“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”
(Genesis 7:1)
The ark which God instructed Noah to build is a beautiful representation of the saving provision of God for His church in Christ. When the world stood condemned and the flood of divine judgment was about to descend, God Himself provided the place of safety. Noah and his household were called into the ark, and there they were preserved while the judgment of God overwhelmed the world outside.
As there was only one ark in which Noah and his family could escape the flood, there is but one Savior in whom sinners may escape the wrath to come. No other refuge can withstand the judgment of God. Human strength, personal righteousness, religious profession, and every other confidence will fail. Salvation is found in Christ alone.[1]
The ark remained secure when the waters rose above the highest mountains. The very judgment that destroyed the world could not destroy those whom God had enclosed within His appointed refuge. In the same manner, those who are in Christ are secure because their salvation rests in Him. The judgment their sins deserve cannot consume them, for Christ has borne the wrath due to His people and has accomplished their redemption.
This truth demonstrates the greatness of Christ. The floods of divine wrath that would have overwhelmed a world of sinners could not cause Him to fail in the work He undertook. He endured His sufferings, satisfied divine justice, conquered death, and arose victorious. As the ark rose above the waters, so Christ triumphed over all that came against Him, and His church shall finally triumph in Him.
All who entered the ark were preserved under Noah, just as the church is preserved under Christ, her sovereign Head. She may appear small, weak, and endangered in this world. She may be tossed by affliction and surrounded by powerful enemies, yet the same God who carried the ark safely through the flood preserves His church by His providence and grace. She rests upon Christ, the Rock that cannot be moved.
What cause there is, then, to adore the wisdom, mercy, and power of God as the great Refuge and Strong Tower of safety, the ark of safety. He has not left His people exposed to the judgment their sins deserve. He has provided Christ as their refuge, clothed them in His righteousness, placed them under His sovereign care, and secured their everlasting salvation. Those who are found in Him shall finally be brought safely through every trial into the eternal rest prepared for the people of God.
Contemplations:
- Adoring God For Providing The Only Refuge. I adore You, Father, because You have provided the only refuge that can save from the judgment to come. No righteousness of my own could shelter me, and no strength of mine could deliver me. You have given Christ as the sure and sufficient Savior of Your people. Fix my faith entirely in Him and cause me to worship You for providing so perfect a refuge for helpless sinners.
- Adoring God For Perfect Security In Christ. I praise You that all who are truly in Christ are safe under Your sovereign care. Nothing can overturn Your purposes, and no enemy can separate Your people from their Redeemer. Teach me to adore Your preserving grace and to rest with confidence in the Savior who has accomplished redemption for His people.
- Adoring God For The Sufficiency Of Christ. I worship You for the fullness of salvation found in Your Son. Christ is sufficient for sinners of every nation and condition, and none who truly come to Him will be turned away. You gather Your people into one redeemed church under one glorious Head. Help me adore Him as the precious Savior whose righteousness and redemption perfectly answer every need of His people.
- Adoring God For Preserving His Church. The preservation of Your church rests in Your almighty hands; You will never abandon those whom You have united to Christ. You carry Your people through every trial and will finally bring them into everlasting rest. Cause me to praise Your faithfulness by which Your church is kept forever secure in Christ.
Prayer (Adoration):
Most glorious God, I adore You for the wisdom and mercy displayed in providing salvation for Your people. As You appointed the ark as a refuge from the flood of Your wrath, You have given Your Son as the only refuge from the judgment to come.
I worship You for Jesus Christ, the sure and sufficient Savior. There is no other name under heaven whereby sinners must be saved. Every human effort fails before Your judgment, but those who are found in Christ are clothed in a righteousness that cannot fail.
I adore You for the perfect security of Your people in Him. No trial can thwart Your purpose, no enemy can defeat Your power, and no judgment can finally overwhelm those whom You have redeemed. You preserve Your church by Your grace and carry her safely through every affliction.
I praise You for gathering sinners of every kind into the fellowship of Your Son. Your grace reaches the undeserving, Your mercy receives the guilty, and Your power saves all whom You have given to Christ.
Keep my heart resting in Christ alone and cause me to adore You continually for the refuge You have provided, the righteousness You have supplied, and the everlasting rest You have prepared for Your people.
Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5; Matt. 24:38
[1] Jonathan Edwards, Notes on Scripture, ed. Harry S. Stout and Stephen J. Stein, vol. 15, The Works of Jonathan Edwards (London; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998), 268-271.
