Genesis 9:8-17: a reflection

After the flood, God binds himself by a covenant never again to destroy the earth by flood, and gives the rainbow as its sign, a visible token that he remembers and keeps his promise. I establish my covenant with you, God says, and with every living creature: the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. God does not merely make a promise; he binds himself by covenant, and gives a visible sign, the rainbow, so that whenever it appears, it testifies to his promise. When I bring a cloud over the earth, God says, and the rainbow is seen, I will remember my covenant. God binds himself by promise and gives a sign that he remembers and keeps it. This shows God's covenant faithfulness, signified by the rainbow, that he remembers and keeps his promise. God binds himself by covenant and gives a sign that he keeps it. The rainbow testifies that God remembers his promise. Rest in God's covenant faithfulness and the mercy behind it. God does not merely promise; he binds himself and marks it with a sign.

Notice how God gives his promise here. He does not merely say he will not again destroy the earth by flood; he establishes a covenant, binding himself by a solemn promise, with every living creature; and he gives a visible sign of it, the rainbow in the cloud. And he says that when the rainbow appears, he will remember his covenant, his promise. God binds himself by covenant and marks it with a sign, so that his faithfulness to his promise is assured and visible. This reveals something about how God deals with us and a great mercy in it. God is not content merely to make promises we might doubt; he binds himself by covenant, and gives signs, so that we may be assured of his faithfulness to his word. And behind this covenant is mercy: God's commitment, despite human sin, to preserve the earth and not to destroy it again by flood. The rainbow, appearing after the storm, is a standing testimony that God remembers and keeps his covenant, that his mercy holds. We can rest in this: that God binds himself by his promises and keeps them, and that his covenant faithfulness, marked by his signs, is sure. We do well to rest in God's covenant faithfulness, remembering that he binds himself by his promises and keeps them, and that mercy stands behind them. Rest in God's covenant faithfulness; he binds himself by his promises and keeps them. The rainbow testifies that God remembers and keeps his covenant. God gives signs so we may be assured of his faithfulness. Behind God's covenant stands his mercy to preserve, not destroy.

That is worth resting in, for God binds himself by covenant and keeps his promises, marking his covenant faithfulness with a sign, and we can rest in it, as the rainbow testifies that God remembers his promise. We can doubt God's promises; but God does not merely promise, he binds himself by covenant and gives a sign, the rainbow, that he remembers and keeps it. His faithfulness is sure. When you doubt whether God keeps his word, remember that he bound himself by covenant and gave the rainbow as a sign that he remembers his promise, and rest in his covenant faithfulness. Rest in God's covenant faithfulness, that he binds himself by his promises and keeps them, marking his covenant with a sign, as after the flood God bound himself by a covenant never again to destroy the earth by flood and gave the rainbow as its sign, a visible token that he remembers and keeps his promise, saying he established his covenant with every living creature that the waters would no more become a flood, and that he set his rainbow in the cloud as a sign, so that when he brought a cloud over the earth and the rainbow was seen he would remember his covenant; for God does not merely make a promise we might doubt but binds himself by covenant and gives a visible sign so that his faithfulness to his promise is assured and visible, which reveals something about how God deals with us and a great mercy in it, since God is not content merely to make promises but binds himself by covenant and gives signs so that we may be assured of his faithfulness, and behind this covenant is mercy, God's commitment despite human sin to preserve the earth and not destroy it again, the rainbow appearing after the storm as a standing testimony that God remembers and keeps his covenant and that his mercy holds, so that we can rest in this, that God binds himself by his promises and keeps them and that his covenant faithfulness is sure, and we do well to rest in it.