbolized the atonement of Christ that pacified the wrath of God and made reconciliation for all who believe in Him, so that they would not perish. 

Interestingly the Hebrew noun in the phrase “pitch it…with pitch” is “kopher” (pronounced ko'-fer), meaning, “properly a cover, that is, (literally) a village (as covered in); (specifically) bitumen (as used for coating), and the henna plant (as used for dyeing red); figuratively a redemption price: - bribe, camphire, pitch, ransom, satisfaction, sum of money, village.” (Strongs).  The pitch with which God commanded Noah to cover the ark symbolized figuratively the redemption price that Jesus paid with His own blood on the cross for our sins. The pitch was a type of His blood that was paid as a ransom to satisfy the wrath of God. 

In fact, the pine resin that is used for pitch actually has a burgundy-red hue like blood, as you can see in the photos of it shown to the left. This was an interesting discovery for me, because I always imagined it to be black. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you can see the color more closely. The top left photo shows the red resin being collected directly from a pine tree. The top right photo shows it after it has been heated and strained of impurities into a pottery dish. The bottom left photo shows the burgundy-colored resin after it has hardened in the dish. The bottom right photo shows a glossy piece of the hardened resin held up to the light, so that you can see it's red color. There is also a short video called How I Make Pine Pitch Glue that shows its red color as well, which you can watch at the link. Now consider the fact that God told Noah to cover or pitch the ark inside and out with this substance, and just imagine how that must have looked. He may have used it as caulking between the planks or covered it completely inside and out as the text literally says, but in either case it may have been colored red inside and out.

These two Hebrew words, “kaphar” (verb) and “kopher” (noun) in the phrase “pitch it…with pitch” are rich in meaning that typifies the work of Christ on the cross.  When you repent and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, believing that He died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead, you are forgiven, covered with His blood, and reconciled to God.  Your sin is atoned for, and the wrath of God is pacified.  You are cleansed.  All of these are aspects of the verb “kaphar.”  The blood of Jesus that covers you, just as the “kopher” covering of pitch did for the ark, is able to keep you from perishing in the wrath of God.  And Christ Himself is like the ark that carries us above the flood waters, so that we will not drown. 

God once destroyed the earth by water, and He will once again destroy it by fire. The apostle Peter said,

"For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." (2Pe 3:5-7)

He has made provision for you to be saved if you will repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  You need to be in Christ the ark, which has been “pitched with pitch”, and remain in Him, so that you will be saved from the wrath of God.

If you already know Christ, be sure you stay in Him, and do not wander away (see Keeping Power of God).  If you have wandered off, then repent and get back inside the ark (see my article Drifting Away).  And if you don't know Him, I plead with you to give your life to Him today, which I explain below, so that you can be saved from the coming wrath (see "Do You Want to Know Jesus?").

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him." (1Pe 3:18-22)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The the ark replica in Hong Kong is the first one ever built according to Biblical proportions, and the photo was taken from the Wall Street Journal article, Hong Kong Christens an Ark of Biblical Proportions.  The "Because I Love You" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note:  Also see Where will you go when you die?, Few will be saved, Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, When Earth Recedes and Heaven Opens, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, and The Book of Life.  You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_____________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.