Child, Enter Into My Word

"But I (the Lord God) will establish My covenant with you (Noah); and you shall go into the ark - you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you."
(Genesis 6:18)

This verse contains the first mention of biblical covenant. In so doing, God has made provision for Noah's deliverance - salvation - from the flood. God has given him life in the face of death.

Are you ready to learn something extraordinary? You're gonna love it!

In Hebrew, the word for ark is teivah. Not only does teivah mean ark, it also means 'Word'. God told Noah to enter into the teivah - the ark, the Word, the beginning of God's Covenant relationship with His people - and he would be saved.

The Father says to us, "Child, enter into My Word and be saved."

Jews believe that "One should enter into and cleave to the letters and words of Torah and prayer. This will protect the person and his entire family, enabling them to receive from God all their necessities" (www.chabad.org). The Torah is the Word of God.

Sound familiar? As Christians, don't we believe basically the same thing?

Most of us are familiar with John 1:1,4 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...In Him was life and the life was the light of men."

Enter into the teivah - the Word - and be saved.

Revelation 19:13 reads, "He (Jesus) was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."

Enter in the teivah - the Word - and be saved.

I think the lesson here is awesome and, once again, links us to the Old Testament and our Jewish brothers and sisters. Noah's world was full of corruption and violence, but Noah found favor in God's sight. Noah was counted as righteous before God. But in order for Noah to be spared death he had to obey the Lord's instruction and build a HUGE ark. (And might I add, he had to begin building before there was a drop of rain! AND I'll bet his wife and neighbors thought he was crazy!)

But Noah knew God.
Noah trusted God.
And Noah obeyed God. Even if it didn't make much sense.

God was beginning to make an awareness of Who He was as God and who they were as His people.

Our world is full of corruption and violence, but our God - our AMAZING God - has made a way of escape. Once again, He has saved His people through the teivah - an ark, His Word. His Name is Jesus. In Him we live, we move and we have our being! In Him we find peace. In Him we find refuge.

In HIM!

Not just an occasional high-five.
Not just a rushed "good morning, Lord" as we hurry out the door.
Not just warming a pew on Sunday.

No. Our peace, our life, our refuge is found IN Him!

The world around Noah and his family was drowning in their sin. But Noah and his loved ones were safe. They were abiding in the ark, waiting on God and believing for a miracle. Think of Jesus as the ark for a moment.

The Father says, "Child, enter into my Word and be saved."

Father, Thank You for, once again, linking us to Your ancient people. I just love it when You do this. Thank You. Father. Teach us to abide - to live IN Your Word. The world pulls at us constantly, our families need us, work demands our attention. But, You, Lord are our life. You are our peace, our refuge, our ark. Quicken this Truth to our spirits that we might soar with the wings of eagles above the storms - to find peace that passes all understanding. You are an awesome God and we love You!