The Rainbow and God's promise

“This is the sign of the covenant that I make between “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you... I will remember my covenant that 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."

Genesis 9:9-15

After God destroyed all of life on earth in Genesis 6-8 through a flood, in Genesis 9:9-18, God established a covenant or agreement with Noah. After Noah and his family and the animals entered the ark, they would be now the only survivors. The covenant was God’s promise to Noah that He would never again destroy the world through a flood. And the way that promise was confirmed was through a rainbow.

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:  I have 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 that 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.” (Gen 9:12–15)

Interestingly, the word bow which comes up 3 times in God’s promise to Noah can also be translated as an archer’s bow, which is used hunt or kill. But why did God establish a bow pointed to heaven? One commentator taking liberty draws a parallel between the bow pointed to heaven and what God would do through His Son Jesus when Jesus who was “pierced for our transgressions.”

No longer would the judgement of God for sin be upon man through flood, but now a sign was there to remind God and us that there would be a way for us to have relationship with God, despite our sin. Romans 8:1 tells us that when we believe in Jesus there is “now no condemnation.” And I Thess 5:9 tells us that now through Jesus “God has not destined us to wrath but to obtain salvation.”

This is the good news of the gospel and that instead of God’s wrath and judgment upon us for sin, now through Jesus we become recipients of His forgiveness, love and grace. So when we see that rainbow in the sky, let us remember Jesus that “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.” (Is 53:5)