In Genesis 9, after Noah and his family survive the flood and walk out of the ark onto dry land, God makes a covenant with them, but not only with them but with every living creature. Did you know that? I never realized that. Now, a covenant is a promise, a vow, or a pledge, sort of like a legal binding contract, and it's important to note that God never breaks His convenant.Here it is in verse 9-11
"I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
God always uses something as a symbol or sign of a convenant He is making. In the covenant He made with the Israelites, it was circumcism. In the new covenant He made with all who believe in His son, Jesus, it is water Baptism. In this covenant, it was a rainbow.
What I found interesting was in verse 14-15: "Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind."
I always thought that the rainbow was for us to remember God's promise, but in truth, God says it's so He will remember. Then I wondered why God would need to remember anything. He's God after all. Then it dawned on me. God knew that in the distant future, He would once again look upon the earth and see nothing but violence and evil and be sorry once again that He made man. When in his anguish He would desire to wipe us out with a flood, He would pull from the heavenly files, the contract he made with Noah and fling it into the sky so that He wouldn't follow through with his desire.
So, the next time you see a rainbow, don't just stop and admire it's beauty, stop and consider that God put it there to stay His Almighty hand from wiping us out because I have a feeling things are far worse today than they were in Noah's Day.
wow.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it that way. I always thought it was for us to remember. That's a great visualization, by the way, God pulling out a file with a copy of a contract with Noah. You have a great imagination.. I guess that's why you're a writer, lol.
I never thought the "Rainbow" was a sign for "God to remember His convenant with Noah...I thought it was for us to remember. It's amazing how you intergrated the fact it's worst now then then much worse...The Rainbow is the hand print of God's mercy not to destroy us from earth...God's grace...Just to day, I had someone tell me that they don't need God for anything...Another person said...I just can't find time to fit it into my schedule to go to Worship Service...It conflicts with my wife schedule...How little importance we emphaize's God's mercy and love not to make time...Thank you for your great fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit....!
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