For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. Genesis 7:17
The Story
Noah walked with God and was blameless before him, but the world was corrupt. God warned Noah that he would destroy the earth with a flood and instructed him to build a large boat that could hold not just his family but also two of every kind of animal [1]. So Noah did as God instructed. When the floodwaters came, Noah, his family, and all the animals were safe inside the ark.
The Significance
For building the boat, God instructed Noah to cover it in pitch [2]. The word used to describe covering the ark in pitch is the same word used to describe the animal sacrifice as a covering for our sins [3]. Much like the pitch saved Noah from the judgment waters of the flood, the covering of Jesus’ blood will save us from the judgment of our sin [4].
In the same vein, the floodwaters represent baptism—A cleansing of sin through Jesus’ death and salvation through Jesus’ resurrection [5].
[1] Genesis 6:13-22; [2] Genesis 6:14; [3] Leviticus 17:11; [4] Romans 3:25; [5] 1 Peter 3:21-21, Colossians 2:12-14