Reversal

Genesis 8:4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 

I absolutely love it when I can find the Gospel hidden in one verse of the Bible. When I do, it reminds me how simple the truth of Jesus’ finished work is. It’s not that what Jesus did for us was simple, but that understanding it is. When I find the Gospel in a single verse I’m reminded of how much has been added to it over the years and how important it has become to strip it back down to the only Truth: Jesus.

Christian culture has turned reading the Bible into a “challenge” for every day, for every occasion. Struggle with your marriage? I “challenge” you to read such and such book of the Bible and find out what God is telling you to do in order to fix your marriage. Problems with your kids? Oh, I “challenge” you to read X book of the Bible and see what God is telling you to do in order to be a better parent. Et cetera, et cetera.

Reading the Bible has become more about our “to-do’s” and less about Jesus’ “been-done’s”. It’s become a self-help guide to living a good life. Oh, I know the mindset: “We search the Bible for answers and ways that God will help us through our struggles.” Yes, that’s exactly why our method of reading the Bible is flawed. We shouldn’t be looking for ways that God can help us. Instead we should be looking for the Way that God has helped us and already solved our problems. That Way is Jesus. We don’t need to be reading for helpful tips; we need to be reading for Jesus.

Back to Genesis 8:4. The verse begins, “Then the Ark rested.” The Ark has been used as a symbol of Jesus in teachings, but have you ever considered where the Ark rested? It rested on top of the mountains of Ararat. There is an awesome picture of Calvary in this.

Christ finished His work on the top of Mount Calvary. But what does that really mean to us?

The name of the mountains that Noah’s Ark rested on is not just there for historical purposes. Found in the meaning of the name of the mountain range is a secret about Jesus. In Hebrew, Ararat means “the curse is reversed”. God cursed the world with a great flood. He brought destruction and death on the sinful people. But He spared Noah and his family in the Ark. He protected them during the storm, kept them from the rain, and shielded them from seeing the destruction outside. When all was said and done, God brought the Ark to its resting place on the top of the mountains called “the curse is reversed”.

If Jesus is our Ark today, if we find our shelter and salvation from the storms of life in Him, then we have to know where the Ark rested! Just like Noah’s Ark, our Ark, Christ, found His rest on a mountain. He bowed His head and gave up His spirit, finishing the work He was sent to do (John 19:30). And what was that work? Redemption from the curse!

If you haven’t seen it yet, let me spell it out for you. When Jesus died for the sins of all mankind on the cross, when He rested from His labor of bearing the fulness of God’s wrath, the curse was reversed! In Christ’s rest we have peace with God. In Him we are forgiven and free. In Him we are blessed because He became our curse.

Noah’s Ark rested on the mountains called “The curse is reversed”. Jesus, our Ark, rested His head dying for our sins and restoring our relationship with God. Jesus is resting; He’s seated at the right hand of God. The work is done; the price is paid. The curse is reversed! That’s my God!