The Rainbow

 Last week, I was on I-79, almost to Elkview, and saw a rainbow. I know that that's not front-page news, but I still looked, wondered, and smiled. Rainbows have been a subject of fascination and legend for thousands of years. We all know of the myth of the pot of gold at the end of it. I saw the end of a rainbow once. I was in Eastern Kentucky, pumping gas across the road from where they transload coal onto barges and ship them down the Ohio River. And right in the middle of a big mountain of coal was the end of the rainbow. It probably was a pot of gold for someone. The Norse legends say the rainbow was a bridge to the gods, and others say it brings good luck. Rainbows are everywhere in June because someone decided that the rainbow would symbolize pride in and pride for sexual sin. The rainbow means different things to different people, but it does have a definitive meaning. The rainbow is not a symbol of pride or tolerance -- it's the token of a covenant.

 A long time ago, this world was a wicked, wicked place (Genesis 6:1-8). Humankind had given itself over to every imaginable evil, and God said He would destroy man from the earth in His justice in a worldwide flood. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Noah deserved wrath because he was also a sinner. Grace doesn't save good people but bad. God isn't going to give Noah what he deserved, but God saved Noah because He is merciful and gracious. According to God's instructions, Noah built an ark. When it was time, Noah and his family, along with all the kinds of animals, entered. And it started to rain. It didn't stop until the world was covered in water. When the waters receded and Noah and his family left the ark, God made a covenant with humanity that He would not destroy the earth again with water. The token of the promise is the rainbow.

 Maybe you don't look at the rainbow when it appears. But God looks at it in view of His covenant (Genesis 9:8-17). It doesn't matter what you see when you look at it. What matters is what God sees. We call it a rainbow. God called it a bow. It's a bow without a string, laid down. God's weapon of justice in flooding the earth is laid down, and He won't destroy the planet in the same way again.

 When you see a rainbow, you should think of God's forbearance. We are still wicked, but God is longsuffering. Remember His faithfulness; God keeps His word. Remember God's holiness and His wrath; sin will be punished. But also remember His grace and mercy to sinners who come to Jesus by faith. Jesus saves sinners, and in Christ, there is a better, permeant "ark" to find rest. When you see the rainbow, think of Christ.

 Published in the Clay County Free Press