by Kevin Burton
There is more to a rainbow than meets the eye.
And there is plenty that meets the eye!
Who among us, having seen the beauty of a rainbow in the sky, doesn’t call loved ones who are near to say “look, a rainbow!”?
Yesterday we learned about the physics of rainbows. Interesting, but not the whole story. That rainbow, when it appears, is there for a reason, pointing back to the book of Genesis.
“Biblically speaking, the rainbow is the sign of a covenant that God made with the whole earth: He will never destroy the earth again with a flood. The rainbow is literally correlated to rainfall,” reads a passage in www.gotquestions.org.
“God made this covenant, with the rainbow as the token, after the waters of the flood receded and Noah and his family exited the ark. God said, ‘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. . . . This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
“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. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever 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 9:11-15).
“God made this promise, signified by the rainbow, not only to mankind but to “every living creature . . . the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark . . . every living creature on earth” ( Genesis 9: 9-10). The covenant is perpetual, enduring to all generations. Never again will there be a worldwide flood.”
A rainbow delights the hearts of children and grown-up children alike. It is not surprising that man has studied it and co-opted it for marketing purposes, to represent all manner of products and movements, some of which are distinctly anti-biblical.
It’s good to remember the true meaning behind this God-created colorful display.
“The rainbow is God’s creation. We naturally delight in it. There is something awe-inspiring in the appearance of a rainbow after a storm. It is good and right that we rejoice in the rainbow as a God-ordained symbol of God’s faithfulness and mercy,” The passage reads. “The attempt of some to co-opt the colors for their own purposes does not diminish the beauty and wonder of what God has made.”
“The rainbow, the symbol of the covenant with Noah, foreshadows our Lord Jesus, who is the Lord’s witness to the people,” writes Alistair Begg, speaker on the Truth For Life radio ministry. “When may we expect to see the token of the covenant? The rainbow is only to be seen painted upon a cloud.”
“When the sinner’s conscience is dark with clouds, when he remembers his past sin and mourns and laments before God, Jesus Christ is revealed to him as the covenant Rainbow, displaying all the glorious hues of the divine character and declaring peace,” Begg writes.
“To the believer, when his trials and temptations surround him, it is sweet to behold the person of our Lord Jesus Christ—to see Him bleeding, living, rising, and pleading for us,” Begg writes. “God’s rainbow is hung over the cloud of our sins, our sorrows, and our woes, to prophesy deliverance. By itself a cloud does not give a rainbow; there must be the crystal drops to reflect the light of the sun.”
“So, our sorrows must not only threaten, but they must really fall upon us. There would have been no Christ for us if the vengeance of God had been merely a threatening cloud: Punishment must fall in terrible drops upon Him. Until there is a real anguish in the sinner’s conscience, there is no Christ for him; until the chastisement that he feels becomes grievous, he cannot see Jesus.”
“But there must also be a sun,” Begg writes, “for clouds and drops of rain do not make rainbows unless the sun shines. Beloved, our God, who is as the sun to us, always shines, but we do not always see Him—clouds hide His face; but no matter what drops may be falling or what clouds may be threatening, if He shines there will be a rainbow at once.”
“It is said that when we see the rainbow, the shower is over. It is certain that when Christ comes, our troubles withdraw; when we look on Jesus, our sins vanish, and our doubts and fears subside. When Jesus walks upon the waters of the sea, how profound the calm!”
What a blessing to know the true significance of the rainbow, and the promise it holds even after it has faded.
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