FEB 5

Genesis 6:14-7:9
Memorise Genesis 6:18
“and thou shalt come into the ark…”

Often in children’s books, cartoons and illustrations, we see this image of a wooden boat with a very crowded deck, with all the cute zoo animals lounging around in a very happy scene. Often there are pairs of zebras, elephants, pigs, tigers, bears, etc. standing by the ledge peering out, parrots and monkeys perched atop the roof, and a pair of giraffes sticking their necks out through the window. It is often a very colourful happy scene. However when we look at the description given in the Bible, we see a much more sobering scene set before us; a scene of mankind and all animal life fighting for their very survival amidst a terrible catastrophe of global proportions. The whole world was being judged with a destructive flood, and the only thing which would save them from the complete decimation of all life was this stout rectangular floating platform known as Noah’s ark.

If we look at the dimensions of the ark (Genesis 6:14-16), we will realise that it was probably a large wooden rectangular structure that was 6 times as long as its width. It was 3 stories high, with each storey about 10 cubits or 4.5 metres in height. Dr Henry Morris, a creation scientist who was a professor of hydraulics (study of fluid mechanics), explains that “it can be shown hydrodynamically that a gigantic box of such proportions would be exceedingly stable, almost impossible to capsize. Even in a sea of gigantic wave, the ark could be tilted through any angle up to just short of 90 degrees and would immediately thereafter right itself again.” Calculations have also shown that such an ark would have the capacity to contain over 125,000 animals the size of a sheep, and so would have had more than sufficient space to carry all the animals in it, especially if they were young animals and not full-grown ones.

We know that God makes no mistake. When He gave Noah the dimensions of the ark, and promised that he and all the animals in it would certainly be kept alive (Genesis 6:19-20), we can be sure that the ark would have been big enough but seaworthy to survive the floodwaters. The ark was their lifeboat and it kept the hope of God’s covenant alive. It preserved Noah and his family, and through them the messianic line could continue.

Thought: God will always protect His own and fulfil His Word.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, our ‘ark’ in whom we can find salvation and the hope of eternal life.