January 21

Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near you. — Ps 91:7 BSB

When Noah and his family were safely shut up in the ark, they were surrounded by the rushing waters from above and below. The windows of heaven were opened, and the fountains of the great deep were broken up. Yet, though they were tossed upon the waters, not a drop entered the ark. God’s promise to His people is the same: “It shall not come near you.” A believer may be surrounded by troubles, yet the Lord’s protection ensures that the floodwaters will not overwhelm them.

There’s something significant in the way the ark was constructed. In Genesis 6:14, God instructed Noah to “pitch it within and without with pitch.” Interestingly, the Hebrew word for "pitch" also means "atonement." Just as the pitch kept the waters out of the ark, it is the atonement of Christ that keeps the waters of God’s wrath from touching the soul. Only the atonement can shield us from the judgment we deserve. Just as the ark bore up the souls inside, so the atonement of Christ bears up our souls and keeps every drop of wrath from reaching us.

“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.” We rejoice in God through Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the atonement. Once the debt has been paid, God will not demand payment again. He is satisfied with the righteousness of His beloved Son, and His justice demands nothing more. Therefore, “fury is not in Him” toward those who trust in the atonement.