*Rainbows and Other Reminders
Perhaps you can relate to the following scene: I'm driving along, with my kids in the back
seat, and suddenly, I spot a rainbow. I make a point of saying something to my toddlers, so they
won't miss it. "Look, a rainbow!" Not especially different from when we drive by something else
I'd like to point out, like cows or fire trucks.
Only thing is, there is something different about a rainbow, something which separates it from
cows and other attractions.
Genesis 9:14-15
"And it shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud. 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."The rainbow was given to us as a sign of the promise that God made right after the Great Flood. He promised never again to bring about this kind of destruction. It's a reminder to Him, and to us.
Why did He make this promise? We get some clues when it is first mentioned in the previous chapter:
Genesis 8:20
"And Noah built an altar to Jehovah. And he took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.Genesis 8:21
"And Jehovah smelled a sweet odor. And Jehovah said in His heart, I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. And I will not again smite every living thing as I have done."It's not too much of a stretch to say that God looked at the destruction, which He had sent as a way of dealing with the sin of the world, and said to Himself that He needed to find another way to deal with it. Noah's animal sacrifice was a clue for us to what that other way would be. He would send His only begotten Son, to become a sacrifice for our sin, so that you and I would not have to go through the same kind of destruction that had just been visited upon the world.
Because of this, it's fair to say that the Rainbow is a reminder to you and me of what Jesus did on the Cross. Even though you and I were deserving of death, we have been given a pardon. When you see a rainbow, think of it as much more than a trick the sunlight plays on airborne water particles. It's there to bring to mind for us Who God is, what he did, and who we are in Him.
The rainbow is but one of many reminders in our lives. All you have to do is look around, and they are there. Some are those that God has given to us, such as Communion. When Jesus described His purpose for this important activity, He said "this do in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). When we take the bread and cup, we are to remember what Jesus did, and by extension, remember God's great love for us.
There are reminders all around us, some of which are man-made, and some which are directly from God. When you celebrate holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, make an effort to remember. When you see someone wearing a Cross around their neck, remember. When you see the Grand Canyon, a bird, a river, a cloud, or a baby, make sure you remember His love, His great sacrifice, His love for you, His goodness. Remember. The reminders are all around you.
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If you find that a particular study has been helpful, I'd love to hear from you. Please send
an email to james@middletree.net.