In Jonah’s story, which we reviewed earlier this week, the key confession was, “Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9) The primary focus of both of the Flood stories in Genesis was similar: in the end, only God is a reliable source of safety and salvation. That Noah’s family was safe when they did “just as God commanded” was far more vital than questions about boat dimensions or how rabbits, foxes and hawks managed to coexist in one boat.

• The Interpreter’s Bible noted one aspect of the Noah story’s archetype that we often overlook. “The physical flood and the physical drowning pictured here do not recur, but there is a kind of spiritual drowning that does. Repeatedly it is as though the great mass of people were caught in the disastrous consequences of an evil life so that they must lose their place in God's enduring plans.” After reviewing numerous points in God’s story at which most people failed, and only a small remnant preserved faithfulness, the commentary added, “So the ark has become the symbol of the church.” In what ways has the church been an “ark of salvation” for you? How, despite its flaws and failures, can we help make it an ark of salvation for others we know?