Rainbows

Genesis 9:13-15
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for 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.

I like the story of Noah’s Ark. Even though Christianity has made it into more of a children’s bedtime story than the actual horrific event that it was, I like it. Even though Hollywood has made millions of dollars revamping it for Evan Almighty, I still like it. Even though the scientific world believes that the great flood was nothing more than a localized event, I like the story. Would you like to know why I like the story? You’re about to find out.

In the simplest of ways, I like the story because it contains a hidden picture of Jesus Christ. Before I get into that, however, I’d just like to state that I believe the flood happened; I believe that it covered the whole earth. I believe the Biblical account of the event and accept it as true and accurate.

After destroying everything on the face of the earth except Noah, his family, and the animals in the Ark with them, God made a covenant with Noah, with the animals, and with the earth itself. Graciously, God declared that He would never again flood the earth to destroy mankind; as a reminder to Himself, He set a rainbow in the clouds. The greatest part of the story is this rainbow in the clouds and the two purposes it serves.

One, the rainbow is a sign to all mankind that God will not destroy the earth. Two, and this is the coolest one, it’s a reminder to God as well as to us. When we see a rainbow it reminds us of God’s love for us. It is there for us to look to, to admire, and rest assured in the knowledge that God won’t destroy the earth with a flood. When God sees a rainbow it reminds Him that He has already punished the earth with a flood and that He has promised not to destroy it again.

Friends, there is more to this than a rainbow in the clouds. The Beloved Son of God Almighty, Jesus Christ, is represented by this rainbow. It is Christ who is set in the clouds as a reminder to us and to God. (Ezekiel 1:28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.) When we look out and see God’s rainbow in the sky we should be secure in the knowledge of who it represents: Jesus Christ. God said, “I set My rainbow...”, not just any old rainbow, but His rainbow. I can make a rainbow with a hose on a sunny day; that’s not God’s rainbow, it’s mine. Jesus Christ is God’s rainbow.

The feel-good message here is this: when we seek Christ, and see Him revealed, we are reminded of God’s love for us. When God sees Christ He is reminded of His promise to us. Our punishment was upon Christ. Our sins, our sicknesses, our death, were all borne in the body of Christ on the cross. We can rest easy knowing that Jesus is God’s reminder to Himself that our sins have already been punished; we are the redeemed. We are saved.