My attention has been captured recently by a theme that I’d not noticed much before but I’m now seeing all over Scripture.
- Gen. 1:2 – ‘the face of the waters’
- Gen. 1:9-13 – the third day – the separation of the waters and the dry land – interestingly this is the longest day account with the exception of day 6 (which corresponds to day 3)
- Gen. 6-8 – the great global judgement is the reversal of Day 3, the elimination of dry land and a return to waters covering the whole face of the earth; the flood ending with the long awaited appearance of dry ground
- Ex. 14 – in a great sovereign salvation-judgement event the LORD divides sea from dry land (‘dry land’ repeated 4 times) while the Egyptians are destroyed by the sea returning to cover the dry land (this Ex. 14 event later echoed in the days of Joshua and Elijah/Elisha)
- Job 38 – most of the chapter concerns the limiting of the boundaries of the waters (cf. similarly Ps. 33:7; 104:5-11; Jer. 5:22)
- Jonah 2 – the prophet is cast into the flood waters and then on the third day cast onto ‘dry land’
- Matt. 8:21-27; 12:39-41; 16:4 – Jesus is the true and better Jonah who will rise on the third day
- Matt. 25:37-41 – the final judgement is going to be like the flood of Noah’s day
- Mark 10:38 – Jesus is going to be ‘baptized’ submerged, like Jonah and like Noah’s generation, under the flood waters of judgement
- 1 Cor. 15:4 – ‘raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures’ – possibly alluding to ‘The Third Day’, the day when the dry land (salvation) appeared?
- 1 Peter 3:20-21 – linking the flood and ark to baptism and the resurrection of Jesus
- 2 Peter 3 – linking the coming of Christ to the initial waters (Gen. 1:2) and the flood (Gen. 6-8)
So when we start to see the waters transgressing their boundaries and covering the land we should think ‘Judgement’ and run to the solid rock, the ark, the dry ground of Christ.
[And for a discussion-provoking reflection on recent flooding in the UK see here.]
Wow!! Definitely something to think on. . .and pray about.
Great thoughts there Andy. This is something that keeps coming up as we study Revelation in our morning devotions. Remember when John sees the one like the son of man, he describes his voice as being like the roar of many waters (Rev. 1:15), when the 7th seal is opened and the 2nd & 3rd trumpets are sounded, the waters (sea, rivers, springs) are struck and 1/3 of living creatures in the sea + many people die. Then there’s the 1st beast that comes out of the sea in Rev. 13, the great prostitute who is seated on many waters in Rev. 17. It seams like the sea+many waters is a sign of judgment+chaos+evil. Interestingly, in the closing chapters of Revelation, the sea is not there but what we see is the River of Life flowing from the throne of God.
Very helpful – thanks Fidel.