20 JUNE GENESIS 9

The Rainbow Covenant – A Sign of Grace

After the floodwaters subsided and the ark came to rest, God initiated a new phase of human history—one governed by a divine promise never to destroy the earth with a flood again.

Genesis 9:8–11 (NIV) "Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ‘I now establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you, the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you, every living creature on earth. I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.’"

This covenant was not confined to Noah alone, it was universal, extending to all creation. It was the first formal divine covenant in Scripture, and it was founded entirely upon God's grace and faithfulness, not human merit. To mark this unbreakable promise, God appointed a visible sign in the heavens:

Genesis 9:12–13 (NIV) "And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.’"

The Hebrew word used for “rainbow” (qesheth) is the same as that for a battle bow. In essence, God hung His bow in the sky, pointed away from Earth, aimed toward Heaven—as a sign of peace, not destruction. God elaborated further:

Genesis 9:14–16 (NIV) "Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

This rainbow was more than a weather phenomenon—it was a theological declaration. God’s justice had been satisfied through the flood, and now His mercy would prevail. The bow symbolised divine restraint and reminded both God and humanity of His covenant promise. In Revelation, this same image reappears, tying God’s covenantal grace to His eternal throne:

Revelation 4:3 (NIV) "And the One who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne."

Here, the rainbow no longer marks deliverance from a physical flood but represents the ongoing mercy surrounding the Sovereign Judge of all. From Noah’s covenant to eternity, God's faithfulness endures. Even when we fail, He remains steadfast:

2 Timothy 2:13 (AMP) "If we are faithless, He remains faithful , for He cannot deny Himself." This everlasting covenant finds its highest fulfilment in Christ, who sealed a new covenant not with a rainbow, but with His blood.

Hebrews 13:20–21 (NIV) "Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

From judgment came grace. From devastation, a promise. And from the bow in the sky, a greater covenant emerged, one not written in the clouds, but on our hearts.