2/21/77

DOCTRINE OF ARKS

A. Noah’s Ark, Gen 6:14-16, 18-19.

1. The Hebrew word used for Noah’s ark is TEBAH, which refers to a wooden ship constructed of gopher or cyprus wood, used because it is a light but tough wood. The bulkheads were secured with pitch or asphalt. It was 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high.

2. It had one material, gopher wood, representing the humanity of Christ. Christ became true humanity to propitiate God and so that man could be adjusted to the justice of God to survive historical disaster. Those who are maladjusted are destroyed.

3. The pitch used to secured the bulkheads is analogous to the work of Christ on the coss. It keeps out the waters of divine judgment. Pitch is like doctrine which keeps us adjusted to the justice of God.

4. Only one set of plans were used. The ratio and dimensions of the ark made it completely seaworthy. The principle is that only the plan of God has stability.

5. There was only one door in the ark, analogous to the fact that there is only one way to adjust to the justice of God.

6. The one window is analogous to the fact there is only one objective after salvation, to reach maturity. There is only one perspective, Bible doctrine.

7. There were three floors to the ark, which represent the concept of progress after salvation.

8. There is only one place of security in time of disaster, inside the ark. The ark represents to us the principle of eternal security, being in union with Christ.

B. The Ark of Papyri in the Old Testament.

1. This refers to a little ark in which Moses went down the Nile, Ex 2:3ff. It was made of papyrus reeds. It is also called TEBAH.

2. This story shows the doctrinal application of Moses’ mother. She refused to obey the edict of Pharaoh. This delivered Moses in a historical crisis. She demonstrated complete faith-rest.

C. The Ark of the Covenant.

1. Inside the ark were three items.

a. The tables of the Law, which speaks of sin as rebellion against the essence of God.

b. The manna, which speaks of sin as rebellion against the provision of God.

c. Aaron’s rod that budded, which speaks of sin as rebellion against delegated authority.

2. God was propitiated by blood sprinkled on the ark. The greatest historical crisis of all is that we are born spiritually dead. The ark represented the work of Christ as the only solution.

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