Noah and the Rainbow

According to Wikipedia, a rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun.

Thanks for your little hypothesis there, Wiki. Now let’s turn to the real story of the origin of the rainbow, shall we? In Genesis 9, we pick up in the aftermath of the flood that had covered the earth for 150 days. As a little refresher, in Genesis 6, the Lord had observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, seeing that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. He was sorry that He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart. So God in His wrath decided to wipe the human race from the face of the earth, destroying everything that lived and breathed on dry land. But Noah found favour with the Lord, and He and the inhabitants of the Ark survived the devastating flood. In verses 9 to 17 of Genesis 9, God confirms His covenant with Noah and his descendants.

“Now behold I am establishing My covenant (binding agreement, solemn promise) with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that is with you - the birds, the livestock, and the wild animals of the earth along with you, of everything that comes out of the ark - every living creature of the earth. I will establish my covenant with you; never again shall all flesh be cut off by the water of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy and ruin the earth.” And God said, “This is the token (visible symbol, memorial) of the [solemn] covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations. I set my rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. It shall come about when I bring clouds over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the clouds, and I will [compassionately] remember MY covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again will the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the rainbow is in the clouds and I look at it, I will [solemnly] remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. And God said to Noah, “This [rainbow] is the sign of the covenant (solemn pledge, binding agreement) which I have established between Me and all the living things on the earth.” [AMP]

Now I won’t assume everyone has come across this story before as I know some of my readers are relatively young in their walk with Christ - welcome aboard! It’s mind-blowing though , isn’t it? I can literally see jaws dropping in the spirit. I remember running around chanting happily as a child, “Richard of York Gained Battle in Vain” as we memorised the colours of the rainbow. Whilst I could recite the acronym “ROYGBIV,” I truly don’t recall anyone ever telling me the story of the genesis of the rainbow. If they did it must have escaped the cache of my early childhood memories. Imagine my shock therefore as an adult when I decided to read through the Book of Genesis and stumbled across this little gem, illuminated by the Holy Spirit. It really made me think.

When was the last time you saw a rainbow, can you remember? It’s crazy to think something so beautiful and awe-inspiring came out of something so devastating, so incredibly trying. As we read the story of Noah and the flood, it’s so easy to gloss over what the reality of the situation must have been. I mean, here was Noah at 600 years old minding his business and happily walking closely with God. Yes, Noah was 600 because by that time God had just decided His spirit could not put up with humans for such a long time and therefore shortened our lifespan to no more than 120 years. (See Genesis 6 : 3 NLT version). Lol! I admit humans can be ever so annoying! So anyway here’s Noah, a righteous man and by the Lord’s own account, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. One day God reveals His plan to destroy the earth and asks him to build an ark, providing precise specifications and measurements. And Noah, believing God, obeyed! How crazy he must have looked to the rest of the world! Russell Crow and Emma Watson made a movie on Noah, didn’t they? I’m not 100% sure it’s true to script as they must have exercised some creative license, however it must have captured the general feeling of the day. The disbelief, the jeering and gossiping as the walls of the ark went higher and higher. “What does He think He’s doing?” ; “Oh my gosh he’s lost his darn marbles!” Can’t you just picture it?

But guess what Noah did. He carried on going. He soldiered on against all odds because after all, the conversation that led to these events happened between him and God. Not himself, God and all humanity. This is why Noah has a place in the hall of fame of Great Examples of Faith listed in Hebrews 11. “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith, Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11 :7) By his faith Noah escaped certain death; a torrential downpour of 40 days and 40 nights that wiped all living things from the face of the earth. By his faith, he secured the future of generations to come, and received a beautiful rainbow as an indelible mark of God’s promise, His everlasting covenant.

And so today, daughter of the Most High, I ask you. What things has God revealed to you and what has He asked you to do in this season? There are certain things you KNOW for a fact your family, friends, society will not understand. Yet you are convicted in your spirit that this is what God is asking of you. Don’t worry if you sometimes falter or hesitate, keep building your faith - it’s a journey. After all, what’s faithing without a little doubting, aye?

Ask yourself, what’s your rainbow - what does it look like? Whatever you think it looks like, I’m sure God’s intention far surpasses anything you can ask or imagine. The next time you do see a rainbow, take a minute to pause and reflect. Take a photo if you can. Zoom in on it. Think of God’s goodness, think of His mercies. Think on Him as a God who cares enough to make an everlasting covenant with those He loves. And you, yes you daughter of Zion, are very much in this cohort. Hold on to His promises just as Noah did; carry on doing what He’s called you to do. Step out in faith, for it is impossible to please God without it. Believe God, and one day … suddenly. Other people may not understand the whys and hows but guess what, that’s completely beside the point. The only approval you really need is our father’s, and if He’s happy with your work then it’s totally OK. Hold on to the promise and soon and very soon, you will have your very own beautiful rainbow to cherish forever! Stay blessed ladies!