Remember the Rainbow!

Genesis 9:16-The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” NKJV

We were driving down the highway, headed to Bible study when we noticed this rainbow in the sky. It was gorgeous, and I just had to take a picture, although the picture didn’t do it justice. The colors were so vibrant! Then my husband began to share his scientific knowledge of rainbows, and after he finished, I told him that Genesis explains all I need to know and understand about the rainbow. Needless to say, his explanation was way over my head!

In the book of Genesis, we see the first mention of the rainbow. The Hebrew word “qešet” is translated as “rainbow” in only three books of the Bible: Genesis, Ezekiel, and Revelation. Qešet means “a bending,” and in all honesty it is exactly as my husband was trying to explain to me, a bending of light as it passes through the water droplets.

God sent a storm on the earth because man was so wicked He had decided to destroy it. The storm lasted so long that it rained for forty days and nights, destroying everything and everyone on the earth except Noah, his family, and the animals that were in the ark. After the flood, God said to Noah:

 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Genesis 9:9-11 NKJV

So, although light might bend through the water droplets, the rainbow appeared after the storm was over because God gave it as a sign of the covenant that He made with Moses and all creation that He would never destroy the earth again in this manner.

Right after the conversation with my husband about rainbows, I was reading a book where the author recounted a sermon about rainbows. And if you follow me, you know that if something blesses me, I have to blog about it! So to avoid copyright infringements, I have to put my spin on the verses.

God promised Noah that he and all on the ark would be protected during the storm lasting for forty days and forty nights. That’s a long time to hear the rain pounding on a house, let alone on an ark. Since they had never experienced a rainstorm, and they had all of those animals on the boat with them, and they realized they were the last living people on the whole earth, this had to be a challenging time for them. But one day, the rain stopped, the waters receded, and they all poured out of the ark.

Then God gave Moses the sign of the rainbow to establish His covenant. In this situation, the rainbow was seen after the storm. There will be storms in our lives where we will only be able to see the faithfulness of God when it is all over, but if you remember that rainbows come after the storm, it will remind you that God is faithful and can bring you out of the storm!

Then Ezekiel saw a rainbow, but it was in the midst of a storm.

Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 

Ezekiel 1:4 NKJV

This whirlwind was similar to a tornado, according to the commentators. Ezekiel saw a great cloud coming out of the north, which was symbolic of the judgment of God through their enemies. But amid the whirlwind was fire and brightness that caused Ezekiel to think of a rainbow.

Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

Ezekiel 1:28 NKJV

Even though God was bringing judgment on the children of God, Ezekiel understood that God would be in the midst of the judgment. Some storms happen in our lives because of our actions, and others occur because the enemy attacks us. No matter how the storm comes, sometimes we will see a rainbow in the midst of the storm. While we are going through the storm, the enemy is raging, and things seem out of our control; God can show up in the midst of the storm!

This is no new revelation to those who have lived for God for any great length of time. We already understand that as we go through the storms of life or come out of the storm, we can find evidence that God was with us! I was just moved by the illustrations that were provided through the rainbow. Ezekiel’s situation reminds us to remember the rainbow during the storm because God is with us!

Lastly, in the book of Revelation, we see another rainbow mentioned.

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

Revelation 4:2-3 NKJV

John was on the Isle of Patmos. His enemies thought they had done something terrible to John, exiling him as they did. But it was during this time that John probably had his most significant experience with God! He received a revelation that ended up having its place in the word of God.

John was in the throne room of God, and he saw a rainbow that circled the throne. This is the first rainbow mentioned as a complete circle since it went around the throne, and John compared it to an emerald. I gather that all rainbows are not multi-colored, but all rainbows are symbolic of God’s commitment to us!

After John sees the rainbow, he hears the sound of thunder:

And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 

Revelation 4:5 NKJV

Flashes of lightning and thunderings are indicative of a storm! In this instance, the rainbow was seen before the storm! Isn’t that wonderful! God reminds us of His presence, His faithfulness, and commitment to us before the storm!

Something about this imagery truly spoke to my spirit when I read that sermon! It was another confirmation to me, that when the storms of life are raging, God is in the midst of the storm! When the storm settles down and ends, God is at the end of the storm! Even before the storm begins, God is right there with us!

My brother-in-law, Pastor Eric, would say to the congregation, “You’re either in a storm, just coming out of a storm, or getting ready to face a storm!” The first time I heard him say this, I had a “huh” moment! I had to think about that because it was like realizing that life is about storms! I didn’t like that picture!

But looking back over life, I can see how this could be true! We have a real adversary who constantly seeks for ways to interrupt our peace! But by remembering the covenant of the rainbow, that God is committed to keeping us, the storms of life don’t matter or seem all that significant! No matter where we are, God is right there with us! For me, nothing is more encouraging than getting something from the word of God! The message I read resonated with me, and writing this blog has encouraged me even further! Our God is God, and besides Him, there is no other! I’m including a song today that has been a source of encouragement. I trust you will be blessed! Wonderful Jesus!