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The Rainbow in Scripture · Traveler’s Tales

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  Certain symbols instantly stir emotion in the human heart.
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  A white flag speaks of surrender.
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  A wedding ring speaks of covenant love.
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  A cross reminds us of sacrifice and redemption.
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  And after a storm passes, when sunlight breaks through the darkened skies, there appears
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  another symbol that still causes people to stop and look upward.
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  The rainbow.
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  But the rainbow is far more than a beautiful phenomenon of nature.
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  It is a message from heaven.
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  Welcome to Traveler's Tales, produced by Enjoying the Journey.
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  I'm your host, Greg Dowdy.
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  Today our journey takes us deeper into the world of scripture.
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  The Bible is not just a collection of verses.
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  It is a record of real places, real people, and real events.
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  Every city, every custom, every landscape carries meaning.
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  And when we begin to understand the world behind the text, the truth of God's word shines
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  even brighter.
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  A special thanks to John Buckner for his insight into Bible culture and customs that help bring
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  these biblical settings to life for us.
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  In Genesis 9, Noah and his family have just stepped out of the ark onto a broken world.
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  The storm is over.
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  The judgment has passed.
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  The earth is quiet.
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  And it is there, in the aftermath of devastation, that God speaks these gracious words.
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  I do set my bow in the cloud.
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  What an astonishing statement.
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  The Hebrew word used for bow is keshet.
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  Throughout the Old Testament, the word most often refers to a weapon of war.
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  It is the bow of a soldier that he would carry into the battle.
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  It is the bow Jonathan handed to David as a sign of covenant friendship.
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  Yet here in Genesis, God takes the very symbol of warfare and places it in the clouds.
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  Why?
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  Because God was declaring peace.
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  The judge of all the earth was showing mankind that his weapon was no longer pointed down
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  in wrath.
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  The bow now faces upward toward heaven itself.
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  The storm had ended, and mercy had spoken.
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  God transformed an instrument of judgment into a symbol of grace.
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  And every time clouds gather and rain begins to fall, God says, look up, remember my covenant.
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  Remember my faithfulness.
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  Friend, that rainbow is not merely about weather.
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  It is about the character of God.
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  All throughout Scripture, the rainbow becomes connected with the very glory of the Lord.
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  Ezekiel saw the glory of God surrounded by the appearance of a rainbow.
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  The Apostle John looked into heaven itself and saw a rainbow encircling the throne of
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  God.
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  Even in eternity, the rainbow remains near the throne as a reminder that our God is glorious,
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  faithful, and true.
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  Think about that for a moment.
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  The rainbow stretches from Genesis to Revelation, from Noah standing on a flooded earth to John
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  standing before a heavenly throne.
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  The rainbow still testifies that God keeps His promises.
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  And ultimately, the rainbow points us to Jesus Christ.
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  Christ is the covenant God made with humanity.
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  At the cross, judgment and mercy met together.
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  The wrath we deserved was poured out upon Him so that peace could be offered to us.
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  The abandoned bow in the clouds remind us that God delights in mercy toward those who
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  come to Him by faith.
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  That does not mean storms will never come.
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  In fact, the rainbow only appears when clouds are present.
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  And perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons of all.
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  God does not promise a cloudless sky.
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  But He does promise His covenant presence in the storm.
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  Some of you today may be walking beneath dark clouds.
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  There may be burdens, disappointments, fears, or unanswered prayers hanging over your life.
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  But child of God, do not stare only at the storm.
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  Look for His bow in the cloud.
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  Look for the reminders of His faithfulness.
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  The same God who kept His promise to Noah has never broken a single promise to His children.
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  Every rainbow preaches a sermon that God remembers, God reigns, God is faithful.
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  And one day the whole earth will be flooded again, not with water, but with the knowledge
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  of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
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  Until that day, every promise will be fulfilled completely.
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  Until then, when skies grow dark and a thunder rolls, remember this, our God has not abandoned
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  His people.
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  His bow still hangs in the clouds as a testimony of His mercy, His might, and His unchanging
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  covenant love.
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  So lift up your eyes.
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  The storm is not the final word.
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  The covenant of God is.
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  Thank you for traveling with me today on Traveler's Tales.
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  Our prayer is that these stories from history and stories of the insight from scripture
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  will encourage you to walk more closely with Christ and live faithfully in your generation.
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  To discover more Bible teaching resources, podcasts, devotional materials, all designed
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  to help you grow in your walk with God, visit us at etj.bible.
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  Until next time, keep your eyes on the Lord and keep pressing forward on the journey He
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  has set before you.