The Rainbow Covenant

"I will remember my covenant between me and you …" Genesis 9:15

This was God's promise to Noah after the flood. After forty days of destruction and cleansing. God put up a rainbow as a sign to a covenant that God will no more destroy the earth by flood. A covenant is defined as an agreement between two parties. But in the Bible, when God makes a covenant with man, He sticks to it for who He is. It is comforting to know that He doesn't act in response to our human frailty. This is the kind of covenant love God has for us. 

Every story in the Old Testament is truly a shadow the things to come. In the the New Testament, a new covenant of grace is given to us through Jesus Christ. In both the flood narrative and the new testament covenant of grace, we see similar elements, the flood narrative pointing to the new covenant. In both instances each covenant is addressed to all creation:

A punishment - In the flood story, the punishment for man's wickedness is death through forty days of flood. In the new testament, the punishment for man's ultimate problem (sin) is spiritual death.

A payment - After the flood, Noah makes a sacrifice of animals to God. It was a common symbolic practice of substituting man's life for the animal's life. Moreover, the Hebrew word for "covenant" is "berith" which means "to cut" because then covenants are made between two parties by cutting an animal in half. In the new testament, God gave His only Son to die on our behalf. Jesus became the substitute and sacrifice for sin's demand.

A promise - God's covenant promised no more flood. We can now experience God's covenant love through Christ. Overcoming sin and death is made possible. True to God's covenant, His love finds us. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

A proof - After the flood, God put up the rainbow as a sign of His covenant to all creation. So that when He sees the rainbow, it will remind Him of His covenant never to send a destructive flood again. In the new testament, the beautiful rainbow becomes the rugged Cross, the sign established by God. That through Christ's death on the cross, we are no longer object of wrath, but clothed in Christ's righteousness. "Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne." "I give You praise for You are my righteousness …"

The following passage is a short but beautiful picture of the new covenant we have received through Christ:

Hebrews 9:15 (coincidentally, the rainbow covenant is found in Genesis 9:15) - "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

So what now? What does God say in the Bible how we should respond? These beautiful pictures of God's covenant love should move us to a change of heart and action:

Hebrews 10:22 (CEV), So let’s come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let’s keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water.

Thank You, Lord, for once again reminding me about Your covenant love.