(God’s
words to Noah and his sons)- I now
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. This
is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living
creature... I have set my rainbow in the clouds...Whenever I bring clouds over
the earth and 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: 9-16 (selected verses)
Do you
know the significance of the rainbow? The rainbow is one of the many beauties
of creation, but you may not be aware that it is connected to an important
promise of God.
Most
people, even those who aren’t Christians and have never studied the Bible know
the story of Noah and the ark. The story of Noah is not merely a “story”.
Rather it is a part of history or “HI-S-TORY”. It is an important part of God’s
story of the history of the world which He recorded in Holy Scripture.
One
Saturday several summers ago my husband and I had three of our grandchildren
with us for the day and the plan was for them to spend the night. It had been a
busy but fun day. We had gone to the pool to swim and we had been to the pond
to feed the geese, ducks and swans. We had just finished eating dinner and the
plan was for us to go to McDonalds for ice cream.
There
had been storm warnings off and on during the day, but between storms the sun would
come out and all would be well for awhile. As we pulled into McDonalds, another
storm was brewing. It was beginning to thunder and we saw lightning flash
across the sky. The storm blew through while we ate our ice cream and by the
time we were ready to leave the sun was coming out again for one last time
before it set for the night.
To the
west the sky became a beautiful shade of pink. To the east it was still very
dark, almost black with the storm clouds which had just passed over. It was
raining from those dark clouds and as we looked heavenward we saw a beautiful
rainbow. It was a huge arc all the way across the sky. Each color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) was
vividly present against the back drop of the black clouds behind it.
The
children, being aware of the significance of the rainbow, were quick to tell us
the story of Noah and the flood. Although my husband and I already knew the
story, we were happy to listen as they told us about the promise of God
connected to the rainbow.
The book
of Genesis tells us how God created a perfect world and how that perfection was
destroyed after man’s fall into sin. In chapter 6 God tells us that man had
become wicked. The Lord saw how great
man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that He
had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. (Gen. 6:5,6)
God was
very angry and fed up with the wickedness of the people He had created. He
could no longer tolerate their evil ways and He planned to destroy them. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom
I have created, from the face of the earth’. Not only would he destroy
humans, but also the animals, and
creatures that move along the ground, and the birds of the air (vs.7).
But
there was still one man who remained faithful to God. His name was Noah. God says about Noah; Noah was a righteous man, blameless among
the people of his time, and he walked with God (vs.9). Noah also had three sons: Shem,
Ham and Japheth. God came to Noah and warned him; I am going to put an end to all people...I am surely going to destroy
them (vs.13). He commanded Noah to build an ark. He specified the exact
measurements and materials, and how it was to be built. Then He told Noah; I am going to bring flood waters on the earth
to destroy all life under the heavens...Everything on the earth will perish (vs.17).
But He promised that Noah and his wife, his sons and their wives would be safe
in the ark. He also advised Noah that He would send to him, two of each kind of
animal (male and female) and each kind of bird of the earth to be brought into
the ark and kept alive. He instructed Noah to store enough food for the animals
and the people (vs. 19,20). We are told in verse 22; Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Scripture
states that Noah was 600 years old when God sent the flood to destroy the
earth. All the springs of the great deep
burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and
forty nights. (Genesis 7:11,12) Not only did water fall from the sky, but
it came up also from springs beneath the earth. The water remained on the earth
for 150 days (vs. 24). Even after the water had gone down it took many months
for the land to become dry enough to be habitable again.
During
this time Noah and his family and all the animals stayed in the ark. The Bible
tells us that; By the first day of the
first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from
the earth. (Genesis 8: 13) According to God’s word, Noah and his family and
the animals remained in the ark for 13 months. When they came out of the ark,
Noah sacrificed burnt offerings of thanks to God. God then established a
covenant between himself and all living creatures (man and animals) that He would
never again send a flood which would destroy the whole earth and He set the
rainbow in the sky as a reminder of that covenant. 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... (Genesis 9:14)
God is
God. He is all-knowing, present everywhere and all-powerful. He doesn’t need
reminders. But we do. The rainbow reminds us that God is close by even though
we cannot see Him. It reminds us that His promises never fail. It is a picture
of just how big God is compared to us and this little planet we live on. It
also reminds us that the life of every creature is in His hands and it tells us
that the true God is a God of beauty and love.
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Hearing
our grandchildren reflect on God’s rainbow promise reassured me that they,
having been taught God’s word, have grown in faith and truly believe His
promises. It is a picture of the child like
faith which Jesus talks about in Matthew 19:14 when he says; Let the little children come to me, and do
not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Children have a trusting spirit. They don’t question God’s word. They are eager
to learn, and they believe with trusting hearts.
Do your
children know the story and the meaning behind the rainbow? If not it’s time to
tell them about it. There is no better time to teach them about God and His
promises than during childhood. They deserve the chance to learn and know that
God loves them. They will soak up the knowledge like a sponge. They will be
able to take comfort from it in times of trouble and sadness. They will be
little missionaries eagerly telling others about God and the wonderful things
He has done for all people. When they see the rainbow in the sky they will know
and be reassured that God is close by watching over them, that He will never
forget them, and that He always keeps His promises.
In His
holy name – To God be all Glory! Amen.
By Kristeen
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