Those that entered [the ark], male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him. (Genesis 7:16)

A couple of things struck me as I read this verse yesterday. One, God commanded Noah’s family and the animals to enter the ark, which was their vehicle of salvation. If they weren’t on the ark, they would die. Do you see the power of God’s word in this verse? Imagine if, in order to gather two of every animal onto the ark, He had to lasso the cows, herd the sheep, shove the donkeys, catch the birds, drag Noah in handcuffs. But rather, God commanded and they willingly entered. It’s a picture of salvation through Jesus Christ. God is not in the business of forcing people to believe in the One who saves, but He has spoken that in order to be saved from hell we must believe. We willingly enter this “ark of salvation”.

The other thing I noticed in the above verse is how the door of the ark was closed. God closed it! Noah didn’t need to hoist the door shut with ropes and then make sure it was sealed tightly enough to keep out the floodwater. Rather, God Himself closed the door, and Noah could be sure that he and his family were secure in the ark. No harm would come to them as long as they remained in it. When we believe in Jesus as our savior, we can be sure that God keeps us secure in that salvation until Jesus returns. When Jesus talks about those whom the Father has given to Him for salvation, He says that no one can snatch them out of His hand.

God commands, we follow. He shuts the door behind us, and we are secure.