Ep. 72 | The Covering | Genesis

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Genesis 6:14. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

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Every story has a beginning. And if you don't understand the beginning, you'll likely misunderstand everything that follows. Welcome to Formed by the Word. Currently, we're going back to the very beginning as we look together at the first 11 chapters of Genesis. These chapters explain our world, our struggles, and much about ourselves. We'll see beauty and brokenness, purpose and pride, judgment and grace. We'll watch humanity fall and see that God already had a plan to restore his relationship with us. The Bible doesn't start with a problem, it starts with a perfect God, and that changes everything. So, wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, because the God who spoke in the beginning is still speaking today. I've never been to the Ark Encounter located in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Maybe some of you have. I've heard it's incredible. The Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah's Ark built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. But I've been an interested observer of the project since its inception. You see, a friend of mine was very involved in the project from the very beginning, being a partner with Ken Ham. I've never really been interested in going before, honestly, but spending so much time in Genesis 6 has renewed my interest. So who knows, maybe we'll take a trip soon. The story of Noah's Ark has fascinated and interested many people over the years. But have you ever thought about how unreasonable the whole thing must have been in Noah's day? There are moments in life when obedience to God seems unreasonable. Have you noticed that? It seems unreasonable to everyone else around us. Imagine Noah trying to explain what he was doing. Hey, what are you building, Noah? An ark. Well, what's an ark? A giant boat? Why? Because God said judgment is coming. Sounds pretty unreasonable to me. At this point in history, there's no indication that Noah had ever even seen a worldwide flood. In fact, many people believe that it had never even rained before. Seems unreasonable that a flood was coming, yet Noah obeyed God anyway. Genesis 6.14 reminds us that faith is not merely believing that God exists, it's trusting him. It's trusting him enough to obey him even when we do not fully understand. So today I want us to focus on just one verse. Genesis 6.14. Here's what it says Make yourself an ark of gopher wood, make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. Now there's a whole lot of stuff in that verse to unpack. You see, this verse marks God's first specific instructions to Noah after announcing judgment on a corrupt earth. The command comes in the context of grace. Remember, verse 8 said, But Noah found favor or grace in the eyes of the Lord, followed by Noah's righteous character, being explained in verse 9. There are two things in this verse that I want us to think through today and notice two things, God's plan and then God's provision. First, let's take a look at God's plan. God said to Noah, make yourself an ark. Now the word ark is interesting. It's the Hebrew word teva, an unusual word used only here and for the basket that saved baby Moses. These are the only two places it appears in the whole of the Old Testament. It denotes a box like vessel that was used for preservation, not really a navigable ship, no sails, no oars, no rudders mentioned here. It is a passive floater designed specifically to endure the waters of judgment. One commentator wrote this way. He said, This is not the common Hebrew word for a ship or boat, nor is it the word used for the Ark of the Covenant. Teva emphasizes a passive, box-like vessel, a container rather than a navigated craft. It conveys something sealed, protective, and buoyant. It's meant to endure dangerous waters rather than sail actively through them. Well, that's a good explanation. And so we see here that Noah is even told what materials to use to build this chest. He's told to use gopher wood. Again, this word gopher appears only here in the Old Testament, making it a precise identification really a little bit uncertain. Scholars often suggest that it was cypress, which is durable, a decay-resistant wood valued in ancient shipbuilding, or maybe some other similar coniferous tree, such as acacia, which does grow liberally in that area. Whatever the exact species, it was sturdy, it was suitable, it was a strong material for a massive seaworthy structure. So then God says, make rooms in the ark. Literally, the word rooms there is nests or compartments. I'm sure that's because we all know what that the animals are going to be nesting or living in these compartments. This implies multiple decks and partitioned spaces, obviously intended for animals, but also food, storage, and the family. Now, secondly, we observe God's provision. God says in the last part of that verse, cover it inside and out with pitch. Now, I love this. Take a look at it. And you might say, Pastor Eddie, why are you getting so excited about pitch? Well, here's why. A