I have set my rainbow in the clouds
Genesis 9:13 - Like Christ, the arch of the rainbow reaches between earth and heaven, bridging the gap between God and humanity.
“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Genesis 9:13 NIV
Of all the natural phenomena that God has blessed us with, probably none elicits a more universal response of wonder and awe than the rainbow. There is a scientific explanation for the appearance of rainbows in the sky:
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky.[1]The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc.[2] Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun. (Wikipedia)
That’s all fine and dandy, but who created the light, and the rain, and the physics that come together to make this glorious apparition in the sky? God.
This verse and several similar verses appear in Genesis shortly after Noah’s ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat after the Biblical flood, and he and his family make an offering to God in thanks for their deliverance.
It is at this point that God makes His covenant with mankind:
“I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.””
Mankind will forever have a visible representation and reminder of that covenant: the rainbow. It is a deliberate act of God, showing His mercy and the end of His judgment upon the earth. Like Christ, the arch of the rainbow reaches between earth and heaven, bridging the gap between God and humanity.
The rainbow provides a visible reminder of an invisible promise, the agreement between God and His people. This covenant doesn’t depend on the actions of humans, but is God’s solemn promise to mankind that He will never again destroy the earth with a flood.
Whenever we see a rainbow, it should remind us of God’s faithfulness, His unwavering commitment to upholding His promises to His people. God recalls His covenant with Noah and all generations when He speaks through Isaiah of His covenant of peace:
““To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
In our time, the rainbow has been appropriated as a symbol of the LGBTQ community, and I am not ashamed to say that the misuse of this symbol upsets me. Pride and sexual immorality are not virtues that God is pleased with; they are sins that will cause their practitioners to be separated from the love of God for eternity.
I’ll end today’s devotional with an excerpt of an article on Desiring God by Pastor Dieudonné Tamfu, an assistant professor of Bible and theology at the Cameroon Extension Site for Bethlehem College and Seminary.
God is patient. The fact that he has refrained from sending another flood to destroy the world does not mean that he accepts homosexual practices, or any other kind of sin. God’s covenant with creatures and the rainbow in our sky do not mean that sinners have nothing to fear. Rather, this kind of mercy shows us that God is patiently waiting for all, including homosexuals, to believe. God’s gracious display of patience is meant to lead to repentance from sin (Romans 2:4), not celebration of sin.
Let us not be deceived. If God put a rainbow in the sky to symbolize the constraint of his anger, then he is still angry, and justly so because men are still sinners, as they were before the flood. One day, his anger will be restrained no more. The sky with its rainbows will be rolled up as a scroll, and our King Jesus will come from heaven in vengeance to defeat all of his enemies. And who are Christ’s enemies but those who oppose the gospel and live lawless lives, scorning their Maker?
Let us, therefore, pray that the rainbow would point the LGBT community to God’s grace, glory, and patience, and that God would bring them to repentance. Let us pray that those in the homosexual community would look past the rainbow to the final solution for God’s anger towards sin. Christ’s atoning death on the cross appeases God’s anger forever, so that everyone who believes in Jesus is holy and blameless in God’s sight.
The next time you see a rainbow flag, think of this. One day soon, God’s glory, now seen dimly in the rainbow, will be fully revealed and draw everyone to worship. God’s glory will fill the earth. The glory of the LGBT movement will soon fade, but God’s glory and love toward those forgiven by faith in Jesus will last forever.
Well said, and words worth remembering by all Christians.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:
Loving Heavenly Father, thank You for Your many precious promises. When the storm-clouds of life are thundering in on all sides, help me to trust Your Word and to remember the promises You have made to all Your children. May the sight of a beautiful rainbow remind me that Your Word cannot be broken and that all Your promises are true. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.