When was the last time you saw a rainbow?
I live with my wife and children in California. California tends to get rain in winter and not many other times. While it helps the humidity to stay low for most of the year, it gets dry. It also makes the appearance of rainbows even more thrilling.
Why is it thrilling? Why do we stop and look at rainbows? Why are we so mesmerized by them?
Last week, we started looking at the covenant the Lord made with post-flood humanity, represented by Noah and his sons. We continue this covenant ceremony today in Genesis 9:12-17:
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
Genesis 9:12-17, New International Version
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”
There were many practices associated with covenants in the Ancient Near Eastern World. One key component was the sign of the covenant. This was when the more powerful party would give some proof of what he would do. This is like signing and notarizing a contract. Except in terms of covenants, it is signed and notarized by the greater party: God Himself.
This was the Lord’s sign.
In His covenant with all life on earth, the Lord God said this. When humanity sees a rainbow, it is His sign. The rainbow is a reminder to them. It shows that God will not destroy the living with a worldwide flood ever again. This prismatic phenomenon would beautifully remind us of the certainty of God’s word.
There is something else happening here as well. The rainbow represented a bow like an archer would carry. When warriors came home from battle, they would hang their weapons as a sign that the war was over. In the same way, the Mighty Warrior of Heaven hung his bow in the sky because the watery judgment against humanity was over.
In this section, the Lord also reminds us that He controls nature. In verse 14, He states, “When I bring the clouds…”. The rain destroyed the earth by His command, and it stopped by His command. The rain will fall at His command, and the rainbows appear at His command.
It’s unclear whether Noah had ever seen a rainbow before. Had it rained at all before the Flood? We don’t know for sure. A rainbow might not have been observed if there had been no rain before the flood.
Certain meteorological events cause rainbows to appear without rain falling to the ground. Usually, we see rainbows associated with rain. Regardless, rainbows took on significance in a new way. Only God could have created and chosen something as beautiful as a rainbow.
Even today, most of us will stop and look at a rainbow in the sky. Our jaws drop when we see one stretching from horizon to horizon. The Lord designed it this way. It points us to His power and promise.
In Western culture, the rainbow has become a new symbol: the icon of the LGBTQ+ movement. How brazen and foolish to take that symbol and mock the God of Heaven with His own sign of His covenant. Sin was the reason for the Flood in the first place.
But followers of Jesus know better than to shake a first at the Mighty Warrior of Heaven. We know the rainbow is a sign of His promise.
In verse 17, the Lord finishes the covenant statement with a summary that reminds us all of His covenant. He reminds us of His mercy and love for humanity.
Even today, many people need to be reminded of God’s promises. He is the unchangeable God. His promise is secure. His promises also provide a way of salvation. God’s love sent His Son into the world building a bridge to connect God’s holiness and humanity’s sinfulness. He promises to give eternal life to those who believe in Him.
And His promise—whether the rainbow or the cross—still stands.
Life Meets Theology 