look at the Hebrew word here. It's very helpful. The verb is kafar, and it means to cover, to smear, or to seal. The name Kafar is related to the root of our word atonement, which is kippur. Perhaps you've heard of Yom Kippur, the day of covering. Well, Kippur relates to this pitch that provided a waterproofing, a standard ancient technique for vessels, coating both inside and outside, and sure that the ark would withstand prolonged exposures to water. This is a massive structure, right? Detailed in verses 15 and 16, but 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high with three decks. That's incredible. And it is watertight because of this pitch. More about that in a minute. Really, I really want to wrap up with what does all this mean to us, right? Well, first it reminds us that the Ark was not Noah's invention. It was God's idea. Noah was not saved because he was intelligent, creative, or resourceful enough to come up with a rescue plan. As a matter of fact, salvation began in a similar way. It wasn't that we were smart enough, creative enough, or resourceful enough to know how to rescue us from our sin plan, our sin condition. Salvation began with God's initiative, just as it did with Noah. A clear gospel in Genesis moment here. God saw the coming judgment upon the earth, and God saw the coming judgment upon us. And in both cases, God provided the means of rescue. Second, this points us directly to the gospel. We are not saved because humanity figured out how to escape sin and judgment. God provided the way through the pitch, through Jesus Christ. Just as Noah had to enter the door of God's ark, we must place our faith in the door. More about that later. God's provision of salvation through Christ. Notice that the instructions are specific. God cared about the material, the structure, the rooms, and even the coating of pitch. Noah's responsibility was not to improve God's plan, it was simply to obey it. This tells us something about faith. It tells us that real faith obeys God. It's possible to claim belief in God while resisting his commands, but biblical faith moves our hands and feet as well as our hearts. Noah's faith was visible in the daily work of building the ark. For years, day by day, Noah cut the wood, shaped the beans, gathered the supplies, and endured the ridicule. Every swing of the hammer was an act of trust in God. In fact, Hebrews 11 7 echoes this truth. The writer of Hebrews says, By faith Noah constructed an ark for the saving of his household. Obedience is our visible response to invisible faith. Now, back to this matter of covering the ark with pitch. Cover it inside and outside with pitch. As I said, this Hebrew word for pitch is connected to the idea of covering. The pitch sealed the ark from the waters of judgment. Without it, the ark would not survive the flood. That just becomes a beautiful picture of salvation. Sin brings judgment, but God provides a covering. Our covering is not tar, but the blood of Christ. If the ark is Christ, then the tar, the pitch, is the blood that seals, that covers us. Throughout Scripture, this idea of being covered points toward atonement and forgiveness, kippur. At the cross of Christ, believers are covered by grace inside and out. The storm of God's judgment fell that day, but Jesus took our judgment upon himself so that those who trust him can be saved. That's why Romans 8.1, Paul could declare that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. No judgment is going to seep through the pitch. No judgment is going to make its way into the ark of safety. The ark carried Noah safely through the storm because God's provision covered him. And Jesus carries us safely through the storm of judgment because God's provision has covered us. So how can I apply this today? One, trust God even when you don't understand. Noah obeyed before he ever saw rain. Sometimes God caused us to forgive, to wait, to serve, to give, or to step out in faith before we ever understand the outcome. Faith obeys God simply ahead of visible results. Second, small acts of obedience really matter. The ark wasn't built in a day. Faithfulness often looks ordinary, but sometimes it takes the shape of another prayer, another day, another moment of integrity, another act of obedience, another quiet decision to trust God. But over time, obedience builds something eternal. And third, run to God's provision of salvation. The ark was the only safe place during the flood. And this reminds us that Jesus is not merely one option among many. He is God's one provision for the rescue from sin and judgment. He is the only door. So the invitation to us is simple. Enter the ark. Trust Christ today. Our takeaway? Faith obeys God before it ever sees the outcome. Heavenly Father, thank you for providing an ark of salvation when judgment was deserved. Help me, like Noah, to hear your specific instructions in your word and to obey them fully. Cover me inside and out with the atoning blood of Jesus. Give me grace to build faithfully amid skepticism, trusting what you have commanded. Lord, empower and preserve. May my life point others to the greater art Christ, our Redeemer. Amen. Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.