Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:27
Over the next few days we will cover Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Joseph and then move on to Moses. Neither time nor my strength will allow me to touch on the innumerable events and people where we find Jesus in the Old Testament. After we discover Jesus in several events in Moses’ life, we will then excavate some of the less trodden places where Jesus is found.
Judgment
In this chapter let’s return to Genesis, chapter six. We see that the world has become utterly sinful (Genesis 6:5). Justice is a key attribute of God, and justice demanded action, and God did act. Unlike other people, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9)” This verse sounds like Enoch; he, too, walked with God (Genesis 5:24). Then God told Noah to make an ark (Genesis 6:14).
In Genesis, chapter seven, we find Noah and his family safe in the ark while all life outside of the ark drowns (Genesis 7:21). In chapter eight, we learn that God remembered Noah and his family, and began the recovery process for the earth by causing a wind to blow over the earth (Genesis 8:1). Noah and those in the ark finally return to dry land. “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord… (Genesis 8:20)” And God then makes a covenant between Himself and humanity (Genesis 9:12). And God gives humanity a sign of His covenant: “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9:13)” In Genesis, chapter seven, we find Noah, et al. safe in the ark is while all life outside of the ark drowns (Genesis 7:21). In chapter eight we learn that “God remembered Noah, et al, and began the recovery process by causing a wind to blow over the earth (Genesis 8:1).” Noah and those in the ark finally return to dry land. “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord… (Genesis 8:20)” And God then makes a covenant between Himself and humanity (Genesis 9:12). And God gives humanity a sign of His covenant: “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9:13)”
Birth of the Hebrews, Canaanites, and Gentiles
At the end of chapter nine, a bad family event occurs which causes Noah to bless his son Shem (Genesis 9:26) even though Shem was not the firstborn. So, Shem is the patriarch and founder of the Hebrews. We also learn that Noah’s son, Ham, is the father and founder of the Canaanites. Yes, it is the land of Canaan where God sent Shem’s descendants (Israel) to kill the descendants of Ham (Canaanites) and take the land of Canaan for Israel.
Right here, at the end of chapter nine, is the root of the conflict between Israel and Canaan. It is based on the words God gave Noah. Shem would be the blessed one, Ham would be his servant, and Noah’s son, Japheth, would be the patriarch and founder of the Gentile nations. Japheth and his descendants would prosper and benevolently dwell under the authority of Shem.
We have now reviewed the history of Noah, and we can see that there is much more to Noah’s life than “just” building an ark. The Hebrews, the Canaanites, and the Gentiles all trace their lineages back to Noah. This genealogy is fascinating, but where is Jesus?
Faith That Affects Thousands of Years
First, once again, we find faith in God. Every time we see someone in Genesis exercise faith then God acts in astonishing ways, ways that reverberate across hundreds and thousands of years. This is a good reminder of what Jesus said about faith in Matthew 17:20. And we are reminded of Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.”
Because Noah walked with God and had faith in God, the ark is a type of Christ Jesus; it is a refuge from God’s coming judgement. We believers, too, are promised that our Lord will be a refuge from God’s judgement. “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalms 62:8), “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
The Timing of Jesus is Perfect
Let’s take a brief look at God’s timing. We see in Genesis 8:13, “In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.” The first year, the first month, the first day, that’s not coincidence, that’s God’s perfect timing. Jesus is right here in Genesis 8:13. Now read Romans 5:6, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” The timing of Jesus is always perfect, in the Old Testament and in the New.
The Blood Of Jesus In The Pitch
In reviewing Genesis 6:14, we learn that God had Noah “seal” the ark with pitch, inside and out. Pitch is a sticky resin. This pitch kept the water out. God’s judgment was in the water (flood). The water washed away the corruption in the world. Spiritually, the blood of Jesus was in the pitch.
The pitch was inside and outside. We receive the Holy Spirit in us and on us, inside and outside, just like God told Noah to apply the pitch. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” (Titus 3:5-6)
Well, we can’t pass up Jesus in the rainbow. So, in Genesis 9:11, God says. “…never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Likewise, in 1 Peter 3:18, we find the promise, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” The judgement on the world by a flood was done once, but never again. So, too, Jesus died once for sins, but never again. We see Jesus in and foreshadowed through Noah, the ark, the judgement flood, the redemption of a remnant.
More to Come
There’s more we could discover if we excavated deeper, but now we need to stow away our tools and get some rest. Thanks for joining me on the adventure, this quest to find Jesus throughout God’s Word.
Photo by Harald Arlander on Unsplash
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