God’s Covenant Promise: The Rainbow Sign — Genesis 9 Daily Word

Discover God’s covenant promise in Genesis 9 and learn how proper worship and reverence for God’s authority brings blessing, while misplaced worship leads to ruin. Explore what it means to live under God’s rule.

God’s Covenant Promise: The Rainbow Sign

[Scripture]

[8] Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, [9] “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, [10] and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. [11] I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” [12] And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: [13] I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Gen 9:8-13, ESV)

[14] When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, [15] I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. [16] When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” [17] God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Gen 9:14-17, ESV)

[Daily Word]

# The Way God Rules

When God first created humans and animals, the animals were under human dominion without fearing humans. This was because God designed humans to live in harmony with Him — dwelling under His rule without the need for fear to maintain that relationship. However, after humanity sinned against God and experienced the judgment of the flood, they came to have a reverential fear of God. It was through that fear that faith was born. In the same way, God ordained that animals would be subject to human dominion through fear and awe of humans.

What is significant is that many people have instead chosen to worship animals. [23] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Rom 1:23, ESV) To worship anything other than God is to bring ruin upon oneself before Him. [16] beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, (Deut 4:16, ESV) Let us remember that the only proper object of our worship is the LORD God alone. And we must believe that God is the one and only source of blessing in our lives.

This is also why verse 7 says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and multiply in it.” Since humanity has been given authority over the animals, God is saying that if we honor and carefully preserve the life He has granted, we will receive the blessing of flourishing and increase. However, verse 5 records that if we disregard this word and seek only to conquer and dominate, God will hold us accountable — He will require a reckoning for life. Therefore, the way to govern the new earth is simply to be fruitful, to multiply, and to fill the earth — to care for all animals in the way God has appointed and to rule over them with love.

# God Reveals the Words of His Covenant.

Beginning in verse 8, God reveals the covenant — the promise He had made to Noah and his family. In Genesis 6:18, God says, “But I will establish my covenant with you.” The word translated “establish” here is the Hebrew word meqim. Meqim carries the meaning of “to raise up,” “to establish,” or “to cause to stand,” and in context conveys the sense of “I will now bring it to pass,” reflecting the determined will of God. Notably, in verses 9–10, God does not speak of establishing this covenant with Noah alone, but declares that He will establish it with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature that came out of the ark with him.

This is a covenant directed toward all creatures living on the renewed earth. It is God’s word of peace, given to those who would begin a new life on the other side of the flood judgment. The substance of that promise is this: never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again will a flood destroy the earth. While this assures that such a judgment will not come upon the earth again, it is at the same time a word of blessing spoken over all creatures called to keep and govern the renewed earth in holiness. As a sign of this covenant, God gives the rainbow. In Hebrew, the word for rainbow is qeshet — and qeshet means “bow,” as in a weapon of war.

# The Mythology of the Bow in the Ancient Near East

In the cultures surrounding this region at that time, there were quite a number of myths involving the bow, for the bow was an instrument of war. It has been noted that in other ancient mythologies where a flood narrative similar to that of Noah appears, a rainbow myth consistently accompanies it. For the gods of these foreign traditions, the flood was a time of warfare, and the rainbow represented the hanging of the bow among the clouds — the weapon set aside. In that sense, a bow hung in the sky signified a state of peace, a cessation of war. Accordingly, God Himself declares that He has set His bow in the cloud, and that it shall be the sign of the covenant between Him and the earth.

God causes the rainbow to be seen so that He may remember what He has done, and just as the rainbow never permanently disappears from the sky where heaven and earth meet, so the covenant He has made with all who dwell on the earth will endure forever. Therefore, what all who live on this renewed earth are now called to do is — as [13] But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Pet 3:13, ESV) declares — to wait for and hasten the coming of the new heavens and new earth, where righteousness dwells, according to His promise. We are to keep the land God has entrusted to us in purity, and fix our gaze upon the new heavens and new earth to which the Lord is leading us.

Rainbow Covenant, God’s Promise, Eternal Covenant, Noahic Covenant, God’s Faithfulness

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com