PITCH PERFECT

By David Blease

"Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch." Genesis 6:14

When you read this verse, there is probably very little that jumps out at you. I read right over this verse many times until I learned it is the first time the Bible mentions atonement. You may be saying to yourself, “Wait, that verse doesn’t say atonement.” And you’re right. It says the words “cover” and “pitch.”

These are two very interesting words that are almost identical in Hebrew. “Cover” is kaphar, and “pitch” is kophar. God is telling Noah to kaphar the ark inside and out with kophar. It would be like me telling someone to nail something down with a nail. Nail is used as the verb and the object being used.

The word kaphar is mentioned 102 times in the Old Testament, and it is only translated into English as “cover” once, right here in Genesis 6:14. But elsewhere it is translated as “atone” or “atonement” 73 times! If we translate kaphar as “atone” here too, God is telling Noah that to be saved from the flood, he must atone the vessel inside and out. Essentially, salvation can only come through atonement. So then, how do we get atonement?

Kophar is mentioned 17 times in the Old Testament and is only translated as “pitch” once—again, right here in this verse. The other 16 times it’s translated as “ransom.” So what if we translated these two words the way they are most often translated in the Old Testament? Genesis 6:14 would read: “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and make atonement inside and outside with a ransom.” God is saying something major here through these two words.

Because we are all sinners, judgment is coming to all of us. Romans 5:12 says we’ve all sinned, and Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” We need atonement; our sins must be reconciled. And our only hope is for someone to make atonement for us, inside and out, with a ransom. The good news is the Bible tells us that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2). And not only for us but also for the whole world! 1 Timothy 2:6 calls Christ the ransom for all.

The principle of firsts mention helps us realize that even back in Genesis, God is laying the plans for salvation. He is letting us know early on that this is the way things work. Wrongs must be made right through a ransom. So now, when we read the story of Noah’s ark, it takes on another meaning entirely. We often think that the ark represents Jesus because He keeps us from the waters of judgment, but what if we are the ark and Jesus’ blood is the pitch that covers us completely? Have you let Christ’s blood cover you?

Prayer

Thank You, Father, that because of Your grace You sent Your Son as a ransom to save us and to make atonement for our sins. Thank You that we can walk in victory and boldly enter into Your presence knowing that we are covered by the blood of Jesus! We love You and we praise You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Memory Verse

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)