Come

"And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the females; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him." (Genesis 7:1-5)

"Come thou and all thy house..." "Come". NOT "Go in."

What volumes that little word "come" speaks to us; for this is the Father calling His child to come inside, where He is; where it is safe. The Father is not leaving the child alone, He is with his child.

If the Lord had said, "Go in" then the ark might have felt like a prison to Noah. But instead, it has become a refuge, a place where God's presence and comfort is found.

'Danger is imminent,' the Father says. 'Come in now, inside the house with me, so that I can protect you and keep you safe for you are my beloved one'. And the Father's child obeys; he has always been an obedient child of the Father.

Such was the relationship between Noah and God. Such was the comfort Noah had of the presence of God in this terrible time that was about to come. Such was the reward for the integrity towards God that Noah displayed; integrity that shone brightly in such a wicked and perverse generation. And God had witnessed Noah's righteousness. This is confirmation to us that God does take note of us. He does witness our actions; and, of course, He knows our hearts as well. Nothing that we do goes unnoticed by God; whether or righteousness in Jesus Christ, or of wickedness and perversion that persists to utter destruction.

These passages about Noah and the Ark are the first ones that come to my mind, to comfort me in times of trouble. Knowing that I am a child of God because I trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, a child of God just as Noah was, reminds me that I have a refuge in God at such times, just as Noah did. His Word tells us that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. His reward is peace, comfort, and ultimate safety during troubled times.

But now let's look for a moment at the animals that are also preserved along with Noah and his family.

This is the first mention of clean and unclean animals. But why are there more clean animals given safe harbor, versus unclean; and why is there an unequal number of clean animals taken on board?

The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown says that the reason for the abundance of clean animals to be saved over the lesser number being saved of the unclean animals, was because "their rapid multiplication was a matter of the highest importance, when the earth should be renovated, for their utility either as articles of food or as employed in the service of man."

As far as the odd seventh number, JFB also says: "It was manifestly reserved for sacrifice; and so that both during Noah's residence in the ark, and after his return to dry land, provision was made for celebrating the rites of worship according to the religion of fallen man."

From the entrance of sin into the garden, to this point where the entire earth is about to be destroyed (minus 8 people and many pairs of animals), the God-ordained ordinance of animal sacrifice as atonement for sin (all pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of His own Son as atonement for man's sin) will not cease merely because Noah and his family are on an ark floating in the midst of a vast sea of destruction. God, who provided for Noah's every need, included an extra animal, in every grouping of clean animals, specifically so that this reminder of man's sin, and God's provision, would continue.

Further proof to us that the Bible, from its first words to its ending pages, points to Jesus Christ.