Yes — the pitch on the ark symbolizes atonement and the security of salvation, sealing those inside from the waters of judgment just as the blood of Christ makes salvation secure.
In the Genesis account, pitch sealed the ark against the floodwaters of judgment, making it a place of safety for Noah and his family. Les Feldick teaches that the Hebrew word for pitch is the same as the Hebrew word for atonement, and he applies this to the blood of Christ. Without that covering, there is no salvation.
Genesis 6:14 — God commanded Noah to pitch the ark within and without, the act that directly connects to Les's teaching about atonement.
In Genesis 6:14, God told Noah to make an ark of gopher wood, to make rooms in it, and to pitch it within and without with pitch. The floodwaters that came are described in Scripture as judgment upon the earth, and Noah and his family were kept safe inside the ark. Scripture records that the ark was sealed from the waters, but it does not itself interpret the pitch as a symbol. The symbolic connection to atonement is an interpretation Les Feldick draws from the Hebrew language.
Les Feldick teaches that the Hebrew word translated pitch is the same word translated atonement. He explains that the pitch sealed out the waters of judgment, making the ark a place of safety for Noah and his family. This is a picture of the blood of Christ, which is what makes our salvation secure — if we are not under the blood, we have no salvation. Les also connects the pitch to the Day of Atonement, when the priest took blood behind the veil. He sees the same picture in the ark of bulrushes for Moses, where daubing with pitch again points to atonement. Just as the pitch kept floodwaters from entering the ark, the blood of Christ seals out judgment for everyone inside the ark of salvation, not because of what we do but because of faith in Christ's blood and resurrection.
Les points out that the Hebrew word translated pitch in the ark account is also the word translated atonement. He says the pitch was not just a coating but a sealing effect that kept the boat from leaking. On the Day of Atonement, the priest took blood behind the veil, and Les sees the pitch of Noah's ark as a significant picture of that blood.
According to Les, the floodwaters were waters of judgment on the unbelieving multitudes, but for those within the ark it was a place of safety. If the cracks had leaked, the ark would have sunk. With the pitch, it sealed out the waters of judgment and kept the family in perfect safety. In the same way, the blood of Christ seals out judgment for the believer. Our security is not based on anything we do or deserve, but simply because we have placed our faith in the blood of Christ — and also in His resurrection.
Les also points to the ark of bulrushes prepared for Moses by his mother. She daubed it with slime and with pitch, using the same picture as Noah's ark. Because the same Hebrew word for pitch is used, Les sees the same image of atonement and safety. He says everything in the Old Testament is looking forward to the time when Christ would bring in the true atonement at the cross.
Pitch Seals the Ark as Atonement
Les teaches that the Hebrew word for pitch is the same as the word for atonement, and that the pitch sealed the ark from the waters of judgment, making it a place of safety. He compares this to the blood of Christ making salvation secure.
Pitch Seals Out Floodwaters
Les reminds his listeners that God instructed Noah to seal the ark with pitch, and he identifies the same Hebrew word as atonement.
Ark of Safety
Les explains that the floodwaters were judgment, and the pitch sealed them out so the family within was safe; he applies this to believers entering God's ark of safety.
Pitch as a Type of Blood
Les details that pitch is a significant picture of the blood of Christ, connecting it to the blood taken behind the veil on the Day of Atonement.
Moses' Ark and the Same Pitch-Atonement Picture
Les notes that the same instruction for pitch appears with the ark of bulrushes for Moses, again connecting pitch to atonement and safety.
Moses' Ark Points to the Cross
Les says the caulking with pitch is again a picture of atonement, and everything in the Old Testament looks forward to Christ's work on the cross.
Atonement Effect Seals Out Judgment
Les teaches that the atoning effect of the blood seals out judgment just as pitch sealed out the floodwaters, and that believers are secure because of faith in Christ's blood and resurrection.
The Hidden Meaning of "Pitch" in Noah's Ark | Genesis 6 Bible Study
So what is the obedience of faith for us today? Now we're told, Believe that Christ died and rose from the dead, and now shalt be saved. And what are we to do? We're to believe it. And when we believe it, what does God do? He calls us righteous. Now that's the whole concept, then, of faith.
Genesis 6:14: Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
God's specific command to seal the ark, the verse Les repeatedly points to for the Hebrew word pitch.
Exodus 2:3: And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
The same pitch word appears in Moses' infancy, which Les presents as another picture of atonement and safety.
The Bible only records God's command to pitch the ark. The symbolic connection to atonement is an interpretation Les Feldick teaches from the Hebrew word shared by pitch and atonement.
The pitch sealed the wooden ark against the waters of the flood, protecting Noah and his family from the waters of judgment. Les uses this to picture how the blood of Christ protects believers from judgment.
Les teaches that the same Hebrew word used for pitch is used for atonement, and on the Day of Atonement the priest took blood behind the veil. The pitch is a picture of the blood of Christ that secures salvation and seals out judgment.
Watch the Teaching: Noah’s Ark & Your Salvation: A Deep Bible Study on Eternal Security