The rainbow is much more than an inspiration for fables, an idiom inducer, or a lovely item to sing about, it is a sign of God’s covenant with Noah. The simple rainbow that is sometimes seen spanning the sky on a rainy day is a reminder, a covenant sign. God’s bow in the clouds brings comfort to Christians and non-Christians alike regarding the promise that the earth will not be destroyed by a flood again, but for the non-Christian the rainbow is also a reminder of the Creator of heaven and earth to whom worship is owed. 

The photograph of a rainbow was taken two Saturdays ago. It is unfortunate that the aperture of the lens was inadequate to show the entire arch which curved high in the sky and appeared to touch the earth at both ends. It was a perfect, but short lived, rainbow.

Rainbows are not miracles. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a rainbow as “An arch of colors visible in the sky, caused by the refraction and dispersion of the sun’s light by rain or other water droplets in the atmosphere.” When described scientifically the colorful bow loses some of its Judy Garland Somewhere Over the Rainbow appeal. Because rainbows tend to be large, colorful, and attention grabbing, their appearances over the years have induced onlookers all over the world to create fables and sayings such as the supposed pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, or the term “always chasing rainbows” which is used to describe individuals pursuing goals doomed to disaster. But there is more to rainbows than just science and sayings because God has given them theological significance.

The historical account of Noah, his family, the ark, and the preservation of animals to repopulate the world after the flood is common knowledge even among those who are unacquainted with the Bible. The word “antediluvian” means before the flood, as in Noah’s deluge, and it is used to describe someone who is old fashioned or behind the times. Common knowledge of the Noahic flood does not necessarily result in common acceptance of its historicity. Responses to the deluge fall within the spectrum of denying it ever happened at one end to accepting it for what it was at the other—a catastrophic event involving a household of God’s image bearers, a massive wooden ark, and animal life from all species. The purpose of the rains feeding the flood was to cleanse and renew the world because “the wickedness of man was great in the earth and every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). As the water increased in depth it brought death and destruction to the wicked, but it also meant life for Noah’s household and the animals as they drifted afloat in the ark; the flood was the means of death for the evil, but the same flood was the means of life for Noah and the creation. When it was all said and done and the flood water receded, the Lord made a covenant with Noah, all mankind, and the creation.

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