When Noah saw the earth desolated by the flood, he must have been traumatized. Afterwards, whenever the skies grew dark overhead, he would need reassurance. God said, “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth” (Genesis 9:13).
The rainbow is the flag of God, the seven-colored royal standard. No icon, no regimental colors and no imperial symbol could match that! The word “bow” in Genesis 9:13 (where it is translated “rainbow”) is the same Hebrew word as for a bow which is used to shoot arrows – a weapon of war, but what a weapon, spanning the whole horizon!
What mighty arrows it must shoot when God goes into battle against the devil! “The Lord will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior He will stir up His zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over His enemies” (Isaiah 42:13).
The rainbow is not a mere phenomenon of natural beauty but a divine reminder of God’s archery. The divine graphics span the whole Bible, for when we reach the book of Revelation we read. “A rainbow … encircled the throne … From the throne came flashes of lightning. ” (Revelation 4:3-5).
God’s mighty arrows. No wind can blow a rainbow away and no devil can switch it off. The battle truly belongs to the Lord. We all suffer life’s storms, when ominous blackness fills our skies, but that arching splendor of prismatic color in the rain cloud, seen with our mortal eyes, is the objective standard of God to reassure us. It is a sign of God’s love bent to the world and to us. Jesus said: “Be of good cheer, it is I.” (Matthew 14:27)
[Reinhard Bonnke]
