The Rainbow
Scripture Reading — Genesis 9:8-17
“This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you … a covenant for all generations to come.”
—Genesis 9:12
The rainbow is one of the most beautiful meteorological phenomena we can enjoy. Reflected in airborne water droplets, the sun’s rays create an optical miracle.
As a child, seeing a rainbow after a rain shower made me feel happy. I was mostly excited about the fact that the weather was finally getting better and I could play outside. I still remember my surprise when after reading the Bible I discovered that the arc of the rainbow signifies much more than simply the end of a spell of bad weather.
The rainbow has to do with the everlasting covenant, or agreement, that God made with all of Noah’s descendants and every living creature on earth after the flood. “Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood.” That was God’s unconditional promise, and the rainbow is God’s beautiful and powerful sign of that promise.
In the Bible we find descriptions of various covenants. All of them foreshadow the ultimate and most important one called the new covenant. Just like the covenant with Noah, the new covenant is an unconditional divine promise. Our Lord Jesus instituted this covenant by his death on the cross. It is a saving covenant of God’s grace, sealing the forgiveness of our sins and God’s special relationship with us.
Our Father, thank you for your new covenant! We trust in Jesus Christ alone for righteousness and the forgiveness of sins. Praise be to you! Amen.
About the author — Sergei Sosedkin
Sergei Sosedkin is the Russian-language ministry leader for ReFrame Ministries. He is a native of Moscow, Russia. As he oversees the Russian-language ministry, Sosedkin works from our office in Grand Rapids and in various locations in Russia.
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