The
Glory of the Rainbow
Genesis
2:5–6
I do set my bow in the cloud,
and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and
the earth.
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.
A Message Preached
by Dr. J. D. Watson
July
2008
Genesis
9:8–17 deals with what theologians call the “Noahic
Covenant.” The covenant concept is a dominant Old
Testament theme. The Hebrew always used for this concept
is beriyth, a broad term
covering several types of agreements, including a
covenant between friends (1 Sam. 18:3) and rulers (1
Kings 5:12; “league”).
While
its etymology is uncertain, it might very well be
related to the Akkadian burru, “to establish a
legal situation by testimony with an oath.” This is all
the more possible because of the LXX’s use of
diatheke to render beriyth, since the
former also speaks of a legal transaction or testament.
Similarly, the Latin pactum (English “pact”)
speaks of such a legal agreement or contract. In other
words, all these words are stronger than just a general
agreement, alliance, or bond, especially when we are
referring to the covenants of
God.
The covenants of Scripture,
therefore, are the permanent, legal transactions that
God made with various individuals that also extended to
their descendants. Scripture reveals several covenants:
Noahic (Gen. 9:9–17), Abrahamic (12:1–3; 13:14–17;
17:1–22; and 22:16–18; cf. Gal. 3:8), Mosaic (Ex.
20:1–17; 21:1—31:18), Davidic (2 Sam 7:4–17), and New
(Jer. 31:31-32; Heb. 7:18–19, 22; 8:6–12).
The
Noahic Covenant, then, which is spelled out here in
Genesis 9:8–17, where it is also named the “Everlasting
Covenant” (v. 16), is God’s unconditional promise that
He will never destroy the earth by flood again,
regardless of how wicked man becomes, and that He would
continue to sustain the rhythms and balance of the earth
for “perpetual generations” (v. 12). In other words, the
Noahic Covenant will last forever and includes “every
living creature of all flesh” (v. 15): humans, birds,
beasts, and wild animals. God gave this covenant to Noah
and “perpetual generations” for our peace of mind. Man
could now enjoy life without worrying every time it
started to rain that the world was going to be destroyed
again.
It
is also important to note that God uses the term “every
living creature” four times in this passage (vs. 10, 12,
15, 16). We would probably miss the significance of this
if it were not for the fact of Revelation 4:6–7, where
the Apostle John sees of vision of the throne of God and
four unusual "living creatures" before that throne
worshipping God:
And
before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto
crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about
the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and
behind.
And
the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast
like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man,
and the fourth beast was like a flying
eagle.
Here,
then, in these four categories, is the entire range of
animal life on the earth, including: wild beasts,
cattle, humans, and birds. This not only demonstrates
that all living things bow before God’s throne in
worship but also that God is concerned with His creation
and it is ever on His sovereign
mind.
To
seal this covenant with creation, God gave a sign,
something He also did when making other covenants. The
sign and seal of the Abrahamic Covenant, for example,
was circumcision (Gen. 17:11; Rom. 4:9–12). Likewise,
the weekly Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic Covenant
that God gave to racial Israel (Ex.
31:16–17).
So
what was the sign God gave to all mankind and for all
time that would remind them He would never destroy the
earth again by a universal flood? The rainbow (vs. 13, 16).
It is a perpetual, permanent, and palpable reminder of
God’s wondrous grace and mercy. Let us take a few
moments to consider the sign, the significance, and the
solemnity of the
rainbow.
I. The Sign of the
Rainbow
The
Hebrew word translated bow (or rainbow) is of tremendous
significance, for it is the exact same word that refers
to the familiar weapon. In fact, of the seventy-seven
occurrences of the Hebrew qeshet in the Old
Testament, virtually all of them refer to the familiar
weapon used by the hunter (Gen. 27:3) and the warrior (1
Sam. 31:3) that shoots arrows (2 Kings 9:24).
The
bow is a truly ancient weapon, mentioned in Scripture
for the first time in Genesis 21:20 (about 2000 BC) as
being the weapon of choice of Ishmael, the son of
Abraham and the Egyptian woman Hagar. Without doubt,
however, it unquestionably existing before that. It was
the common long distance weapon (300–400 yards) of the
Egyptians, Syrians (1 Kings 22:34), Philistines (1 Sam.
31:3), Elamites (Isa. 22:6), Lydians (Jer 46:9), and
ultimately the Hebrews (2 Sam. 1:18), of the which the
Benjamites were experts (1 Chron. 8:40). The LXX uses
the equivalent Greek word toxon (Rev.
6:2).
Used
figuratively, the bow symbolized victory (Ps 7:12) as
well as falsehood and deceit (Ps 64:3, 4; Hos 7:16; Jer
9:3). It also pictured disease or calamity sent by God
(Job 6:4; Ps. 38:2), and it is that concept that leads
us to the other use of qeshet.
