How Rainbow Got Its Name

A very long time ago, not too far from the first creation, a guy, or rather a gentleman, named Noah, and his family lived what the Bible considered an upright life. So much that it is recorded that Noah found grace in the eyes of God during his time (Genesis 6:8).

However, despite Noah’s faithfulness and that of his household, ‘the sons of men’ did wicked in the eyes of God and caused Him wrath (Genesis 6: 5-7). As a result of this, God decided to visit earth with a flood. A flood that would wipe off the generation of men from the surface of the earth.

Weirdly, up until the time of God’s wrath and warning, there had not been any rain on earth. 

So, when Noah brought the message of the flood to the people, it sounded like a fairytale to his people.

Being an upright man whom God would not want to suffer with the sinful people, God instructed Noah to build an ark to protect him and his family from the flood.

And by extension, anybody else who would believe Noah and enter into the ark as well. 

But, none of them believed him. Noah preached for 120 years about the flood, but he didn’t win any soul.

Reflecting on this now, I imagine how stubborn that generation must have been 🤔

I am also wondering how Noah was able to build an ark without any carpentry skills. Certainly, that feat could only have been achieved with God on his side.

So back to the story, God instructed Noah to make an Ark of the Gopher wood some inches here,  some length and breath there. Let’s not dive into that part.

Bottom line, after 120 years, the ark was standing like a giant. Oh, I almost forgot that he had some help from his kids; Ham, Sham, and Japheth, with huge moral support from his wife. You know how women can be when they support their men. They’d go all out. 

Do you know what would have happened if Noah’s wife had not supported him? 

He probably would have built the ark for double the years or he would have been a total failure.  

Noah did win souls actually. He won the hearts of the animals. You know, birds of the air, land creatures, and practically every land and air animal that we have in existence today. Some in twos, others in sevens.

I’m still wondering how a lion and a goat co-existed in the ark without any form of cannibalism. What was he feeding the lions, and how did the elephants fit into that ark?

I don’t think we can ever understand how that worked out.

So, it rained heavily for 40 days and 40 nights. The windows of heaven were flung open as the earth had its first pour. It must have been a big joke to those who refused the message of Noah, but it turned out to be a reality show when the flood started to flow into their homes. It must have been worse than the tsunami, houses were covered up, mountains were covered up in flood, and there was no hiding place. 

But it was too late.

May it never be too late for us.

After the rain stopped, the flood remained on earth for 150 days, and Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat. Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives made a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord. This sacrifice moved the heart of God and He made a covenant with man. The symbolism of this covenant is the RAINBOW. 

Genesis 9:9-11And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off anymore by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth.

Genesis 9:13-14 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

RAIN “BOW”

Loved this piece? You would want to read Pillars of Faith