8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Genesis 9:8-17 (ESV)

Rainbow

Let’s get one thing clear off the bat. The rainbow was created by God to be a sign of promise, a covenant, between Him and mankind – and all flesh (the animals, birds and things). Though there are those who have adopted the sign as their own for other purposes – even trying to make it seem like God blesses their cause or organization – that is not the purpose or proper use of the rainbow. “God used the rainbow as a sign to Noah and all generations that He would be faithful to His covenant.” (enduringword.com) 

Let’s also note that though it is a rainbow, it’s just called bow. Why? It is the shape of a bow (the Hebrew is bow and arrow bow). It faces upwards in the sky. “God could certainly turn the bow of judgment upon us, because we’ve broken His law and deserve judgment. But He has turned the bow toward heaven and taken the punishment for us Himself!” (planobiblechapel.org)

Covenant 

So the purpose of the rainbow is a sign of a promise to uphold a covenant. What’s a covenant? “Generally speaking, a covenant is a promise between two or more parties to perform certain actions.” (gotquestions.org) The Bible is full of covenants. Click here for more on the topic. What is unique about this one? 

• It was for all mankind, not just Israel. 
• It was one-sided. Usually a covenant has commitments and responsibilities for both sides. Unlike the Adamic covenant, God upholds both sides. It is unconditional. 
• The covenant was not just with mankind but also with creation.

God is so committed to this covenant that He has a permanent rainbow in Heaven (Revelation 4:3). 

RЯeflection

• What did you think about the last time you saw a rainbow? Next time, remember God’s promise and faithfulness.