At the End of the Rainbow
Genesis 9:7-17
Basic Proposition:
God in his great mercy has spared the earth from another flood of destruction. We deserve death, but instead He promises life. Are we keeping our end of the bargain to be fruitful with what we have?
A Picture -
We have here a survival story of all time. Noah and only 7 others survived the most horrific natural disaster of all history. It is a picture of an ancient middle ages practice called Trial by Ordeal. The idea is that the innocent will survive a dangerous ordeal. (Numbers 5:11-31). The reality is that faith saves!
A Purpose -
God does everything for a purpose and the survivors of the flood are no exception. God makes an address of responsibility to the survivors and He makes three things clear: (Lam. 3:21-23)
- The Author – “And I, Behold I” God was the author of the flood and now the covenant He was making with the survivors.
- The Audience - “You and your seed after you” The following covenant applies to all who survived and the generations after them – That means YOU and ME!
- The Action - “Don’t forget!” God tells them, “Now that we are starting over let’s do things my way.” (Genesis 9:7)
- Resourcefulness - to be fruitful with what God has given me, especially with our spiritual gifts and talents.
- Reproduction - to multiply God's heritage by the spread of God's Truth.
- Replenish - to fill the earth by making disciples of every nation.
A Perversion -
Today there is a great tragedy that has taken place, people have forgotten God’s purpose for the Rainbow. The rainbow is the mark of God's everlasting covenant; it is the multicolored Uzi in the sky. Its message is no more floods, the fire next time.
- A Perverted Peace – God loves everyone and accepts us just as we are. Yes He accepts us as we are, but also expects us to become transformed into His image (Romans 12:1-2)
- A Perverted Promise – God will not punish. There is a misunderstanding of the Rainbow. The promise is if you don’t do as I say, I will punish the creation not by flood but by fire (Isaiah 13:11, Jeremiah 4:3-4)
- A Perverted Passivity – God doesn’t care what we do, He just wants us to enjoy life. The passivity and perversion is the reason He destroyed the world before. We are saved to serve and so too Noah was give a great responsibility.
Personal Application
How often it is that I take God's mercy for granted. He is all- powerful and holy. I deserve death, but instead he promises life. Am I keeping my end of the bargain to be fruitful with what I have, to spread the Gospel of Christ and to make disciples of all nations? At the end of the rainbow is not a pot of Gold but a promise of life.