The story of Noah and the ark is not just a children's tale about animals on a boat. It's a profound narrative of life and death, condemnation and rescue, judgment and grace. At its core, the flood narrative reveals the gospel message and points us to Jesus Christ.
We often carry images of the ark that muddy's the purpose of this story of salvation.
Kidification
We often reduce Noah's story to "Friends on a Floating Zoo" with cute nursery decor. While the ark symbolizes salvation, it equally represents God's wrath against sin.
Apologetics
Some use the flood narrative primarily to prove creationism. While not wrong, this approach misses the story's primary purpose as a gospel narrative.
True Purpose
The flood story reveals God's redemptive work and points us to Jesus Christ, who is at the center of that work.
The Corruption of Man
2 Generatons from the Fall
The truth of God and the reality of Satan's promise still lingered among the people of Noah's day. They longed to return to the garden.
Perverse Rebellion againt God's Order
"the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose." Gen 6:2
Total Depravity
"Every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" Gen 6:5
Genesis 6 reveals humanity's utter depravity just 1,500 years after creation. The "sons of God" (likely fallen angels working through willing men) pursued unnatural relationships with women, crossing a line that led to God's judgment. This rebellion against divine order mirrors what later happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.
And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Jude 6–7
And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them. Gen 6:6–7
The Lord's Grief
"The LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart." God's normal work is mercy, while justice is His "strange work."
“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?...For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” Ezek 18:23 & 32
The Promise of Justice
God promised to "blot out man" from the earth. This wasn't God changing His mind, but Moses using language his audience would understand to convey God's pain and mourning.
Thomas Goodwin
“And therefore acts of justice, you know, are called … his “strange work,” and his “strange act,” in Isaiah 28:21. But when he comes to shew mercy, he rejoices over them, to do them good, with his whole heart, and with his whole soul; as it is in that Jeremiah 32:41."
The Plan of God
God Raised an Intercessor
Noah was righteous, blameless, and walked with God. He found favor with the Lord and did God's will.
God Warned of Coming Wrath
The sin of humanity demanded God's justice, and He declared His intention to end all flesh.
God Provided the Means of Salvation
The ark was designed with divine specifications to carry all who would be saved and endure God's wrath.
God Secured Their Salvation
"And the LORD shut him in." God Himself closed the door of the ark, ensuring their protection.
The Covenant of Mercy
Judgment Executed
God's wrath was poured out suddenly and completely, destroying all flesh outside the ark.
Deliverance Provided
Those hidden in the ark were saved and eventually released to a renewed earth.
Worship Offered
Noah responded to his salvation by building an altar and offering sacrifices to God.
Covenant Established
God promised never again to destroy all flesh by flood, setting the rainbow as a sign.
Jesus: The True and Better Ark
Perfect Intercessor
Jesus is the true and better Noah - righteous, blameless, and doing God's will perfectly.
Greater Means of Salvation
Christ Himself is our ark, sheltering us from the coming judgment.
Superior Covenant
The rainbow spoke of mercy; Christ's blood establishes a covenant of grace.
While the story of Noah shows God's rescue through an intercessor and a wooden vessel, Jesus is both the perfect intercessor and the means of salvation. A greater judgment awaits the world - not by water but by fire - and we must enter the ark that is Christ Jesus to be saved.
A Warning for Today
"They will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.' 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly." 2 Peter 3:4-7
Are You Secured in the Ark that is Jesus?
Romans 6:23-25 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,(corruption of man) 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood (God’s plan), to be received by faith (new covenant).
How is baptism connected to the story of Noah?
Baptism symbolizes our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Peter connects the two salvific works and writes, "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
What happens when we enter Christ by faith?
When we enter into Christ by faith, we die to sin and death, which means we no longer need to fear judgment. Propitiation is made, and there is no condemnation for those in Christ.
"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." Rom 6:3–4
What do we gain in Christ?
In Christ, we have what the people of Noah's day longed for - access back into the Garden where God dwells. We receive rescue from sin and death, and we share in Jesus' inheritance!
"being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." Col 1:11–12