Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parashah #2: Noach B’resheit (Genesis) 6:9-11:32
Haftarah: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 52:13-55:5
B’rit Chadashah: Luke 17:26-37
Keeping with the truth that to reach the correct conclusion, we must start with the correct premise, today we are going to explore some of the common questions concerning Noah’s Ark, its construction, and the symbology associated with Yahshua and the concept of trust and faith which are both dynamic action words that describe reliance and/or confidence in someone or something; obedience, emulation, and/or worship, which in the context of a relationship with YHVH/Yahshua will result in salvation and eternal life.
First, we are given background information about the social state of the world in the time of Noach, providing us with a stark contrast in human morals just as we are witnessing in our world today. The people in the entire world were corrupt. In 2 Peter 3:6 -7 tells us “By these waters also the world(kosmos) of that time was deluged (kataklusmos) and destroyed.” Estimates of the number of people existing before the flood range from 147,551,508 to as many as 19,947,270,231 based on various growth rates taking into consideration diseases, wars, and other factors that may have been present. Only Noach is identified as a righteous and wholehearted man who walked with G-d. So we see right away that Noach was a man who followed/obeyed G-d wholeheartedly. How old was he when he started this humongous project? According to Genesis 7:6 he was 600 years old when the flood occurred. He was born in 2913 B.C. and was 480 years old when he was commissioned to build the ark. In Hebrews 11 we are told what “trusting” means and are provided with examples of those who were considered righteous because of their overtly demonstrated trust. Hebrews 11 starts “Trusting is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. It was for this that Scripture attested the merit of the people of old. Verse 7 reads “By trusting, Noach, after receiving divine warning about things as yet unseen, was filled with holy fear and built an ark to save his household. Throughout this trusting,
He put the world under condemnation and received the righteousness that comes from trusting.” Verse 13 continues this subject: “All these people kept on trusting until they died, without receiving what had been promised. They had only seen it and welcomed it from a distance; while acknowledging they were aliens and temporary residents on the earth.” Noach believed in G-d’s promise that he and his family would be safe, and that G-d would describe the covenant that G-d said he would make Noach. Now let’s start with the acceptance of G-d’s Word regarding the flood. Acceptance of G-d’s Word “in the beginning” provides the focal point for our understanding the geology, biology, the history of mankind, and the universe. But I believe one of the most crucial point conveyed in the parashah is that we are given an example of what active trust and faith are and that these acquired attributes are required in order to obtain the status of being considered righteous in G-d’s eyes as we mentioned from the Book of Hebrews.
Noach stood out alone as a G-d-fearing and loving man in contrast to an evil society, filled with violence. It is important to understand that the N’filim were present on the earth at that time and were having sexual relations with the daughters of men. These beings were evil, fallen angels and specifically Azazel who according to the book of Enoch Chapter 8:1-2 “taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all coloring tinctures. 2And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray and became corrupt in all their ways.”
I provided the previous excerpt from the Book of Enoch because Noach and those who helped him build the ark would have used knowledge of metal working in its construction. There is nothing specifically in G-d’s Torah that definitively states there were other men who assisted Noach in the construction of the ark, but neither is there any evidence in scripture that G-d miraculously endowed Noach with the physical strength to move the massive trees into place without assistance. Remember that he had his three sons to assist him and that in many situations there are “nice people” who do not follow G-d’s Torah acknowledge Him, or even follow another god but who assist us with projects such as mowing the lawn, moving heavy objects, painting, or other tasks. The majority of the worlds peoples will not enter the “door” of forgiveness and salvation (Yahshua) evidenced by scriptural references including but no limited to Matthew 7:13-14;21-3; Genesis 7:21; Genesis 19; 1 Kings 19; Rom 9:27-8.
Just as in the days of Noach, without G-d and without a true knowledge and understanding of G-d’s Word whether by chosen rebellion or otherwise, man will repeat the same godless behaviors. This truth is evidenced in the narrative of Jerusalem’s spiritual condition before the destruction of the Temple described in Deuteronomy 32:15, and the dispersion of the Northern Tribes (Ezekiel 36:19-24). The “Jews” are supposed to be a light unto the nations and set the example for mankind to follow regarding their relationship to G-d and to our fellow-man. When we fail, we are disciplined which takes many forms, even sometimes resulting in death.
G-d commanded that the ark be made of gopherwood. There is no accurate or definitive description of what gopherwood really is in modern terminology. It is thought that it may be a type of cedar or pine. It is said to grow only in old growth forests. It is dense, hard and durable. According to Woodbeaver.net, it is described as white oak, hickory, ash, or elm. However, when we go to the Hebrew-Aramai lexicon of the Old testament (HALOT), we find that the wood is only mentioned in Genesis 6;14 as an “unknown species of tree used for building the ark.”
Cline’s Dictionary of Classical Hebrew states that the term refers to “wood from which Noah’s ark was constructed,” and adds that it was perhaps cypress but there is no evidence described in the book to support this opinion.
The Septuagint translates it as “squared” timber and the Latin Vulgate as “smoothed” timber. Modern commentators usually are of the opinion that it was some sort of conifer suitable for shipbuilding.
The truth of the matter is that currently we are not capable of identifying gopherwood with any degree of certainty. There exists the possibility that gopherwood used for the ark was a tree that is now extinct.
“Pitch” (kopher) means “ransom” but is uniquely called pitch which is probably from the root word kapher (to cover). Noah applied pitch to the inside and outside of the ark. This fact provides a foreshadow of Yahshua’s atoning work on the execution stake. He not only ransomed us from the death sentence imputed upon us through the fall of Adam, but through His sacrifice he provided a way for man to be reconciled to G-d, an olah sacrifice; the perfect sacrifice and consecration to G-d.
