The Appointed Refuge
And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in. Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. – Genesis 7:15-17 NKJV.
Noah was given the task and the instructions for building the Ark. As the decades went by Noah not only worked at building the Ark but he also warned the people of the coming flood. Safety could be found only in the Ark. It was God’s appointed refuge. I’m sure the people were laughing at this crazy man building a huge ship where there was no water. A crazy man telling them God was sending a flood. It had never happened before. If it came, surely, they could climb on top of their houses or they could climb to the top of their temples.
The Ark is a picture of salvation found in Christ Jesus. There is a day of judgment, a day of disaster coming. God’s appointed place of safety is in Christ. Only through Him can we find a place of refuge from the wrath of God upon the unrighteous.
I did not watch the recent Grammy awards and I was glad that I didn’t when I saw just a brief video of the performance of Unholy by Sam Smith. From what I saw it appeared to be a horrific scene of worshipping the devil. Even more shocking were those in the audience singing along with the song. Have we no fear of God? It is proof that we have a merciful God in that He did not zap our nation out of existence that night.
Many today laugh at Christians. They laughed at Noah. Many today think they may find safety through other things. They probably thought the same thing in the day of Noah. When God shut the door of the Ark it was too late for those outside. There is coming a time when it will be too late for those outside of Christ to enter in. We surely must be on the brink of that time of judgment coming.
Are you in the Ark of Christ? Are you warning those around you?