The Ark and Jesus: Bruised

Genesis 7:11-12

A while back I listened to a podcast that talked about ancient flood legends. Most ancient cultures have a flood story in their mythology. Interestingly enough, most of them involve a boat and a family that was saved from the flood. One South American tribe even went as far as to say that a man built a giant canoe, and he and 7 other members of his family were saved from the flood. Historians have a difficult time explaining this away, but we know it is simply a retelling of the Genesis account of the flood: not myth, but history.

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In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

Genesis 7:11-12

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As we study the flood, we know that something terrible happened outside the boat, but we often let our focus shift to the inside of the ark. We imagine Noah and his family caring for the animals and cleaning up after them. We try to imagine what life might have been like for them all those days. I think we tend to imagine a gentle voyage on the sea as God cleansed the earth. Today, I want to think about what happened on the outside though.

We have established that the ark is a picture of Jesus and His salvation of the redeemed. Today, we will focus on the cost of that salvation. Genesis 11 tells us that the underground reservoirs of water burst upwards out of the ground. For this to happen there had to be a great buildup of pressure underground. It is quite possible that there were earthquakes, landslides, flash floods, and maybe even tsunamis. Of course, there was torrential rainfall for 40 days and nights. The earth, and everything on it took a pounding. It is very possible that the surface of the earth does not resemble the pre-flood earth much at all.

Isaiah 53:5 says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed". If the ark is a picture of Jesus, and it offered safety to those within its shelter, then we would be remiss to take note of the fact that the ark took the beating for those inside of it. The waters pounded its wooden frame. It was tossed about by the waves. Debris crashed into it. It bore the full force of the wrath of God so that Noah, his wife, their 3 sons, and the sons' wives could live. The judgment of sin was taken out on the ark in the place of all those who were inside the ark. If it was not for them, the ark would not have been there.

That is what Jesus did on the cross. He took the full force of God's wrath so that we could have eternal life. If it was not for those who would be saved, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross. The fact that some would be saved is why He came. Had it not been for sin in the first place, Jesus would not have died on the cross. Everything about Jesus's death was man's fault. Yet, He gladly bore the shame of the cross for us because He focused on the joy that was to come (Hebrews 12:2).

All those who died outside of the ark could have come into the ark. The invitation was offered. The message was preached. The door was open. They did not come because they did not believe God. It is the exact same reason why people do not enter into the salvation of Jesus today. The invitation is offered. The message is preached. The door is open. Yet, just as in Noah's day, many reject because they choose not to believe that judgment is coming. Just like in Noah's day, there will come a time when the door closes, and the wrath of God is poured out on this earth. Then, it will be too late.

Father, thank You for the picture we have of Jesus being our salvation from judgment. It is a beautiful lesson, and it helps us understand better what He does for us. May we not be proud in our redemption because we had nothing to do with the work of salvation. Our work was simply to enter in and abide.