February 22, 2018 Thursday

“Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, “and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. “Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. “It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; “and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. “The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”” (Genesis 9:8-17 NKJV)

            The sign of the rainbow has long been a sign God would not judge the world by a flood that covers the world.  Rainbows are a constant reminder of God’s acknowledgment of our sinfulness and of God’s mercy to us.

            Sometimes we forget our sinfulness and when the storms and ravages of nature and the earth come we can see them as acts of God.  We place the blame for our own sin on God. 

            Before humanity sinned creation was “very good” but our fall destroyed not only our harmony with God but also the harmony of creation.  Creation is no longer “very good” because we broke it!  Many things we blame on God are really the result of our own sin!

            Our lives, our families, our communities, our countries and even our world are broken because of sin.  In truth the leading cause of death is not cancer, heart disease or even sexually transmitted diseases but it is SIN.  The book of Romans covers the result of our fall and God’s cure for us.

            Some have tried to hijack the rainbow but it still is the sign of God’s mercy, even with the dire sin we see around us. 

            Have you wondered why serial killers, child molester, rapists, slavers and so many who do such evil in the world are not destroyed by God?  All sin cuts us off from God and if God were to destroy them in justice God would have to once destroy us all.

            The story of Abraham dickering with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah is so striking.  Abraham bid for the cities to not be destroyed even though their evil destroyed so many lives.  God acquiesced to save the city if only five righteous people could be found but the cities were destroyed because only four righteous people were found in the cities!

            WE DESERVE DESTRUCTION AND HELL!  While this is hard to hear it is Truth and only when accepted can we cry out to God who reminds us after storms that He will keep His word and covenant!