The Double Promise of the Rainbow

Genesis 9: 12-17 -   And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:  I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,  I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.  When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth." 

God played a card that would change the face of the Earth forever…and man would forever remember the power he had to judge and destroy that which did not follow his ways…that which did not love him more than anything else. The flood that released the water vapor above and allowed the waters recessed in the deepest caves of the Earth to flow freely…changed not only the face of the land they remembered…it changed the climate around them. The greenhouse roof that God created with all the water above the Earth was removed…and the regions closest to the Sun got hotter as the regions furthest away got so cold man could not survive. The water on the face of the Earth would be caught up and carried away to collect in clouds…..and released to keep the plants, animals and individual alive.  Every time it rained man and animal alike would remember the terrible year…remember the water that flooded the Earth…and destroyed all but Noah’s family and the creatures he brought into the ark.

So like God to bring comfort just when we needed it. God comforted Noah and his family with a promise….a promise for all future generations to never again destroy the Earth with water. He even placed a visual in the sky …God crafted the beautiful rainbow from the moisture than lingers in the sky after a rain.  He allowed the pure light of his radiant glory to shine through those small …seemingly insignificant water drops….and created a bow of splendid colors…that kissed the Earth…freshly renewed from the devastation of the flood.  The display of colors might just mean more than we think…the royal purple at the bottom signifying that God is at the base of everything…the blue representing the flood of Noah…all the way to the last spectrum of color…the red of the fire that will destroy it in the end times. The rainbow here in Genesis…is only mentioned two other times in scripture…once in Ezekiel 1…were the prophet uses the image of the rainbow to make his point…and then in Revelation 4:2-3…where we find the rainbow wrapping around the throne of God.

We need to also remember that the rainbow was not just for man….it wasn’t put there just to comfort us.  God placed that rainbow in the sky…plainly where he could see it too.  He said that when he saw it…it would remind him…to have mercy…and grace…and never destroy the whole world that way again. He made a covenant that day…with all future generations to weld another plan of salvation…he would send his perfect son…to die on a cross…and sacrifice his perfectness to save a sinner like me. That rainbow I see after a storm or gentle rain…reminds God that he had another way to save man the next time around. Maybe those colors …the purple robe of his royalty….the pure blue of his son’s eyes….the pure golden light of his father watching from heaven…the precious red blood that washes the black sin right out of our hearts…they should remind us of the high price Jesus paid to buy my ticket to heaven some day.

Father…I thank you for that rainbow…that beautiful display of colors in the sky reminds me of more than a promise of no floods again. That rainbow I see that begins on the Earth… with sinful man….reaches to the highest heaven and allowed a way for Jesus to come down to earth and save me. Oh wonderful father…that you should care so much about me is so unbelievable…for I am nothing….a mere sinner…so easily swayed by the forces of the human flesh that belongs to the world. Forgive me this morning for the many sins I still harbor in my heart. Reveal each one to me so I can ask you to please wash them away with that precious blood that was shed for me so long ago.  Give me new strength in your promise to care for me…and see me through to the end of my storms…give me patience to wait on you to reveal your plan for my life….and rest in the promise you made to never leave me. Rule in my heart once more…and create a passion to show your love to others…no matter what you ask me to do. Amen.