Genesis 9

“And God said: ‘This is the token of the covenant which I make with Me and you and every living creature with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a token of a covenant with me and the earth. Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh: water will never again become a deluge to destroy all flesh. The bow will be in the clouds and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh on earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and all flesh on earth.’” Genesis 9:12-17

When I was a kid, I loved seeing rainbows…and it seems I saw more of them back then. Perhaps, I should look up more because I suppose they happen pretty frequently.

A while back, I was down in San Clemente for a day of surfing. As I was about to enter the water for a surf session, the cloudy sea layer began to dissipate, and I noticed a rainbow. The irony was not lost on me. As I was about to ride the waves, I was reminded of the day when those waves came up and covered the whole earth. Then, just as quickly, I remembered God’s covenant never to do it again.

God had promised that He would flood the earth, and He did it. Then, He promised never to do it again, and He hasn’t. (Nor will He ever.) It sounds like a simple Sunday school lesson, but with every rainbow, we are reminded that God’s promises can be trusted.

Back when we read through the book of Revelation, we learned that God has promised to judge sin again. It won’t come by way of water because God promised never to do that again. The next time will be by an all-consuming fire. The coming Judgment will be even greater than the ancient flood because it will completely eliminate sin in the world.

That “promise of God” is not one that people claim often. When was the last time you prayed, “Lord, judge my sin with fire! You promised!”

But with the promise of Judgment comes the assurance of Salvation. There is a way out, an “ark,” so to speak. And that “escape” comes when we fully surrender our lives to Jesus, turning from our sin and receiving the atonement offered through Him.

Whenever you see a fully devoted believer in Jesus, think of a rainbow. Every believer can be assured of the forever promise of God’s salvation.