Genesis 9:13 “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth”
One of the most beautiful sights in all the world is a rainbow. It seems no matter where you are or what you are doing, you stop to look at a rainbow. Do you recall the last one you saw? I bet you do. Did you stop and take a really good look at it? Did you take a picture of it?
I am not sure where your mind goes when you do see a rainbow. I trust that after this short devotional, there will always be the immediate thought of Genesis 9:13. From this verse we learn that God has made a promise to never ever destroy those living on the earth with a worldwide flood as He had just done. While saying the promise should be sufficient, God puts a sign in the clouds as a reminder to Him and the inhabitants of the earth that He has made a promise, and He will keep His promise.
In case you are having a hard time believing God needs to be reminded of anything, take a look at the full passage about the rainbow.
Genesis 9:8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 “and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 “Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 ¶ And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 “It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 “and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 “The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
My takeaway from seeing a rainbow is that I serve a PROMISE-KEEPING God. I called on Him for salvation as His Word said, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13) When I see a rainbow, I am reminded that I have been promised eternal life in heaven with Jesus, and the one who made the promise keeps His promises.
Another takeaway is that the rainbow reminds me God has judged the world once and He will judge it again. The rainbow reminds me He is being patient, but there will come a time when there will be worldwide judgment, not by water but by fire. So because of this, I (we) need to be persistent in sharing the gospel!
Enjoy the beauty of the world’s most spectacular light show, knowing it is there to remind God and us of a promise God made and to remind us there is coming a different type of judgment in the future.
Continue Strong, holding on to the promises of God.
And remember to DATE the WORD!!