Meditations on Noah’s Ark and Our Earthly Vessels

Noah’s ark was a physical vessel God used to protect Noah, his family and the animals. This made me think about what we put into our earthly vessels.

Have you ever meditated on Noah and the ark? Recently I did, and I’d like to share my thoughts with you and draw comparisons to our body as an earthly vessel.

The September/October 2023 issue of Discern magazine features the article “Divine Protection in a Chaotic World.” It explains that God gave Noah and his family divine protection, after warning Noah in advance of His plans. God protected him by having him build a massive vessel,   the ark.

What’s a vessel? According to one source: “The word vessel is often used in the Bible, and in English terms it translates to be either a container such as a bowl or jug, or either a ship or a boat. The biblical meaning denotes a person whom God calls and uses as a vessel” (paper published by Jennifer Slater at the University of South Africa).

We are called for a special purpose: to be vessels for honor to God. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

What treasures should be in our earthly vessel?

God instructed Noah to take certain things into the ark to sustain his family and the animals and to be preserved until the ark came to rest on dry land.

When God calls us, He gives us instructions on what we are to place in this earthly vessel to sustain us and to be preserved. 

For example, according to Galatians 5:22-23, we are to place love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in our earthly vessel.

We are to preserve the law of God, as given in Exodus 20:3-17.

These characteristics take a long time to build, just as the ark took many years to build. In this building process, we learn to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

After being called by God and receiving His Holy Spirit, we begin building the special vessel that houses His Spirit.

Things to keep out of our earthly vessel

There are also things to keep out of this earthly vessel.

Proverbs 4:23 says we are to guard our hearts. This means we are to keep out anything that defiles us (see Matthew 15:18-20).

The world is awaiting the return of Christ, even though they don’t yet realize that. At His return, the saints will be revealed in their new vessels (spiritual bodies). I can only imagine God saying, “Here are My sons and daughters in whom I am well pleased.” 

Much yet to do

As my meditations continue, I realize there is more work to be done—more hammering and nailing, fitting each spiritual board into place with the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

Remember this old Western movie line? “We’re burning daylight, people!”

There’s no time like the present to work on building a vessel that makes our calling and election sure. “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11).

Judy Moore is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in East Texas.