Noah and the Ark
In this lesson on Noah and the Ark, we will study Noah’s family, the corruption that was in the earth, the construction and typology of the ark, and the animals that were spared.
Noah’s Family
He had three sons: Japheth (the elder son – Gen 10:21, the father of the Europeans); Shem (the middle son – Gen 11:10, the father of the Asians); Ham (the younger son – Gen 9:24, the father of the Africans). We’ll study the division of the nations in Gen 10.
The Corrupt Earth
The fall of man not only affected us but also all of creation. “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence”. In Rom 8:19-23, we find all creation groaning and travailing waiting for our redemption at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. According to Job 25:5, the stars are not pure, and according to Is 24:21, the heavenly host will be punished.
The flood resulted in the end of all flesh, v.13. Notice in v.17 that God destroyed “all flesh, wherein is the breath of life”. He said “every thing that is in the ‘earth’ shall die”. Everything in the “sea” survived the flood.
The Ark
The construction of the ark.
- The ark was made of gopher wood which is cypress or cedar.
- It was pitched within and without with pitch which is resin or asphalt.
- It was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. A cubit (the length of a man’s forearm) is 18”. Then the ark was 450’ long, 75’ wide, and 45’ high. The cubit may have been larger, since there were giants in those days.
- The window was near the top for ventilation.
- The door allowed access to all three floors of the ark for loading and unloading.
The typology of the ark.
- The trees from which the ark was made were living organisms that had to “die” to save Noah and his family. There’s a strong resemblance to Jesus Christ, therefore, who had to die on a tree to save us from our sins.
- The door gave access to the ark that saved them. Jesus said, “I am the door”.
- The window in the top matches the windows of heaven, Gen 7:11.
- The three stories match the Temple and the Tabernacle, which each had three places: the outer court, the holy place, and the most holy place, Ex 27:9, 26:33. The three stories also match the Universe, which has three heavens, 2 Cor 12:2.
- Everything in the ark survived, just like everyone in Christ lives, 1 Cor 15:22. Everything outside of the ark perished, just like all without Christ die and perish in a lake of fire.
The Animals That Were Spared
Some disbelieve the record of Noah and the ark because it was not big enough to hold two of every kind of animal and seven of all the clean animals, Gen 7:2. However, the whole earth was populated by just 3 men and their 3 wives, Gen 9:19. Therefore, all of the animals within each species (i.e., canine, feline, etc.) would have come from just 3 pairs. The many varieties we see today have come from cross breeding.
Some have also disbelieved the record of Noah and the ark because they say the carnivores would have eaten the herbivores. However, the food for the humans and the animals was all herbs, straw, hay, fruit, grains, and nuts, Gen 1:29-30. The diet of flesh didn’t start until after the flood, Gen 9:3.