"With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." Ephesians 1:8b-10
We had an interesting discussion a few weeks ago in our small group Bible study regarding the events recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a., the Old Testament), and whether or not we ought to view them from a prophetic perspective. Obviously, some of the Hebrew Scriptures are prophetic in nature. Isaiah comes to mind, as well as Daniel - all of the "prophetic" books, in fact. But we were studying Genesis, and the story of Noah and the flood and the ark and all of that messiness.
Some of us in the group suggested that there are profound prophetic meanings behind the whole story; the ark representing Jesus, while Noah and his family represent the church, as an example of one way of looking at it, and that the entire reason God chose to do things the way he did and then see to it that Moses included that story in the scriptures was to point the way to Christ. Others in the group insisted that we shouldn't try to apply things we know now to things that happened back then, and the proper way to study these stories is to take them at face value and try to learn the lessons that God intended for those who lived through it at the time.
So which is it? Lessons learned or prophetic messages? I know the answer. The answer is both.
But one of our fellow small groupians asked me this question after I made the point of saying that I believed that the ark was a "type" of Christ. He asked me, "But did Noah think that?" Well, no, I don't think Noah thought of the ark as pointing to Christ and his church. Maybe, I guess, but probably not. But this is my whole point regarding today's scripture.
Things like Christ and his church, the grace of God lavished on us through his (only begotten) son, the redemption of the entire world through faith in Jesus; these are all mysteries that were unknown to people in Old Testament times. Oh, I think that they understood that a savior was coming, but they had no idea how it was going to all work out. It was a mystery, the mystery of God's will, the plan that he had before the foundations of the earth, the mystery that he made known to us in Christ "in all wisdom and insight."
So no, I don't believe that Noah really understood that the ark he was building might represent the grace of God that will carry those who enter in by faith through to life after death. It was a mystery that was yet to be revealed. But now God has made known the mystery of his will to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
I mean, do you ever why God does things the way he does? I mean, if God could create the universe, if he could make it rain and flood so much that the waters covered the entire world, you'd think he could have saved old Noah without that big boat. But no, God had a reason for doing things the way he did, and I believe it was to help us see how he redeems those in whom he finds favor, a.k.a., gives grace. (Uh, that would be us.) We have to get into the boat!
And why did he do all of this? What is the purpose of his plan? Well it says why right there! "To bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." God had a plan from the very beginning, and that was to provide a way through the flood, a way to reconcile us to himself through Jesus Christ, so that he can claim us as his adoptive family in Christ. It was a mystery that is now revealed in Jesus, is continually being revealed until the day of Christ, revealed in us and to us according to God's good pleasure, which to me means that he planned it this way because he wanted to do it this way, because he loves us and wants to prove that to us.
Father, thank you for the lessons you have taught us through the stories found in the Hebrew Scriptures, and thank you also for revealing the mysteries that lie underneath the stories, the mysteries that point to Christ and his church and your abundant love and overwhelming grace that you have lavished on us in Christ Jesus. Thank you for a way through the flood and thank you for allowing me to get in the boat and then shutting the door behind me.
