Genesis 6:14–16 (KJV)
[14] Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. [15] And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. [16] A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
📏 1. God Measures with Meaning
God’s measurements are never random—they are rich with meaning. The ark’s size is not just functional—it is symbolic. Each number matters.
- 300 cubits (length): Symbolizes victory through faith—just as Gideon’s 300 men conquered by divine power (Judges 7:7).
- 50 cubits (width): Represents liberty and jubilee. Leviticus 25 shows every 50th year as a year of release. God made room for grace.
- 30 cubits (height): Associated with maturity and commissioning. Jesus began His ministry at 30 (Luke 3:23); Joseph stood before Pharaoh at 30 (Genesis 41:46).
Devotional Reflection: God doesn’t guesstimate—He calculates. He measures your steps (Psalm 37:23), your sorrows (Psalm 56:8), your hairs (Luke 12:7), and your days (Psalm 39:4). Every storm you face has been sized and permitted by His sovereign wisdom.
🪵 2. God Chooses the Material
Genesis 6:14 – “Make thee an ark of gopher wood…”
Though we do not know exactly what gopher wood was, it was hand-selected by God. Perhaps it was resilient, buoyant, or rare—but it was chosen for a divine purpose.
Devotional Reflection: God has chosen you for a reason. Like gopher wood, your past, your strengths, and even your weaknesses are part of His construction plan. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee” (Jeremiah 1:5).
🛡️ 3. God Applies the Seal
Genesis 6:14 – “…and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”
The Hebrew word for pitch is kaphar, the same root as the word for atonement. God didn’t just waterproof the ark—He symbolically covered it in mercy.
Devotional Reflection: You are safe from judgment because of the covering of Jesus Christ. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). He is your shield, your atonement, your pitch—inside and out.
🚪 4. God Directs the Entrance
Genesis 6:16 – “…and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof…”
Only one door. Not two. Not a hatch. This one-way entrance represents Christ.
John 10:9 – “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Devotional Reflection: Don’t search for alternate exits. Christ is the door—and the only one. “Neither is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12).
🪜 5. God Builds in Levels
Genesis 6:16 – “…with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.”
The ark had three levels. This may represent the body, soul, and spirit—or the growth from justification to sanctification to glorification.
Romans 8:30 – “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Devotional Reflection: Don’t stay on the lower level of faith. Rise to all God has for you. He builds us upward, layer by layer, story by story.
🧱 Sidebar: The Ark—God’s Blueprint of Salvation
One of the most profound truths of Noah’s ark is this: It wasn’t just a boat—it was a prophecy in wood. A divine prototype of Jesus Christ Himself.
- The Pattern: It came from God—not Noah. Just like salvation is from God, not man.
- The Measurements: Victory (300), liberty (50), maturity (30). The cross-shaped message of Christ.
- The One Door: Salvation is exclusive, but available to all. Christ is the only way (John 14:6).
- The Seal: Pitch (kaphar) means atonement. The ark was sealed with grace. So are we.
- The Preaching: Noah didn’t just build—he warned. “A preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).
- The Resting: The ark came to rest on Mount Ararat on the 17th day of the 7th month—the same day Christ rose from the grave on the Hebrew calendar.
Profound Conclusion: The ark preaches the gospel. It was constructed by grace, entered by faith, sealed by atonement, and preserved through judgment—just like every believer in Christ.
🌊 Final Devotional: Let God Do the Measuring
Genesis 6:22 says, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” The flood came. The world perished. But Noah and his family were safe—not because he improvised, but because he followed God’s measurements exactly.
Measure your life by God’s pattern:
- Let the Word guide your build (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
- Let the blood of Christ cover your soul (Romans 5:9)
- Let the Spirit lift you to new heights (Philippians 1:6)
The next storm won’t be by water, but by fire (2 Peter 3:7). Are you in the ark? Are you sealed by grace? Are you resting in Christ? Now is the time to build—and believe—by the measurements that matter.
