Rainbow

After the flood that destroyed all the creatures on the earth that had the breath of life in them, God made a covenant with Noah. Never again would He destroy the earth with a flood. God said,

“‘I confirm my covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by the waters of a flood; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.’

“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 future generations: I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between me and every creature on earth”‘ (Gen. 9:11-17).

A rainbow appears in the sky as a result of sunlight’s being reflected and refracted by raindrops. Although not occurring with every downpour, this sign usually marks the end of a rain or thunderstorm event. In the above passage of Scripture, God made clear why He was placing His “bow in the clouds” (v. 13).

Sadly, because of sin and because of Satan’s effective efforts to deceive, many people today associate the rainbow with themes like “diversity” and “inclusiveness.” In and of themselves, these terms are neutral; but the agendas of militant movements that promote immoral lifestyles aren’t neutral at all. Especially against this backdrop, the rainbow becomes a symbol to believers not only of God’s covenant, but also of His mercy toward all people, including themselves (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11). God longs for everyone to repent of sin and to come to Him on His terms—and today, in this time of grace, He waits for people to respond to His overtures of compassion and love (2 Pet. 3:9). The rainbow also should remind believers that while God is patient, His patience will not last forever. The Lord will not send judgment with water, but His judgment still will come (vv. 3-7), and everyone needs to be ready.

Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 4:3; 10:1 are three other places in the Bible where rainbows are mentioned.