The pitch sealed Noah's ark against the floodwaters and, as Les Feldick teaches, pictures the atonement of Christ that secures believers from judgment.
Practically, God commanded Noah to pitch the ark within and without so it would not leak during almost a year in the floodwaters. Spiritually, Les points out that the Hebrew word for pitch is also translated 'atonement,' making the pitch a picture of the blood of Christ that makes our salvation secure.
Genesis 6:14 — God's specific command to pitch the ark is the background for understanding the Hebrew word that Les ties to atonement.
Scripture records that God commanded Noah, 'Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch' (Genesis 6:14). The immediate purpose is practical: to seal the vessel so it would withstand the flood. God declared that He would 'bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh' (Genesis 6:17). After Noah and his family entered the ark, 'the LORD shut him in' (Genesis 7:16). The Bible itself does not give an explicit symbolic interpretation of the pitch; it simply records the command and the flood's result.
Les Feldick highlights that the Hebrew word translated 'pitch' in Genesis 6 is the same Hebrew word translated 'atonement' (Clip 1, Clip 6). He explains that the pitch sealed the ark against the waters of judgment, making the ark a place of safety for those inside (Clip 2). In parallel, the blood of Christ is what makes our salvation secure; if we are not under the blood, we have no salvation (Clip 2). Les draws the same picture in the account of Moses' mother daubing his ark-basket with pitch, calling it again 'a picture of the atonement' because everything is pointing to the work of the cross (Clips 3 and 4). He concludes that just as the pitch sealed out the judgment waters for Noah, 'it's the blood of Christ that secures us from any judgment from whatever source' (Clip 5). He also reviews that the ark was a picture of our salvation (Clip 6).
God commanded Noah to pitch the ark within and without so it would not leak. Since the ark was to be in the floodwaters for almost a year, the pitch provided the sealing effect that kept Noah's family safe from the waters of judgment.
Les teaches that the same Hebrew word for pitch is also translated 'atonement.' The pitch sealed out the waters of judgment and made the ark a place of safety; in the same way, the blood of Christ secures believers from judgment. The ark is therefore a picture of salvation, and Christ's blood is what makes our salvation secure.
Les points out that Moses' mother daubed his ark of bulrushes with slime and pitch. He says the pitch is again a picture of the atonement, because everything in the Old Testament is looking forward to the work of the cross when Christ would bring in the true atonement.
The Hidden Meaning of "Pitch" in Noah's Ark | Genesis 6 Bible Study
or Abraham entering into the covenant of circumcision, and all came later. But Abraham believed what God said to him. Now we discovered that in our class in Wilburton just last night, so it's fresh on my mind. 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.
Pitch and Atonement
Les shows that the Hebrew word for pitch is the same as for atonement, and that the pitch was the sealing effect that kept the ark from leaking during nearly a year in the flood.
Pitch Seals Out Judgment
The pitch sealed the ark against the waters of judgment, making it a place of safety; the blood of Christ makes our salvation secure, and without it there is no salvation.
Pitch in Moses' Ark
Les points out that the same word for pitch appears when Moses' mother caulks his ark-basket, calling it a picture of atonement and a place of safety.
Pitch Points to the Cross
The pitch on Moses' box is again a picture of the atonement, showing that everything in the Old Testament looks forward to Christ's work on the cross.
Blood Secures from Judgment
Les says the blood of Christ secures us from any judgment, just as the pitch (atonement) sealed out the waters of judgment for Noah.
Ark as a Picture of Salvation
Les reviews that the ark was a picture of our salvation and that the word atonement is the same Hebrew word as pitch.
Noah’s Flood Was Not Just Rain: The Fountains of the Great Deep Explained
It just goes to show you how impressionistic young minds are. And I've almost had 100% of people I've ever said it to nod their head. You know, they know what I'm talking about. Well, listen, the ark was not just a little rowboat. It did not just have a little shed stuck in the middle, and there were no animals with their heads sticking over the edge.
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.
This is the verse where God commands Noah to pitch the ark, providing the basis for Les's connection to atonement.
Genesis 6:17: And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
This shows the flood was God's judgment that the pitch kept out of the ark.
Genesis 7:16: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
This confirms that God shut the door, securing those inside the ark after the pitch sealed its seams.
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.
Les uses this later ark-like vessel to show the same pitch picture recurring in the Old Testament.
According to Les Feldick, yes. He says the same Hebrew word for pitch is also translated 'atonement,' and he uses this link to show that the pitch on the ark pictures the blood of Christ that makes salvation secure.
God commanded Noah to pitch it within and without so it would not leak. Les adds that the ark would be in the floodwaters for almost a year, so the pitch was the sealing effect that kept out the waters of judgment.
Les teaches that just as the pitch sealed out the waters of judgment and made the ark a place of safety, so the blood of Christ secures believers from judgment. If we are not under the blood, we have no salvation.
Watch the Teaching: The Hidden Meaning of "Pitch" in Noah's Ark | Genesis 6 Bible Study