Rainbows
These are notes for an incomplete "Concept" page.
- Information is being added as the Bible Pages are added. In the end, everything will be compiled, further information added (as necessary), broken links connected, etc.
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For Noah, the rainbow might have been a new phenomenon. Many believe that, before the Flood, it had never rained - and if so, a rainbow in the sky couldn't have occurred. In this case, it would be only after the catastrophic ecological changes caused by the flood, when the very processes of weather had changed, that rainbows could be possible!
Regardless of our views about the situation before the Flood, we know that rainbows are a very familiar sight today. Yet this shouldn't surprise us - after all, didn't God intend them to be a perpetual sign of his promise?
Background Information
The Glory of God
There is an aspect of God's glory that is visibly seen as a radiant light, surrounding the throne. This light is sometimes described in terms of an arc-like circle, and is called (depending on Bible translation) a "bow" or a "rainbow." (When the word "rainbow" is used to describe God's glory, it refers to the bright arc, and has nothing to do with rain!)
Consider these two passages, where the radiant glory of God (and the glory that surrounds his throne) is described as a rainbow:
- Ezekiel 1:28 - As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. When I saw it, I fell on my face, ...
- Revelation 4:3 - ... There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald to look at.
Other passages refer to the light and to the brightness that surrounds God - a brilliance too bright to stare directly at - but they do not describe it with the word "rainbow."
God's Glory Seen in God's Servants
There are instances recorded in Scripture, in which God's radiant glory is also seen in his servants. That glory is normally described as a radiant brightness, rather than a rainbow. However, in the book of Revelation, we do read of an instance in which God's glory is radiating from one of his servants - a mighty angel - and the glow is described as resembling a rainbow. (This is a "larger-than-life" angel, which was part of John's vision of what will happen in the future. His glory was so great, that John could only describe him by comparing him with the brightest objects that he was familiar with.)
- Revelation 10:1 - I saw a mighty angel coming down out of the sky, clothed with a cloud. A rainbow was on his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.
Rainbows that We See in the Sky
We humans can understand the laws of physics that makes rainbows possible; but knowing such facts should never detract from our appreciation of God's use of the rainbow as a sign. God created the physical properties that cause rainbows to happen in the clouds. He knew in advance how he would use those properties as a sign (or reminder) of the promise that he would never again destroy the whole earth by a flood.
Technically, the word used in Genesis 9 is simply "bow." Some believe that the sign of the rainbow is an allusion to a warrior's bow - symbolizing God's "bow" hung in the sky without arrows. God says, "I set my rainbow (literally, "bow") in the cloud..." (Genesis 9:13). When we consider the fact that he has designed his "bow" to be associated with the rain, perhaps this thought should come to mind, whenever we see one: God has hung up his "empty" bow and is "at peace" with his people, never again to destroy the world by means of a global flood.
However, perhaps there is something else to consider, when contemplating the significance of the rainbow. Even though the SCripture verses that mention God's glory were written after the covenant made with Noah, the glory of God existed prior to that time. When we see the glory of a rainbow in the sky, perhaps we should look at it as a picture of a much greater glory we will one day see - the glory of God himself! This is the God who has given us this great promise!
What Has Happened to Our Understanding of Rainbows?
The Past
A century ago, the understanding of the rainbow's significance was commonplace - as much as the ignorance of it is today. Back then, the facts were even taught in schools!
Consider this quote from MCGUFFEY'S® FOURTH ECLECTIC READER (first published in 1879, the last copyright date being 1920), page 201, from a story entitled, "THE RAINBOW PILGRIMAGE":
- 18. Then my eldest brother took me on his knee, and told me what the rainbow really is: that it is only painted air, and does not rest on the earth, so nobody could ever find the end; and that God has set it in the cloud to remind him and us of his promise never again to drown the world with a flood. "Oh, I think God's Promise would be a beautiful name for the rainbow!" I said.
The Present
When people see a rainbow, they normally will take time to look at it. Its beauty still captivates us. But when it comes to understanding its significance (which goes beyond its explanation by the laws of physics), most people today are as unconscious as a rock!
Today, few people have any understanding of what the rainbow signifies. Some discount what the Bible says, because they think that God has nothing to do with the world of nature. Others seem to believe that the statement found in Genesis 9 is somehow nullified by our modern-day understanding of how the rainbow is formed (the refraction of light through water droplets). Still others have rejected the significance God gives to it, and have invented their own distorted meanings.
Perhaps the majority of people have no idea of what it signifies, simply out of ignorance. After all, how many teachers (or preachers) are willing to say something about it? And how many people are willing to take seriously God's Word, and find out on their own?
An Interesting Quote
A wise person from the past contemplated the rainbow and its glory. His attitude is a reflection of the attitude we ought to have!
- "Look upon the rainbow, and praise him that made it; very beautiful it is in the brightness thereof. It compasseth the heaven about with a glorious circle, and the hands of the most High have bended it." (Sirach 43:11-12, KJV)
Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.
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