The Rainbow Is A Christian Symbol (DD - 9 Jan 25)

God has set His bow in the clouds as a sign of His covenant love.

“Oh! it is not my remembering God, it is God's remembering me which is the ground of my safety; it is not my laying hold of his covenant, but his covenant's laying hold on me. Glory be to God! Even the remembrance of the covenant is not left to our memories, for we might forget, but our Lord cannot forget the saints whom he has graven on the palms of his hands.” - Charles Spurgeon

Today’s Reading: Genesis 9

Having left the ark and entered the new, post-flood world, Noah and his sons now receive a command from God similar to that which was given to Adam in the Garden; “be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.”

Though I mourn the cursed ground and long for the restored heavens and earth where sin will be no more, I am incredibly thankful for v. 3-4 where God now authorizes the consumption of animal meat. In my opinion, there are few things that proclaim the glory of God quite like a good ribeye. And I’m only half joking when I say that; it is widely believed that God permitted man to eat animal meat at this time specifically because of the harsher conditions in the post-flood world which required higher protein intake. Consider how even when we’re faced with the consequences of our own sin, God not only provides daily bread, but the exact type of daily bread that we need. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

God makes clear the severity of bloodshed in v. 5-6, emphasizing the sanctity and dignity of man, made in the image of God. These verses lay the basis for Biblical capital punishment, which Paul reinforces in Romans 13:4, highlighting the immense value and worth of even a single human life. This command has never been revoked. Though some argue that Christ repealed this command in His Sermon on the Mount, we see a clear distinction between God’s prohibiting individual revenge (“do not resist the one who is evil,” and “never avenge yourselves”) and the God-ordained duties of the State (“to carry out God’s wrath on the evildoer”). Not only does justice allow for capital punishment, but in many cases, it requires it. That’s how valuable human life is to God.

The covenant that God made with Noah He now extends to Noah’s offspring, and He reiterates His promise that never again shall every living thing be cut off, nor shall any flood destroy the earth. As He does concerning all of His covenants, God offers a sign of His covenant mercy by “setting His bow in the clouds.” That’s right, the rainbow belongs to us.

But, as you might have already guessed, darkness was on the horizon. Even the godly Noah stumbled into sin, the sin of drunkenness, of which many of us have firsthand knowledge. After becoming “a man of the soil,” Noah plants a vineyard, makes wine, and becomes drunk. In his drunkenness, Noah lays down “uncovered” (naked) in his tent, where his sons find him laying completely exposed. Ham sees his naked father and instead of simply covering him up, runs and tells his two brothers, who then approach their father (backward) and cover Noah with a garment.

After awakening from his stupor and realizing what has happened, Noah prophetically declares what will come of his three sons, from whom the entire human race will descend. Noah curses Ham (Canaan), declaring that his descendants (the Canaanites) will be servants of his brothers’ offspring, which was fulfilled when Joshua drove out and enslaved the Canaanites. Conversely, Noah declares that God will enlarge Japheth, and make a covenant with and dwell in the tents of Shem, anticipating the tabernacle, temple, and incarnation of the Son of God.

Take-Aways from Genesis 9

• The Provision of Animal Meat (v. 2-4)

• The Sanctity Of Human Life (v. 5-6)

• The Rainbow Is Ours (v. 12-17)

• The Preservation of Christ’s Line (v. 18-19)

• The Consequences of Drunkenness (v. 21-28)