Key Verse
When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will
be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant, which is between me
and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more
become a flood to destroy all flesh. Genesis 9:13-16 WEB
Lesson
What is the symbol seen in the sky after a rainstorm? A
rainbow of course. A rainbow is a beautiful phenomenon. The word describes what
we see. A bow is the shape of the arch of colors that appear after it rains –
in other words a rainbow. Whenever it rains or there is water in the
atmosphere, light is separated into all the colors of the spectrum of visible
light. The sun must be behind you to be able to see one. The sunlight reflects
off the droplets of water and separates the light into colors.2
After God sent a flood over the earth to cleans it, he chose
the rainbow as a symbol of the covenant between him and us. God promised not to
destroy the world again through a flood. He chose the rainbow because it
appears when the rain threatens to overwhelm. However, the rain never does
completely overwhelm, it passes away and we see the rainbow as a reminder of
God’s promise to not let the rain flood the whole earth again.1
Rainbows are not always seen high in the sky after it rains.
They can be seen in the mist from falling water, or when water droplets
accumulate in the air. Rainbows can be made from other sources of light too
such as streetlights or flashlights. Rainbows can even be seen at night caused
from moonlight.2
Wherever we see a rainbow we are reminded of God’s promise
in Genesis 9:13-16 to each one of us not to flood the earth again. God said the
promise is between him and you personally. This is incredible because each of
us see our very own rainbow. When we see a rainbow, the light is reflected at a
very specific angle. So even when two people are looking at a rainbow in the
same direction, they see light reflected off of different water droplets. The
rainbows they see may be close to each other, but are not the same. So no two
people look at the same rainbow.3 God made a promise to you and he
makes a rainbow just for you to look at. The rainbow is a constant reminder
that God keeps all his promises.
Questions
Do you believe God keeps his promises?
How do you feel now that you know God makes a rainbow only
you can see?
What other promises has God made in his word for us?
Sources
1 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/genesis/9.htm
2 http://eo.ucar.edu/rainbows/
3 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/31/facts-about-rainbows_n_3779801.html