In
contrast to the weapon, the three appearances of qeshet in
Genesis 9:13–16 refer to a very different bow,
which we might call “God’s bow.” After first using His
“bow” to bring the calamity of the Flood in His “battle”
with a wicked world, He then put away His bow, hanging
it in the sky as a picture of peace. I was reminded here
of old American westerns, where the hero would “hang up
his guns” and be done with gun battles. God’s bow
hanging in the bow proclaimed to the world of that day,
and for all time, that He would never destroy the earth
again by a universal
flood.
It’s
also important to notice that God said the rainbow was
not only reminder to men, but also a reminder
to Him (v. 16): “I will look upon it, that I may
remember the everlasting covenant.” Obviously, this is
used anthropomorphism, that is, putting something in
human terms so we can grasp it. It’s not that God has to
remember, for He is omniscient, but rather that this is
just a further assurance that He will keep His
promise.
The
rainbow is a truly amazing and beautiful phenomenon, one
that mesmerizes us every time it appears. It’s probably
safe to say that few humans can see a rainbow and not
stop what they are doing and gaze upon it. Rain did not
occur before the Flood, rather a mist watered the earth
(Gen. 2:5–6). While there are some teachers who believe
that the rainbow already existed before this time, and
that God just gave it a new significance, we must
disagree. That view, in fact, that the rainbow existed
before the Flood actually comes from those who believe
that the Flood was only local, not universal. We would
submit that the mist that watered the earth clearly
implies totally different atmospheric conditions, making
it impossible for a rainbow to form. Additionally, the
words, “I do set my bow in the cloud” (v. 13) seem to
imply a new phenomenon that God initiates here for the
first time.
It
was the Flood, therefore, that brought a drastic
atmospheric change, allowing falling water droplets to
form, each of which acts as a prism. When sunlight
enters a raindrop, the light is first refracted (bent)
as it enters the surface of the
raindrop, is then reflected off the back of the
drop, and is refracted once again as it leaves
the drop. This splits the sunlight into the varied
colors of the optical spectrum. When conditions are
right—which is when the angle of reflection between the
sun, the drop of water, and our line of sight is between
40 and 42 degrees—we see this spectrum. It is most
commonly listed in Isaac Newton’s sevenfold order: red
(inside, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet
(outside). Newton was the first person to demonstrate
that white light is composed of the light of all the
colors of the rainbow. Newton’s color list is also
commonly remembered by the popular mnemonics “Roy G.
Biv” and “Richard Of York
Gave Battle In
Vain.”
As
if this were not beautiful enough, at times a secondary
rainbow is formed outside the primary arc. This occurs
when some light is reflected twice inside the raindrop
before exiting. This causes the secondary rainbow to be
fainter but still distinguishable when the observer is
at 50 to 53 degrees. Amazingly, because of this
mirroring effect inside the raindrop, the colors of this
rainbow are in reverse order, with violet on the outside
and red on the inside.
II. The Significance of the
Rainbow
The
rainbow appears three more times in Scripture, once in
the Old Testament and twice in the New. When we compare
all these occurrences, we see a three-fold significance
that applies to the storms of life that the believer
will encounter.
First,
Noah saw the rainbow after the storm. While a
storm rages, it is difficult to think about anything
else. Our foremost thoughts are simply finding shelter
and hoping it doesn’t do serious damage. Like Noah, we
must wait until it’s all over before seeing the sun
again. It is then that we are reassured by the rainbow
that every storm is temporary and that no matter how
much damage it does, it can always be
worse.
Second,
the prophet Ezekiel saw the rainbow during the storm.
Ezekiel 1—3 records the prophet’s call,
first describing the visions he saw (ch. 1) and
then the voice he heard (chs. 2 and 3). No
Scripture writer ever tried to describe God directly but
did so only using images that the human mind could
grasp.
Ezekiel’s
visions of God began with a violent storm of horrendous
wind and fiery lightning, demonstrating God’s judgment
power and blazing glory (v. 4). Then came four “living
creatures” (vs. 5–14), undoubtedly cherubs (9:3; 10:5,
15, 20), which are always symbolic of God’s holy
presence and unapproachability, as in their guarding
God’s glory in the Holy of Holies (Ex. 25:10–22; Ps
80:1). Next, beside each cherub was a wheel within a
wheel (vs. 15–21), which seems to picture a
chariot-throne that is in motion and moving toward
judgment upon Jerusalem.
Finally,
Ezekiel’s fourth vision (vs. 22–28) included a
“firmament” (an expanse) over the heads of the cherubs
that dazzled like crystal, “the likeness of a throne,”
and the “likeness . . . of a man” on that
throne, undoubtedly the pre-incarnate Son of God. It was
then that a rainbow appeared, “the brightness” of which
shown not in the semi-circle of a normal rainbow, rather
“round about” (sabîb, 5439, surrounding,
all around), a complete eternal circle all around to
“the likeness of the glory of the LORD” (v. 28).
