Rainbows
This is a second devotion from Erin Jones, our friend in Hawaii. Thanks forgiving me a summer break my friend!
– Pastor Dan
Genesis 9:8-17
Aloha, my dear sisters and brothers in Christ!
Since the placing of the rainbow in the sky was the Old Testament reading for this past Sunday and I live in the land of rainbows, it felt very appropriate for me to give Pastor Dan another week off from devotion writing.
Rainbows are a common occurrence here in Hawai’i. I see at least one pretty much on a daily basis. In fact, rainbows are so common here, they are the main license plate design for the state. Not hibiscus, not palm trees, not ocean waves, nor plumeria, but rainbows.
What’s so special about rainbows, other than that they’re pretty?
In the previous chapter of Genesis, the waters of the Great Flood had finally receded and Noah, his family, and the animals were at last able to leave the ark. Upon leaving the ark, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices in thanksgiving to God for delivering them from the flood. God then blesses Noah and his sons and makes a covenant with them and with all living creatures that He will never again destroy the whole earth with a flood. “I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13 God places the rainbow
in the sky as a visible reminder to us and to Himself of this covenant.
Rainbows have also become symbols of hope, joy, blessings, new beginnings, and transformation. In Hawaiian culture, they are a bridge between the spiritual and temporal worlds.
For me, rainbows are a reminder of all of God’s covenants with His people as well as that He keeps all of His promises. Whenever I see a rainbow, I think especially of God’s promise to send a Savior, the words of the Savior from the cross, “It is finished”, and these particular verses:
2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God find their yes in Him (Jesus).”
Psalm 98:3 “He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the
ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love those who love Him and keep His commandments.
I like to take the sight of a rainbow as a moment to whisper a prayer of thanks to God for His everlasting faithfulness to covenants. Psalm 71:22 “I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God. I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.”
Mahalo and God’s blessings!
Erin Jones