According to 1 Peter 3:20-21, the ark made by Noah and into which he and his family entered is a type of Christ. In Genesis 6:14-16 we see that the ark had three stories, that it was made of gopher wood, and that it was pitched within and without with pitch. The ark’s three stories signify the Triune God. Hence, in the ark we have a type of the Three of the Godhead. This indicates that the Triune God is in Christ, mingled with human nature typified by the wood used in the ark’s construction.
The ark was made of gopher wood, which is a cypress full of resin. This resinous wood can withstand the attack of water. In the Scriptures cypress signifies the crucified Christ, who can withstand the waters of death. He tasted death, and death could not damage Him. The ark made of gopher wood passed through the waters, but no damage was incurred. This signifies the solidness of Christ as the crucified One. Christ is the real gopher wood, the real cypress full of resin and strong to withstand the waters of death.
The ark made by Noah was pitched within and without with pitch (Gen. 6:14). The Hebrew for “pitch” has the same root as the Hebrew word for atonement. The main meaning of this Hebrew word is to cover. The word for the cover of the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat, also comes from this same root. The entire ark was pitched with atonement. This indicates that in Christ, who fulfills the type of the ark, we have the full covering of His redemption.
Genesis 7:13 says, “In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark.” Noah and his family could not have been saved outside of the ark. They were saved because they entered into the ark. The entering in of Noah and his family into the ark is a type of our entering into Christ. Only by entering into Christ can we be saved.
The ark was for the salvation not only of man but also for the salvation of all living creatures (Gen. 7:13-23). According to Hebrews 2:9, Christ tasted death “on behalf of everything.” This reveals that Christ’s redemption was accomplished not only for mankind but for everything created by God. For this reason, Colossians 1:20 says that God has reconciled all things to Himself through Christ. This is clearly typified by the redemption of Noah’s ark, in which not only eight persons but also the living things created by God were saved. The fact that creatures as well as human beings were in the ark indicates that Christ accomplished an all-inclusive death for every creature. Therefore, the ark was not only for the salvation of man but for the salvation of all living creatures.
Another type of Christ is Melchisedec (Gen. 14:18-20). Genesis 14:18 says, “Melchisedec king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” Salem means “peace,” and Melchisedec means “king of righteousness.” Melchisedec is a type of Christ as God’s High Priest. This is not revealed in Genesis 14, but it is found in Psalm 110, where we are told that God’s anointed One, the Christ, is the Priest according to the order of Melchisedec, an order that is prior to that of Aaron. The Aaronic priesthood dealt with sin, taking care of things on the negative side. The ministry of Melchisedec, on the contrary, is positive. Melchisedec did not appear to Abraham with an offering to take away sin, but with bread and wine to nourish him. Nearly all Christians consider Christ as the High Priest who takes away sin, but few pay attention to Christ as the High Priest according to the order of Melchisedec. As such a High Priest, Christ does not take away sin, but ministers to us the processed God, signified by the bread and wine, as our nourishment.
In Hebrews 6:20—7:3 we have the fulfillment of the type in Genesis 14:18-20. Christ is “forever a High Priest according to the order of Melchisedec” (Heb. 6:20). Christ’s purification of sins is typified by the work of Aaron, whereas His sitting down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3) is according to the order of Melchisedec (Psa. 110:1, 4). Christ’s work on the cross typified by the work of Aaron affords us forgiveness of sin. His ministry on the throne in heaven ministers to us the heavenly supply for the overcoming of sin.
Whenever most Christians speak about Christ as our High Priest, they have the concept that He is the High Priest who sacrifices to God for our sins. This, of course, is correct, but it is on the negative side. Christ as the High Priest offering sacrifices to God is typified by Aaron. That was in the past. Today Christ is no longer offering sacrifices for sin; instead, He is ministering the Triune God to us as our supply. In the past Christ offered sacrifices to God for our sins as typified by Aaron. Today He is ministering the Triune God to us as our supply according to the order of Melchisedec. This is proved by the coming of Melchisedec to Abraham. As the priest of the Most High God, Melchisedec did not offer sacrifices to God for Abraham’s sin; he ministered bread and wine to him. As indicated by the symbols of the Lord’s table, in the Bible bread and wine signify the processed God as our supply. Our High Priest, Christ, is not according to the order of Aaron offering sacrifices to God. He is according to the order of Melchisedec ministering the processed God to us.
Melchisedec was a king, and his name means king of righteousness. In Isaiah 32:1 this title refers to the Lord Jesus. Christ is the King of righteousness, today’s Melchisedec. As the King of righteousness Christ has made all things right with God and with one another. He has reconciled us to God and has appeased God for us. Righteousness issues in peace (Isa. 32:17). By His righteousness Christ has brought forth the fruit of peace.
Melchisedec is also the king of Salem, which means the king of peace, signifying that Christ is also the King of peace (Isa. 9:6). As the King of peace through righteousness, Christ has brought in peace between God and us. In peace He fulfills the ministry of His priesthood, ministering God to us for our enjoyment.
According to the type in Genesis 14, after Melchisedec, the king of righteousness and the king of peace, came, there was righteousness and peace. In such an environment and condition of righteousness and peace Melchisedec ministered the bread and wine to the victor. This portrays the ministry of Christ, our kingly High Priest.
Our kingly High Priest is perpetual, eternal, without beginning or ending. Hebrews 7:3 says of Melchisedec that he is “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, abides a priest perpetually.” Because our Melchisedec is eternal, He has no genealogy. This also is a fulfillment of the type in Genesis 14. For all the important persons in Genesis there is a genealogy, but not for Melchisedec. In the divine writing the Holy Spirit sovereignly gave no account of the beginning of his days or of the end of his life so that he might be a proper type of Christ as the eternal One to be our High Priest perpetually. This is like the presentation in the Gospel of John of the Son of God, who, being eternal, has no genealogy (John 1:1). But as the Son of Man Christ has a genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). It is such a Christ who is the High Priest ministering the processed God to us as our daily supply. He is the perpetual One, the constant One, the eternal One, having no beginning of days nor end of life.