February 15, 2026 | Lorain Fellowship
NKJV Genesis 6:14-22          
Building the Ark
14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 
15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 
16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 
17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 
18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 
19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 
20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 
21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Footnotes:
Gen 6:141 ark
The ark is a type of Christ (1 Pet. 3:20-21), not only the individual Christ but also the corporate Christ, the church, which is the Body of Christ and the new man (1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:15-16; Col. 3:10-11). The building of the ark typifies the building of the corporate Christ, with the element of Christ’s riches as the building material, by those who work together with God (1 Cor. 3:9-12a; 2 Cor. 6:1; Eph. 3:8-10; 4:12). By building the ark and entering into it, Noah was not only saved from God’s judgment on the evil generation through the flood, but was also separated from that generation and ushered into a new age (1 Pet. 3:20 and note 3). Likewise, by building the church and entering into the church life, we will be saved from God’s judgment on today’s evil generation through the great tribulation (Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27; 1 Thes. 5:3) and will be separated from that generation (Luke 21:36; Rev. 3:10) and ushered into a new age, the age of the millennium.
Gen 6:142 gopher
A kind of cypress, a resinous wood that can withstand the attack of water. It is a figure of the crucified Christ, who can withstand the waters of death (Acts 2:24).
Gen 6:143 pitch
The root of the words pitch in this verse and expiation elsewhere in the Old Testament means primarily to cover. The pitch here is a type of the redeeming blood of Christ, which covers God’s building within and without (Lev. 4:5-7; 6:30; 16:14-19; Heb. 9:21). The pitch within the ark was for the peace of Noah and his family (cf. Heb. 9:14), whereas the pitch without was for God’s satisfaction (cf. Exo. 12:13). Noah and his family were saved from the judgment of the flood by the pitch on the ark, signifying that the believers in Christ are saved from God’s judgment by the redeeming blood of Christ (Rom. 5:9). In order for the pitch on the ark to be effective, Noah and his family had to be in the ark, i.e., in union with the ark. Likewise, in order to apply the redemption through Christ’s blood, we must be in Christ, i.e., in union with Him by believing into Him (John 3:16; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7). See notes 212 in ch. 3, 222 in Exo. 12, and 22 in 1 John 2.
Gen 6:151 this
Noah built the ark not according to his own imagination but absolutely according to God’s revelation. Cf. Exo. 25:9; 1 Chron. 28:11-19; 1 Cor. 3:10-12; Eph. 2:20a and note 2.
Gen 6:152 three
The numbers three and five, seen here as components of the ark’s dimensions, are basic numbers of God’s building (cf. Exo. 27). The number three signifies the Triune God in His dispensing of Himself into man (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 3:16-19). The number five is composed of four, signifying man as one of God’s creatures (Rev. 4:6-7 and note 62), plus one, signifying the one unique God (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:5; 1 Cor. 8:4). The significance of the numbers three and five is the mingling of the Triune God with man. This is God’s building. The dimensions of the ark are composed of three and five multiplied by either ten or one hundred. The number ten signifies completeness (Dan. 1:12, 20) and the number one hundred signifies fullness (Matt. 13:23). This signifies that God’s building is the mingling of the Triune God with man in completeness and fullness.
A Sketch of Genesis
The Living Word of God
“Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord....Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:8–9). Noah walked with God—he walked in life. Because of this, he found favor in the Lord’s eyes. The great things in God’s plan are always generated from life. Because Noah found favor in the sight of God, God spoke to him, giving him His living word (vv. 13–21). If we don’t want to be weak, we must walk with God by calling upon His name in spirit and living in fellowship with Him. If we want to be God’s testimony and serve Him, we must also have the living word of God, without which we can do nothing.
God told Noah to build an ark three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high with lower, second, and third decks (vv. 15–16). God’s word really got into his heart: “According to all that God had commanded him, so he did” (v. 22). What God spoke was living to him and became part of him. He didn’t forget about it. We also have the word, but it may not be living in us and controlling us. We have the word but it may not be our life supply. God gained Noah through His living word which energized him to carry out God’s command.
When we read the account of Noah in Genesis, it seems that the ark was built very quickly. In fact, it took many years. We cannot imagine how Noah suffered people’s scoffing for those many years. He didn’t build the ark silently but warned the people of that age as a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:5). “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time” (Gen. 6:9), but he still needed the living word of God to carry out His will. Although God sees us as righteous and blameless in Christ, we also need the living word to serve God and do His will. The living word energizes us to become different people.
Those who have the living word of God don’t just talk about the need to be pure and faithful. When there is something impure within them, they feel the need to become pure. When there is something unfaithful within them, they have an inward demand to become faithful. The word is planted in them and controls them (James 1:21–22). This is the experience of having the living word. As we follow the Lord, we need His living word constantly.
The living word strengthens our inner man whereas the letter of the word kills (2 Cor. 3:6). A preacher may share a similar message numerous times. If we are not open to a fresh speaking from the Spirit, we may react, saying, “I have heard this before.” This shows we are not open to the living word. Without the Spirit, we don’t have the reality but only knowledge, which makes us arrogant (1 Cor. 8:1) and causes us to live in the flesh and speak foolishly. The more we have the living word, the more we live in God’s favor and “put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3).
The Controlling and Enabling Word
Noah served the Lord, suffered people’s misunderstanding and persecution, and for all those years, focused on the one thing God told him to do. It may have seemed overwhelming. If we were Noah at that time, would we have believed God and built the ark according to His command? Instead, we may have moved to the top of a high mountain to escape the flood. However, Noah remained to build the ark according to God’s word. Like Noah, we should not only hear the word of God but also allow it to live in us and control us.
God also told Noah, “You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female” (Gen. 7:2). Although this also may have seemed overwhelming to Noah, he didn’t ask whether it was possible. If we have the living word of God, we can do anything He commands, no matter how peculiar it seems. How the church needs the living word today! The living word will influence and control us. It will cause us to live before God and carry out His will. Not only do we need to walk with God and exercise our spirit, but we must have the living word of God which will enable us to carry out the will of God.
Walking with God in spirit is the foundation (Gal. 5:16, 25). Without this foundation we cannot receive God’s word. However, even with this foundation, if we do not have the living word, we cannot come to the full knowledge. For example, we might pray, “Lord, I am nothing and You are everything,” but do we really consider ourselves nothing? Only the living word of God can show us who we truly are. When the light comes, we confess, “Lord, I didn’t know who I really was. I didn’t realize how poorly I served You. Now I know how bad I am.” One time Watchman Nee was accused of something, and his sister-in-law told him about it. He answered, “I am much worse than their accusation.” He didn’t argue or fight. He wasn’t upset or angry. We need to pray, “Lord, I need Your living word for my every step.” God’s living word is the way to carry out His will.
God spoke to Noah, and this living word controlled him. We cannot serve the Lord with our whole heart simply by declaring our intent to do so. This won’t work! We need God’s living word to control, direct, and supply our life. Though we may be touched by the Lord even to the point of tears, this does not mean we have necessarily received God’s living, controlling, and supplying word.
God told Noah, “You shall make a window for the ark” (Gen. 6:16). A window lets in light. When we are controlled and supplied by the living word of God, our serving is under the light so that people can know our work is according to God’s desire. Only when we have the living word are we enabled to live uniquely for Christ and the church. Through the Lord’s living word, He becomes our life, and as the church becomes our living, we become His testimony.