Jesus Has Covered You

I love finding connections across the pages of Scripture.  Although the Bible has over 40 different human authors, it really has only one ultimate Author, that is God.  This explains how the storyline can be so cohesive across over at least 15 centuries and 3 languages.  There is more continuity from the Old Testament to the New Testament than from one Star Wars trilogy to the next.  You can say the same for any movie franchise.  

Here is a connection that ties Noah’s ark straight to Jesus.  In Genesis 6:14, Noah was told to “cover the ark with pitch.” • The word for “cover” is kaphar  כָּפַר‎ , Strong’s #3722b.• The word for “pitch” is kopher  כֹּפֶר‎ , Strong’s #3724b.

These are closely related words.  The three consonants are the same, and originally, Hebrew only had consonants.  The “b” on the Strong’s number indicates that it is a secondary definition.  The word usually refers to atonement, as in Lev 17:11 (Strong’s #3722a).

The ark is a type of Christ pointing forward to our salvation in Jesus.  With His blood, Jesus made atonement for us and we are “covered.”  The word remains on our calendar on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

In Exodus 25:21 and 30:6, another word in this family, kapporeth, כַּפֹּרֶת Strongs #3727 is used to denote the lid of the ark of the covenant, commonly called the “mercy seat.”  This‎ Hebrew word was translated by the LXX with the Greek word “hilasterion.”  It is traditionally translated “propitiation” in Romans and Hebrews below, as is its related word “hilasmos,” used in I John.• Romans 3:25 (NKJV) … whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, [CSB translates this as “mercy seat.”]• Hebrews 9:5 (NKJV) …  and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. • 1 John 2:2 (NKJV) … And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. • 1 John 4:10 (NKJV) …  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus is also the mercy seat, the lid of the ark of the covenant where the blood of the sacrifice was applied.  When Jesus’ blood is applied to the mercy seat, the righteous demands of God are satisfied and our sin is “covered.”  Unlike the system during the Old Testament, Jesus’ sacrifice does not have a one-year shelf life.  It yields a permanent solution to our sin problem.

In the days of Noah, everyone in the sea perished. Everyone in the ark was saved. In our day, everyone still in sin will perish and everyone in Jesus will be saved.