WHAT DOES THE RAINBOW MEAN?
Colours, pride, and joy might be the first thing that comes to mind when we see a rainbow, but the Biblical meaning behind the rainbow is something greater than our perspective or what we feel.
Today we are going to dive deeper into the Christian Biblical meaning behind the Rainbow in Genesis 9:12-17. I’m sure we’ve all learned or heard about the rainbow in Sunday school, so let’s take a trip down memory lane to our childhood.
In Sunday school, we often heard that the rainbow was God’s promise or covenant to never destroy all life through a flood again. But is that really the only meaning behind it? Let’s look at the passage.
“14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 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.” - Genesis 9:14-15 NIV
The promise that God made to us was not intended for only his children to remember, but it was a reminder for Him as well. However, we may argue, “God knows everything, so why does he have to remember through a rainbow?” It’s because His grace is sufficient, and He is a loving, righteous and faithful Father. A promise requires two people - in this case, it was between the Children of God and Him. We see this in the following scriptures below.
"12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 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. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”
- Genesis 9:12-17 NIV
This promise was given to his people for ALL generations to come, and His promises are NEVER broken.
We may question, “how far does his grace, righteousness and faithfulness extend?” God has the choice to wipe out this entire world within a second, but he doesn’t.
Why doesn’t he? Because his grace, righteousness and faithfulness extend beyond what we can understand. He is looking for children who have a pure heart and are willing to fight for the Kingdom of God for his Glory. His grace and mercy continue to reign till this day because he sees our hearts.
God is Holy, so he can’t forsake his righteous children. We see this throughout the story of Sodom and Gomorrah with Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 18:17-33, and when God sent his angels to save Lots family from destruction in Genesis 19:1-29. Also, in Exodus with Moses and the Israelites. This is the grace, righteousness, and faithfulness of God that we see within Genesis 9:12-17.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying a rainbow for its beauty or finding joy through it. We encourage our Christian brothers and sisters to remember that the rainbow is who God is. We hope this blog has encouraged and uplifted your spirit - let's continue to share the gospel to our community and to the ones that have never heard it.