Genesis 9:13–17 (NIV84)
13I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15I 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. 16Whenever 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.” 17So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”.
A rainbow is a thing of impossible beauty, born from the marriage of sunlight and storm. It does not appear on placid, sunny days; its glory is predicated on the gloom of the cloud. This is a profound picture of God’s grace. It is a beauty that arises against a background of judgment. God’s mercy is not a simple, sentimental overlooking of sin. Rather, His grace comes through judgment. We see this most clearly at the cross, where God judged sin in His own Son so that He could extend mercy to sinners. The greatest glory of God is revealed where His perfect justice and His astonishing love meet in a single, world-altering event.
The Hebrew word for “rainbow” is simply “bow,” the same word used for a weapon of war. After the storm of His judgment, God hangs His warrior’s bow in the clouds. The hostility is over. It is a promise of peace, a divine laying down of arms. When God “smells” the pleasing aroma of the sacrifice, He hangs up His bow. The flood had served its purpose as a token of judgment, but it was not the final solution. That would require a final sacrifice. The bow in the clouds is a promise that one day, the ultimate judgment would be absorbed by another, and God would hang up His bow of wrath forever.
Reflect, Share & Prayer: How does the image of the rainbow as God’s warrior’s bow, now hung up in peace, deepen your understanding of the gospel? Give thanks that because of Christ’s sacrifice, you are safe from the final judgment.
(from Sean)
Good Morning, I am grateful that God’s warrior bow is hung up for now. Rainbows always bring a sense of peace and calm to me personally. They display all the hues of the visible spectrum which is another testament to Jesus and our creator of the heavens. It’s hard to explain the calm sometimes overwhelming and sometimes just enough since I have been baptized. I am appreciative of another day and my ability to walk and use my hands, coffee, rock n roll sunshine and that I get to learn from all of you. Have a peaceful Friday and may we be mindful of the needs others and forgive those that trespass against us.
The rainbow being an image of God’s warrior’s bow and how it’s hung up in the sky as a sign of peace goes to show me that God has shown us mercy from His judgement. I also see the rainbow as a sign that God, the all powerful creator of the universe, had realized that His punishment was too harsh and He promised to not punish us again through such destruction.
The image of God’s warrior bow hung up in peace reminds me of God’s grace and love for us. The rainbow is a reminder that his beauty is impossible and that He saved us when we did not deserve to be saved. It makes me thankful. God, thank you that I am secured in you and for your grace/mercy
I’ve come to see, as I’ve grown in faith, that you only truly believe once you’ve experienced the depth of God’s grace and that happens when you finally recognize how broken you are and your deep need for Him. In recognizing that I’m a sinner in need of His mercy, I can better understand the image of the rainbow as God’s warrior’s bow hung up in peace. It’s a reminder that His wrath has been satisfied through Christ. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, I no longer have to fear judgment but I am given salvation. Kimbo
Tina
I love rainbows, a symbol of hope and new beginnings after challenging times. God’s grace like a rainbow is truly powerful and full of spectrum- comes through our lives in many ways, a lot of time very unexpected. Today for example, I thank God for being able to find the right words to reconcile two mutual friends who i thought I have to choose which sides to be on. But with God’s guidance and focus on the good every human being created in image of Him and through honest conversation, we came to an understanding. Our friendships became stronger, there’s hope, there’s a rainbow!!
Dear father, thank you for the wisdom TK make better choices and protection from pride you give me daily. Thank you for Your promise and the hope, as well as for the grace and mercy You offer in Christ.
You have given me, my family, and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions. They lift me up in ways that keep my eyes focused on You and make my spirit soar. Praise the Lord, Amen!
From Tiffany
This shows that God’s wrath has been appeased from Noah’s offering and established a promise, a covenant, with not just mankind but earth as well. God, thank you for your grace and mercy in forgiving mankind of their sin and redeeming us once more to walk a path alongside you. Although man has sin with evil hidden deep within our hearts, you have sent you son to die for our sins and transgressions. Through Christ’s death, I have been redeemed from judgement once more. With the rainbow as a reminder of this covenant, i grow hopeful of the future.
It should’ve been me..on the cross, in the tomb, downing outside of the ark. It should’ve been me, not the sinless son of God. Yet only the perfectly spotless lamb of God could actually be the final burnt offering to make atonement for all of our sins-so that a righteous and holy God could hang up his war-bow for good because a of his arrows were spent on His Son.
The Gospel is so rich, I can never tire of hearing and experiencing it in so many varied ways in Scripture. What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus
Never thought of the beautiful rainbow across the sky can be a sign of God’s judgement and weapon. But the good news is God called for covenant and sacrifice which is fulfilled by Jesus. Jesus is the good news and only His obediance and death can reconcile with God’s wrath. Jesus brings the good news, shares the good news and sacrifices for the good news, which is both simple and hard to understand at the same time. Why would He do that? It may take the rest of life to deepen that understanding but as for now I see how sin is so deteriorated and unsavable and haunts human beings forever in hopelessness. Jesus on the other hand is hope, and brings hope to evryone. Thank you God for giving me Jesus. Without Jesus, I could have died in despair. I could also have died from judgement. Thanks to Jesus, I get to realize my sin and have a relationship with God.