Cubits (ammah) Was the standard of measure at the time of the ark’s construction, and it is accepted as the length from a man’s forearm at the elbow to fingertip. There were various standards, but the cubit was usually used for large structures. One cubit is about 20 inches. Therefore, the ark was about 510 feet long.
The word “window” (tsohar) is translated midday everywhere else in Scripture while the usual words for “window” was not used in this section. The Septuagint doesn’t even mention a window. Perhaps “midday” was used to suggest a hatch placed midship and when opened would provide light. This calls into question where the light would come from when it rained 40 days and 40 nights (Gen 7:12). “Finish it to a cubit from above” is closest to the Hebrew text and would indicate that the opening was made a cubit from the top of the ark.
The door was to be placed in the side of the ark with lower, second, and third decks. The order in this statement would suggest that the opening was on the second deck. Application for today is that there was only one way to enter the ark and there is only one way to obtain salvation and eternal life with YHVH/Yahshua. We are told in John 10:9 “I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture” just as Noach and his family went into the ark and then exited at G-d’s perfect timing. Another scriptural reference is found in John 14;6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Also note that the ark ascended upward just as we are to ascend in our relationship with YHVH/Yahshua as we progressively distance ourselves from the world.
The sad truth that opportunities for obtaining salvation and eternal life with YHVH/Yahshua are limited is found in many scriptures in the Old Testament and in the B’rit Chadashah (Refreshed, renewed Covenant). The parable of the 10 virgins is found in Mathew 25. Hebrews 13:3 tells us that it is important to persevere in our trust and obedience to G-d lest we fall away and be taken in by the Adversary. Many other examples of this truth are found in Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5, and John 3:8; 8:24.
In John 3: 3 we are told that we must be born again in order to see the kingdom of G-d. Noach was instructed to cover the inside and outside of the ark with pitch, application mentioned earlier in this lesson. But another deeper understanding of this double insulation of the ark relates to our “insulation” from committing sins when we realize the “new nature” spoken of by Sha’ul (Paul) in the B’rit Chadashah is the spiritual ability to overcome our animal/human nature as evidenced by our repentance and choice to follow G-d’s Torah out of love. The process of being born again requires repenting of our past and accepting G-d’s Torah/instructions as the True Word of YHVH/Yahshua. When we make this “U-turn” and choose to follow G-d’s Word as it was written in Hebrew and Aramaic (not the many retranslated, adulterated Bibles we see in print today) we are grafted into the Covenants of Israel described in Ezekiel 37. This is possible through the covering of Yahshua through His blood sacrifice on the execution stake. So just as Noach and his family were symbolically “ransomed” and “covered” with the application of pitch on the inside and outside of the ark which is also symbolic of Yahshua delivering true believers from a sinful world, true believers throughout the history of man even until today have the ransom for the 3rd death penalty paid and the way to G-d opened for them IF they are found to be righteous as righteous is defined in Hebrews 11 as one of the most comprehensive descriptions.
So how long did it take to complete the construction of the ark? There is no evidence that answers this question. Even in such extra -Biblical references as the book of Jubilees, and the writings of Josephus, there is no answer.
Although it is an interesting question to ponder, again this issue is not germane to one’s salvation. It is the spiritual applications that we must seek as we explore with humility and awesome reverence for G-d’s interest in mans welfare and desire that man would accept His “open door” to salvation for anyone who repents, accepts the sacrifice of Yahshua’s blood on the execution stake, and chooses to accept and follow G-d’s Torah/instructions until the race to win the prize is won (1 Cor. 9:24-7).
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10
Forsaken Jerusalem is likened to a barren woman. G-d enjoins her to rejoice, for the time will soon come when the Jewish nation will return, proliferate, repopulating the once desolate cities of Israel. Isaiah assures the people that G-d has not forsaken them. Just as evening precedes morning as written in our last parashah, Israel’s darkest hours must occur before the dawn with the appearance of the restoring and Infinite Light; Yahshua. Yahshua will gather Israel from their exile with great mercy. This haftarah compares the final Redemption to the pact G-d made with Noach in this week’s parashah. Just as G-d promised to never bring a flood over the entire earth, so too will He never again be angry at Israel. “For the mountains may move and the hills might collapse, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace collapse.”
B’rit Chadashah: Luke 17:26-37
The backdrop of this passage is the question about when the Kingdom of G-d will come. Yahshua tells the Pharisees that it will not come with visible signs because the “Kingdom of G-d is among you.” They did not recognize Yahshua as the Kingdom of G-d because they were expecting tangible signs other than the One that was standing right before their eyes! Yahshua tells them that the time of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah right up until the day that Noach entered the ark; then it was too late, and the flood killed all those outside the ark. Yahshua also relates the story of Lot and the immediacy of G-d’s judgement on S’dom. The urgency of leaving homes and other unbelievers which may include family are emphasized. Those alive during the return of the L-rd are not to look back or take any possessions. Yahshua uses the phrase:
“whoever aims at preserving his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will stay alive.” This means that we are not to focus on our human desires or other transient issues and concerns. We are to live for G-d by following His Torah out of love once we repent and accept the sacrifice of the Lamb of G-d for our past sins (Rom. 3:25; 2 Pet. 1:9). This consistent commitment to G-d as a prerequisite for eternal life is reinforced and clarified in Chapter 18 that will not be addressed today but the reader is encouraged to study for further clarification of Luke 17:33-35. Other comparative scriptures include but are not confined to Matthew 16:24-26; Matthew 10:21-23.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Tamah Davis-Hart