The Divine Purpose Of The Rainbow
In this post, I am going to talk about the rainbow, using Bible-based facts. I love when I see a beautiful rainbow decorating the sky. Better yet is the more rare double rainbow. God’s handiwork is amazing. I could admire His creation forever and never cease to be amazed!
1) What is a rainbow?
2) What is the purpose for the rainbow? Is it simply sky decor?
3) Is the rainbow symbolically about diversity among ethnic groups of people?
4) Is the rainbow a symbol that reflects people’s varying interests and choice of lifestyle?
We live in an age of confusion when it comes to so many topics. In influencing others righteously, it is important to stay in truth in matters great and small. We can find the true answer to why rainbows exist, beginning in the Bible in Genesis chapter 9.
In addition, we can find in Genesis 6: 1-8 the reason why God sent flood waters in the first place, to destroy the earth before the first rainbow appeared.
God sent the flood to destroy the earth and all corruption.
• Remember, mankind was wicked and the earth was full of violence and all kinds of sin.
• God is a holy God and decided to put an end to the wickedness. He would bring flood waters upon the earth to destroy it and all inhabitants excluding the people and animals that would be on the ark.
• Noah was a righteous man and found favor with God. God warned Noah of the coming destruction by flood waters and commanded him to build an ark.
• Noah, his wife, his sons, his son’s wives and at least one male and female of every type of animal would live in the ark and be safe from the flood waters. Clean beasts and fowls were taken in by seven, both male and female.
• Noah obeyed God. He built the ark. He gathered his family, the animals, and food as God commanded. They were all safe. The flood happened when Noah was 600 years old.
• After the flood waters retreated, and Noah, his family, and animals went out from the ark, God spoke to Noah and his sons.
God made a covenant with them and everyone.
God established His covenant, that He would not send flood waters again to destroy the earth and it’s inhabitants.
God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.”
Genesis 9: 12-13
God goes on to say, “And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” Genesis 9: 14-16.
God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and everyone and everything that never again will He destroy the earth and it’s inhabitants with flood waters.The wickedness of mankind persists to this day. This is a sober reminder for all.
In 2 Peter 3, we see that God will deal again with the wickedness of mankind. God has not changed. He is holy and will again destroy ungodly men, not by water, but this time by fire.
“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.“ 2 Peter 3: 5-7.
Again, God made the covenant in the Old Testament to Noah, to his sons, and to everyone and everything else, that He would not destroy the earth with water again. The rainbow is the token of the covenant. Therefore, this is the true reason for and meaning of the beautiful rainbow.
