Yahweh looked and found that mankind had become corrupt and exceedingly violent. Amid the chaos, a certain righteous man was found—a man that would build a boat to rescue mankind. Would this man help restore peace on earth? According to the prophecy of names found in man’s first 10 generations, it would seem so. It would also seem to point to an even bigger promise meant for the end of days.
Let’s look at the names of the first 10 generations for a quick reminder of Yahweh’s goodness towards us.
Adam—man (is)
Seth—appointed
Enosh—mortal, frail sickness
Kenan—sorrow
Mahalalel—blessed Yah, praise Yah
Jared—shall come down
Enoch—commence teachingMethuselah—His death shall bring
Lamech—lament, lamentation
Noah—comfort or rest
Put into words, these names state, “Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow (but) the blessed God shall come down teaching His death shall bring the despairing comfort or rest.”
Most have believed that the story of the flood is Yahweh’s judgment towards man and Earth. But is the flood a judgment or more of a decree? In the pre-flood story found in Genesis, man separated himself from God–the Source of all Life. Consequently, to be fair and just, a ruling would have to be proclaimed in the Universe. As in a court of law, verdicts must be given. The rule of law must be followed. In YHWH’s ruling, the announcement was made that every thought from man had become evil. The case was clear. Man had chosen violence over peace. The Heavenly court made its announcement and it was done in a form of a boat.
The prophet Isaiah tells us about a Savior who takes on the “son of man” role to restore man. The term son of man in Hebrew is ben Adam. The term for son of man in Aramaic is bar Enosh or son of weakness or sickness. Why would Yeshua become a frail man to rescue man? Could frailty be sin itself? Does sin make us weak? Are there pictures in Noach of Yeshua taking on our weakness of sin so that we might be rescued?
“He (Yeshua) is despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were, or faces from Him, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by Elohim, and afflicted.” Is. 53:3-4
From a Biblical perspective, sin is death, in that when human beings no longer cling to the Life-Giver, death will soon follow. In Noach, the sentence of destruction by a flood would be the consequence of a verdict. But even here, God announces mercy. God would provide compassion. Noah is the man deemed righteous in that he had a heart to follow the instructions of the Most High. Mercy would be found in the safety of a boat—a large life raft of the sort to save man and beast from the consequences of sin.
We see a similar picture in the story of Moses, where he is rescued from death by being in a basket. The term Basket is Teba. In Hebrew, this word is represented by the letters tav, bet, and hey, which means a covenant or seal of the house. This same word, Teba, is used to describe the ark in Noach, for which we find Yahweh holding true to his original covenant given through the list of names.
It’s also interesting to note that the word Koper in Hebrew is the description for pitch that held the basket of Moses together. The same word is used when describing the pitch that held the ark together. Koper means the price of a life or ransom covering. Can you say, “The works of the Messiah?
From my perspective, the ark or the rescue boat represents the Torah or The Word of life. The precepts of the Torah matched with the Spirit given to us through the resurrection of Yeshua can save us from the flooding waters of chaos. As Avi Ben Mordecai states, “Torah obedience challenges us to Torah’s reality principles. This teaches us to choose life and in doing so, learn to rule over the mind of our flesh, the “old man” who can be heard screaming out, “No, I will not submit!” But the mind of our “new man” in the Spirit” seeks out the Will of the Father.”
“For the death that He died, He died to sin once and for all, but the life that He lives He lives to Elohim. Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to Elohim in Messiah Yeshua our Master. Romans 8:10-11
From the very fall of Adam, we see an interactive God, providing a solution to our sinful nature. The story is written in genealogies. As we look further into the texts of the Noach study, we will find the genealogies of Shem, Japheth, and Ham. In doing so, we will have to come to the obvious conclusion that sin is found in each line. Even though they are sons of Noah, a righteous man, the DNA of “sickness” has corrupted the heart of man. Therefore, Yeshua takes on this “sickness” via Yah’s covenant to redeem His people. (I Peter 3:18-22)
In these last days, man is becoming increasingly corrupt. Will there be another lifeboat? One day soon, there will be another heavenly announcement. Yahweh will cry out, “It is finished.” At that point and even before, we will have another clear choice towards accepting His mercy to avoid everlasting death. What is that mercy? Yeshua clearly stated, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (Jn. 11:25, 26)
The lifeboat in these last days comes in the form of Yeshua’s blood, the pitch that was shed on a cross. It was given so that we would be covered by His covenant of life. Will you get on Yeshua’s boat? Will you allow Him to take on your sickness? It’s a choice.
Be Blessed,
Rollyn