Rainbow Covenant

 

    The rainbow covenant is the covenant God made with Noah after the flood was over is an everlasting covenant.  God promised that He would never destroy the world through a flood again.  People's part of the covenant is not to murder or consume blood.  Blood is life and it is precious to God.  

    The point of the covenant was to set order to nature and the natural way of living.  It was to help Noah and his family to recover from the trauma of living through a world changing event.  It was to help give them direction and purpose by reproduction and their relationship with God.

    One thing did not change.  People still have dominion over animals.  It is our responsibility to take care and protect them.  The same goes for our food and other plant life.  You don't have to be a vegetarian to protect animals.  If an animal is killed for food, then use every part of the animal and make sure all the blood is drained before you eat it.  Do not kill for sport.

    Murder is the sin where you are trying to remove God's living image from the world.  It is taking the life from another person with purpose.  It is not done accidently.  If you take a person's life in the heat of the moment or premeditated, then God says you should be killed too.  The sin can be forgiven, but the consequences are the same.  It should be carried out quickly and not left for years where the victims family can't heal.

    The rainbow is the reminder of this life impacting covenant.  It is a sign that God keeps His word.  The point of the rainbow is a token to people/  It is a signal or a momentary monument to remind us that we are established and protected by God.  It is not a mutual agreement, but it does hold expectations.

    God's love is unconditional. It is secure, fixed, and unchanging.  The fact that God stated purpose of the rainbow seven times was for the finality and perfection of His will and love.  Seven is a holy number.  That means there is no room for sin.  The rainbow is good, but also reminds us the severity if we fall.

    The rainbow is a sign of hope, beauty, promise, and warning.  God's covenants always come with a provision.  If you want to escape judgment, then follow the guidelines of His covenants.  This was the first of many.  The one we remember the most is the covenant made with the blood of Jesus and his resurrection.  The rainbow is a sign of a clean new world.  Salvation is the sign of a clean renewed soul.

    Next time God destroys the world, it will be through fire.  It won't take 40 days.  Next time, no one will survive.  It is not a threat.  It is a promise.  The only hope for deliverance is to follow Jesus to avoid God's final act of wrath on this world.  Follow Jesus and you will be remembered in favor.  God will forget all your sins if you repent and accept the gift of salvation.  Then you just have to maintain it and grow stronger in Jesus until your final day when you join him.

Genesis 8:22-9:17, Proverbs 19:8,  & 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10