Perfect Pitch

When my husband was actively farming, years ago, he always kept a can of tar handy.  The thick, sticky black tar, or pitch, came in handy to plug a hole in a metal roof,  insuring that the contents of the barn or shed would be safe from invading moisture.  Even further back in time, when God was working with Noah on the ark, he told him, “…. make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.” Genesis 6:14.

Once again we see the value of pitch in its ability to seal, cover and preserve.  That in itself is no revelation, but what I want to look at today is the Hebrew word kaphar.  According to a Hebrew lexicon, it means: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.  Aha, now that’s significant!  This word that was used, in the process to cover and protect the ark,  is the same word that He uses in reference to atoning or covering our sins!! In the old testament, Moses was instructed on how the blood of sacrificed animals, was to be applied to the altar,  to atone for the sins of the people.  Up until the destruction of the temple, in 70AD, this system was the only way Jewish people had to kaphar their sins.  In fact, from the root of the word “kpr“, comes the name of the highest Jewish holyday, Yom Kippur, or the day of atonement. “"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites." Leviticus 16:34.

Much like the tar my husband would apply to the roof, that blood had to be continually offered to be effective against invading sin.  Now, let’s go back to the ark.  Because God was taking Noah and his family out of a sin-saturated world, into a brand new one, the pitch was applied as a waterproof barrier. Without it, the old could seep in, and sink the vessel.  When we accept Christ as our personal savior, God applies his son’s shed blood to our souls, and better than Moses’ imperfect pitch, it seals us until the day we leave this old world. “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:12.  Jesus is the “perfect pitch”!