I have set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9:13, NLT)
It was early morning outside of Coeur d’Alene last month, after several days of LINKS-related fellowship visits, when it happened.
As I was driving to the airport through the beautiful rolling hills of North Idaho, the rain had paused and a rainbow appeared in the clouds.
For a moment, I was taken in by the color spectrum and the contrast of the clouds, and then the Holy Spirit prompted me to think about all the rainbows I have witnessed.
The most significant rainbow I remember is from when Davis Love III won the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club.
That day, the camera caught a rainbow in the background against the contrast of an evening sunset as Davis sank his putt for birdie on 18 to win by five shots.
The moment became especially meaningful because he had recently lost his father in a plane crash while enroute to a Golf Digest Schools meeting. The comment, “Well, Davis’ father watched over him,” made by CBS announcer Jim Nantz, subtly connected God to the moment.
For some, the sign of a rainbow in the sky is just a meteorological event and not a “God thing” or a “wink from God,” but the Bible is clear about the significance of a rainbow.
God established the rainbow as a visible sign of His covenant with Noah. After the flood, God promised Noah that He would never destroy all life on earth by a flood again.
This was also a covenant with all humanity and every living creature. The rainbow is a reminder of God’s mercy after judgment has passed, making it a symbol of hope following mercy.
Rainbows are also used in other books of the Bible to describe God’s glory, majesty, and unchanging faithfulness.
The prophet Ezekiel describes God’s glory: “As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance.”
The Apostle John describes God’s heavenly throne: “And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.” (Revelation 4:3)
And John also writes: “I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.”
From the early chapters of the Bible to the last, the rainbow is used as the sign of God’s covenant with the earth, and it ends with a rainbow around the throne of the One who rules over all creation.
The God who judges sin is also the God who delights in showing mercy and remains faithful to every promise He has made.
If someone were to ask you, “How do I know God exists?” a rainbow could help you answer the question. There is a deeper theological significance to the appearance of rainbows, and we should remember the evidence given to us in God’s Word.
Prayer: Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your voice in Your creation. Thank You for the rainbows You have provided in our lives.