We live in a world where we face death, both of ourselves and our loved ones. The ark is a powerful reminder that we can look squarely at death without fear and face it with hope, as for us it’s nothing more than deep slumber. We’ll be awakened from this sleep at our resurrection when we’ll dwell in the true ark of the new heavens and earth with the true Noah, who will give us a glorious Sabbath rest.

At first glance, the flood narrative may seem like a simple tale of an ancient deluge or even God’s love for animal life. That was what I was taught growing up in the church. However, it’s so much more than that. When I studied the flood in seminary, I realized that the narrative is actually a depiction of what God did for the salvation of his beloved people. This new insight brought a renewed love for this story.

Several themes in the narrative are worthy of reflection, but this essay will focus on one: the ark itself. An analysis of its design indicates that the ark represents three things: a microcosm of creation, a temple-home, and an emblem of resurrection.

Ark as a Microcosm of Creation

Let’s first clarify one common misconception: The ark wasn’t a boat, at least not the type of boat we’re accustomed to. According to Genesis 6–7, the architectural design was more like that of a house; it was organized into “rooms” (6:14); it had a “window” (correctly translated in NASB, KJV, and NLT) and a “door” (v. 16).

But the ark is more than a mere house—it represents creation itself. It had three floors, the location for the various species of birds, animals, and creeping things (6:20; 7:23; 8:17). These three levels correspond to the threefold levels of creation: the heavens, the earth, and under the earth (Ex. 20:4; Deut. 4:17–18). To further affirm this identification with creation, the “window” and “door” of the ark parallel the “windows of the heavens” above and the “fountains of the great deep” below (7:11), both of which opened to create the deluge.

The Genesis narrative presents the ark as a microcosm of creation, where the Creator dwelled with and ruled over his covenant people. The ark’s symbolic representation of creation may be one reason why the apostle Peter saw the days of Noah as the major event that divides human history (2 Pet. 3:6). If the “world that then existed” was devastated by a cataclysmic divine act of judgment, so will be the case with the “heavens and earth that now exist” (v. 7).

Ark as a Temple

The ark reminds us of God’s holiness. Within the ark, the animals were distinguished as clean or unclean (Gen. 7:2, 8; 8:20).

Read More