- Morning Devotional
- January 3, 2004
- "God's Promise in the Sky"
- by Don Emmitte
And God said, "I am giving you
a sign as evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. I
have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to
you and to all the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-13 NLT).
Last
night we were playing a game that involves guessing a word from verbal clues
given. It is fun and challenging since there are certain words and phrases that
are not allowed making it difficult. One of the words I was given was
“rainbow.” The words that I was not allowed to use were the colors in the
rainbow. However, when I simply said, “promise of God after the
flood,” Mary guessed it immediately!
I began to think about that
promise this morning. It is contained in our reading this morning. In his book,
"His Name Is Jesus," author, J. Rambsel relays that when a rainbow is
seen from above, it is not seen as the familiar arc of color we know it to be,
but as a complete circle. How appropriate this is since the shape of the circle
conveys the sentiment of infinity or eternity. The same is true with the
familiar symbol exchanged in the marriages of our western culture, the wedding
band. Many eastern peoples also have their own symbols of promise. The circular
design of the wedding band represents, not only a clear marking that one is
married, but is a symbol of never-ending love.
How brilliant and a thing of wonder
the rainbow is! According to Sir Isaac Newton who is regarded as one of the
greatest geniuses the world has known, like the spectrum whose source is white
light, the rainbow also gives off these seven shades of color. Since the
Scriptures often refer to God as
"Light," perhaps the colors of the rainbow stem from the pure and
radiant white light of our Creator! When we consider the many colors of the
spectrum from a Scriptural perspective, it appears that even in the simple
design of the rainbow, each shade may hold deeper meaning.
Ø
Blue
portrays heaven and infinity.
Ø
Red or
scarlet depicts blood and redemption.
Ø
Orange is
for the fruit of atonement.
Ø
Indigo was
the dark blue dye obtained from the plant; the color of skins used for the
Tabernacle covering.
Ø
Green stands
for new life or resurrection.
Ø
Yellow or
gold depicts perfection and deity.
Ø
Violet or
purple is the color of royalty and kingship.
The
next time you see a rainbow, consider the silent yet profound message this
symbol speaks, not just to mankind, but also to you, as an individual. The
Creator sees you for exactly who you are, and it is important that all people,
no matter what their race, creed or color, come to full knowledge of the His
grace. God's word is written all around us, and His truth is just waiting for
the person who thirsts for righteousness. Let His awesome light shine upon you!
Look into His rainbow for your life’s storms!