"GOD'S RAINBOWS"

Good Evening to All!

In today's modern times we have totally different meanings for ALL kinds of words than what they were originally. When I was growing up, to be "gay" meant to be happy. To go get some "coke" meant to go to the corner drugstore or the Hi-D-Ho drive-in and get a soft drink. I'm sure there are many others, but my mind went blank except for the Word Rainbow.

I know there are many businesses, and many groups using the word "rainbow" in their titles for example if you talk about Rainbow now, it is often associated with the Rainbow Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Heterosexual individuals who have joined together to create an online community, or it was the name of group of different ethnicity within the Democratic party in 1984 led by Rev. Jesse Jackson as well as many other things. I also know that the reason for the reference to "rainbow" is the diversity of sexual orientation and races. While these examples are important to certain circles of people, and an interest of a small a group (in comparison to the whole of mankind), the following should be of interest to EVERY HUMAN ON EARTH. There are many other organizations associated with rainbows, but below is BY FAR the most important and should be the first thing we think of when we think of the word rainbow.

The most important meaning the Rainbow references to me is something called the Noahic Covenant. My NKJV Bible explains it like this:

The faint rainbow that appears after a summer thunderstorm symbolizes God's mercy, His compassion on all. Moreover, it is a sign of God's covenant, His binding agreement with all humanity to never destroy the earth with a flood.

God initiated this covenant under the worst circumstances. "the earth was filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11, 13). Even though humanity's decline into evil greatly troubled God, He favored one man, Noah. He determined to save Noah and his family from Hi9s coming judgment and established His covenant with them.

Although Noah was surrounded by violence and all kinds of evil, Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9) by seeking to obey Him. Noah's simple obedience is recorded five times in this story (Genesis 6:22, 7:5, 9, 16; 8:17, 18). god called this obedient man to build an ark. With this large boat, God saved Noah from the cleansing waters of the Flood. With the past evils and sins washed away from the earth, Noah and his family could start anew ( see 2 Pet. 3:21 for Peters analogy comparing baptism with the Flood). God not only gave them a fresh start, He also gave them an unconditional promise or covenant. He promised not to destroy the earth with a flood no matter how evil Noah's descendants go. Indeed, He promised that until the end of the earth, there would be the seasons of planting and harvest and day and night. God unilaterally promised to uphold the rhythms of the earth in order to sustain human life--even though humans had rebelled against Him, their Creator.

Today all of us--Noah's children--should remember God's mercy to us when we see the beauty of the rainbow.


Good Night to All and May God Bless!