June:

In reference to your question about "pictures in the Bible", I agree that much of the Bible creates word pictures to explain later events and circumstnaces. The story of Noah and the flood is one of those. This, of course, does not suggest the story of Noah was not true in and of itself. It certainly describes the devient behavior of man and God's long, but limited patience. It describes the ultimate consequences of man's choices. But the New Testament writers saw something more in the story. The writer of Hebrews made the application in Heb. 11:7 that right choices result in the favor of God, i.e., the preservation of Noah and his family. The case could certainly be made, in my opinion, of Noah's responsibility to represent God before his family for their protection and provision.

The Apostle Peter, in his first epistle, described a clear picture of the ark as a type of Christ- a Savior who saves us as was Noah, but in the context of eternal life. The case can be made, I think, that as Noah's family was safe inside the ark, they were protected from the destruction of the water on the outstide. As we who have entered into the grace of God are kept by Him (John 10:28-29, 1 Peter 1:5).

Some would point out that 1 Peter doesn't say we are save FROM the water, but THROUGH the water. That sets up another picture for us, and that is the picture of baptism. Not that baptism saves us any more than the water saved Noah. But baptism becomes a picture of how we are "carried" into salvation. In fact, 1 Peter 3:20 says the baptism is an "antitype" which comes from a Greek word, "antitupon" which means image. So the saving of Noah's family by the water of flood was an image of the "saving" of the Christians by the water of baptism.

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