Between the fall of Adam and Eve and the time of Noah, mankind had become very corrupt. The text reveals, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” (Genesis 6:5-6). Because of the evil conduct of mankind, God determined to destroy the world by flood. This included man and beast, creeping things and the birds of the air. Verse 7 of the text says, “for I am sorry that I have made them.” The conclusion in verse 8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
So the flood came. Noah had obeyed God’s command to build an ark. He, his family, and a large number of animals were safely kept there until the flood subsided 150 days later (cf. Genesis 7:24). After they left the ark, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings to God which pleased Him. We are told then that God “said in His heart” that He would never again destroy the world by water. As long as the earth remained, there would never again be an extinction of all life like this one. God blessed Noah, and made this promise a covenant between mankind and Himself (cf. Genesis 9:11).
Then God said, “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh” (Genesis 3:13-15).
The text doesn’t say that this is the first time a rainbow appeared. Only that God set this one in the cloud, and that from that time the rainbow would be the sign of His promise to never again destroy the world by water. “The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (9:16). Science shows how the rainbow comes to be, and the Bible reveals what it means to us even today.
It is a sad reality that few remember the rainbow as a promise from God. The meaning of the rainbow was hijacked by the LGBTQ+ community in 1978, and in their words represents “pride, diversity, and inclusivity.” The fact that men have appropriated God’s sign for themselves does not change its purpose and meaning.
So, the next time you look into the clouds and see the rainbow, think about the first time God judged the world. Think about His promise to to spare us from another worldwide judgment until Jesus comes, and all is destroyed.
