His Rainbow in the Cloud

[OneAccord]

I've just started back into Genesis in my annual pilgrimage through the Bible and I have been struck by the beauty of God's first covenant.

Gen 9:13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Gen 9:14 It shall be when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;

Gen 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.

We don't see the rainbow very often in the Bible. The other place we see it is around God's throne in Ezekiel's vision and in John's vision:

Ez 1:28 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.

Rev 4:3 ...and there was a rainbow around the throne....

Jesus is our rainbow! What a beautiful promise! When we see a rainbow in the cloud, God is looking on it to remember the everlasting covenant He made with every living creature of all flesh that is in the earth!

God doesn't look on us in our sin, He looks on Jesus who took away our sin, and sees the New Covenant. He sits on His throne and looks out through a rainbow!

1 John 5:6 This is He that came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood.......

The very first covenant came by water, the Flood. The very last covenant came by blood.

[Dad Ernie]

Greetings OA,

I hadn't thought of the Noahic Covenant in that fashion, it is a beautiful picture, and I see what you are saying.

You are seeing these things in the "spirit", but let me continue with what is happening in the physical:

Gen 9:1-17 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. 8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Do you realize this "covenant" has NEVER passed away? It won't either till the Lord Comes. But look what happens in the last days:

Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

Without rain, there are no "rainbows". Now I find today interesting because of the warming of the atmosphere (global warming) which also melts the polar ice caps, which raises the levels of the sea which causes flooding. Also moisture is condensed into rain when it hits cooler air and they coalese into droplets heavy enough to rain. But if the air is warm - no rain, sleet or snow.

Now I am just speculating here and I don't know if there is a connection, but I do know that God is in control.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[OneAccord]

Back to the 'spiritual":

We could also consider the 'cloud', which often speaks of God, as in the pillar of cloud, or the cloud that filled the holy of holies and later the temple and its subsequently departure, as well as the thick cloud over the mountain in Ex 19:16. We see this cloud yet again at the Transfiguration.

In Psalms we see the Lord (God or Jesus?) riding on a swift cloud (18:9, 68:4, 104:4), in Matt 24:30 we see Him coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Whenever he brings the cloud over the earth, the rainbow will be seen upon it. Blessed are those with eyes to see the rainbow in the cloud!

As for rain, I would wonder about the latter rain, the cloud that would be over the earth to bring about the latter rain, and the awesome rainbow potential in that one.....