Finding Christ in the Old Testament: Noah

So, leaving off with Adam, we move through the Old Testament until we get to one of the most famous prophets, Noah. When we arrive at a description of Noah in Genesis chapter six, we find that he was "a just man and perfect in his generation" ( Genesis 6:9). however, the people who lived at the time of Noah were far from having "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" These people were extremely wicked and Noah was called to preach repentance to them. He warned them of the flood, but instead of heeding his prophetic words of deliverance, they mocked him. After being instructed to build an ark, only he and his family boarded the vessel of safety. He did "all that the Lord commanded him" to do, but only a very few believed on his words.

As the story goes, animals came and boarded the Ark, and a week later the floods came; 40 days and 40 nights it rained, and only Noah and his family survived. After the 40 days and nights had ended and the waters receded, he started anew, and he and his sons were commanded to "replenish the earth" (Genesis 9:1)

So, what does this have to do with Christ? In what ways did the life of Noah mirror that of the Saviors?

Well from the beginning of his description he was "perfect in his generation" just as the Savior was perfect. he preached to people who largely rejected him, yet still he kept all of God's commandments. He built a ark, or a means of saving humanity from death, but only he and his family were saved; the ark then is a symbol of Christ's death for us and when we accept him as our Savior through baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost we take upon ourselves his name, thereby entering into his family, so to speak. So just as those that followed Noah were saved by death, so too are they that follow Christ saved from death. He is our Savior,and we can learn so much about him by reading of him in the scriptures.