Noah's Ark

We often reduce the story of Noah's Ark to children's books and Hollywood movies. However, the details of the ark are amazing, and show God's mercy in preserving Noah's family to sustain humankind. Genesis 6:14 says that God told Noah to "make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high." The ratio of 450 x 75, or 6 to 1, "is the most stable known and is used for the design of modern tankers and freight-hauling ships" (NLT insert). The ark was built for survival, and the Hebrew word for the ark, "tebah, is used again only of the basket in which the baby Moses was floated on the Nile" (NLT insert). It's also amazing to me that God brought to Noah "pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground" (v. 20) to preserve his creation. I just find these little nuggets about the ark fascinating.

After the flood was over, "Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice" (8:20,21) What is so incredible about this sacrifice is that we can do the same thing today, not by offering animals and birds, but by offering prayers, praise, and thanksgiving to God. "What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God" (1 Peter 2:5). Let us follow Noah's example and daily offer these spiritual sacrifices to God.