Passage: Genesis 9:8-17
Points
1. God made a covenant with Noah, his sons and all living creatures not to flood the earth again.
2. The Lord set a bow in the clouds to signify his covenant.
3. When the bow is seen in the clouds it will be a reminder of the covenant or agreement between God and all of creation.
Personalize
In the ESV commentary it reads:
“A covenant formally binds two parties together in a relationship, on the basis of mutual personal commitment, with consequences for keeping or breaking the commitment.”
. These commitments are often visualized in signs.
Signs are a way of sealing the covenant made between God and man. Every time the sign is seen it will be a reminder of the agreement and commitment between the two parties. Signs are outward and physical expressions of an inward commitment. Covenant signs have been seen in different areas of scripture.
In Genesis the rainbow became a sign between God, Noah, and creation. It revealed God’s commitment to never flood the earth again (Genesis 9:17). The next covenant we see is with Abraham. God makes a commitment to make Abraham a great nation and circumcision becomes the sign of his commitment (Genesis 17:11). When calling Moses, God gave a sign of his presence. Pharaoh would know Moses was from God because God’s power would be made evident (Exodus 3:12). These and other signs were given to reveal God’s commitment to his people.
As children of God we too have been given signs of our new life in Christ. We don’t believe because of the signs but we are reminded of what we have been promised and given through Jesus Christ. In the book of John 20:30-31 we read:
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”.
The power of Christ revealed His character and purpose. Other signs revealed from the life of Christ are the 1) cross, the sign of forgiveness and 2) the empty tomb, the sign of victory and life. We rest in the confidence of His promises and the deliverance we have received through Christ as revealed in the signs of our faith.
Prayer
Lord we rejoice in the promises You have set before us. As we look to the cross and the empty tomb we are reminded of how much you love us and how much we have been forgiven.