Indeed,
Ezekiel saw the rainbow during the storm, one
unlike any other, to which his response was to “fell
upon [his] face” in humble submission. Let us be
reminded during the storms that come that God is on the
throne and we are to submit to all that He is
doing.
Third,
not only do we the rainbow in Scripture after the
storm (Noah) and during the storm (Ezekiel), but
we also see it, thirdly, before the storm, as
revealed in the New
Testament.
Like
Ezekiel, the Apostle John had a vision of the throne of
God in heaven and wrote, “And he that sat [on the
throne] was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine
stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne,
in sight like unto an emerald” (Rev. 4:3). The Greek for
rainbow is iris (2463G), which appears
only here and in 10:1 and was used from the time of
Homer for rainbow. In classical Greek it refers to any
bright halo surrounding an object, including the iris of
the eye and the circle around the “eyes” of the
peacock’s feathers. This is, of course, the origin of
our English word “iris” because of the numerous colors
found among this family’s 200–300 species of
flowers.
Again
like Ezekiel, John sees a rainbow encircling God’s throne,
announcing the completeness and perfection of God. This
multi-colored bow is dominated by a soothing emerald
green. As a symbol, then, of peace and God’s
faithfulness to His promises, this bow assures John
before the coming horrendous judgments even start
that there will be peace when it is all
over.
It
continues to amaze this writer that some Bible students
can read Revelation and deny its future significance,
casually dismissing it as a description of the events of
70 AD, when the Roman general Titus sacked Jerusalem.
Our Lord Himself said of the coming Tribulation period
described in such graphic detail in chapters 4—19, “For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be” (Matt. 24:21). Nothing in history comes
even remotely close to the incomprehensible events that
are to come upon this rebellious world. That is
precisely why God reassures John that no matter what
happens, peace will come, God’s people will be
delivered, and God will be glorified (a further reminder
comes later in 10:1).
Dear
Christian Friend, all this reminds us that God is always
faithful to His promises. Whether we see the rainbow
before,
during, or after the storm of trial, we
are always assured of “the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, [which] shall keep [our] hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil
4:7).
III. The Solemnity of the
Rainbow
It
is difficult, indeed, perhaps even impossible, for us
today to fully fathom the solemnity of that moment when
the first rainbow appeared. After what Noah and his
family had been through, their first response upon
exiting the ark was worship (Gen. 8:20), praising God
for their deliverance from incomprehensible destruction
that had just occurred. It is then on the heels of that
worship that God gave His promise and hung his assuring
sign of that promise in the sky. Such solemnity provides
us with at three closing principles.
The Rainbow is a Remembrance of God’s
Power
Every
time we look at a rainbow, we remember the Flood. It is
virtually automatic. And what is it that we remember, or
at least should remember? We should
remember that in His sovereign, omnipotent power He
destroyed the earth because of sin. Because of His holy
nature, God cannot tolerate sin. In a day when God is
viewed as a tolerant grandfather who simply smiles
understandingly at sin, men need to be told that God is
a God of retribution and wrath, who will bring judgment
on those who reject Him. As in those very days of Noah,
God “shall not always strive with man” (Gen 6:3).
We
also remember, however, not only God’s power to execute
wrath,
but also His power to save. As He saved Noah and
him family because they believed and obeyed what he
said, He saves those today who receive Him as Savior and
Lord.
This prompts us also to remember
constantly God’s wondrous grace. “Noah found grace in
the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:8). We find the phrase
“found grace,” in fact, eighteen times in the Old
Testament. Lot “found grace” in God (19:19), and Moses
“found grace” in God (Ex. 33:12–13). Even in wrath there
is mercy and grace, and how we should rejoice in
it.
The Rainbow is a Reminder of God’s
Purpose
The appearance of the rainbow to Noah,
Ezekiel, and the apostle John are all powerful reminders
that God always has a purpose, even in the storms. As He
revealed to the Apostle Paul, “We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom.
8:28). Paul goes on in the next two verses to outline
what theologians have called “God’s Golden Chain of
Salvation”:
For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he
also glorified.
Just
as our salvation is by God’s
sovereign purpose, all the storms that come our
way are also by His sovereign purpose. Yes, storms will
come. As Paul assured Timothy, “Yea, and all that will
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2
Tim. 3:12), but there is reason for it all. Peter
reassures
us:
That
the trial of your faith, being much more precious than
of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,
might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye
love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1
Peter 1:7–8).
Likewise,
Paul adds: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). That
leads us to one other comforting
principle.
The Rainbow is a Reassurance of God’s
Peace
As mentioned earlier, the
rainbow assured Noah, and it now reassures us, that God
is always faithful to His promises. Whether we see the
rainbow before, during, or after
the storm of trial,
we are always assured of “the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, [which] shall keep [our]
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7). As
Isaiah the prophet put it: “Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee” (Is. 26:3). Most important of all, our
Lord assures us: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid” (Jn. 14:27).
So,
dear Christian Friend, the next time you look at a
rainbow, may you remember, be
reminded, and be reassured of who God is
and what He is doing.
