Genesis 9:8–17

⁸God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ⁹“Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, ¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. ¹¹I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹²And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

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This text is the story of God’s enduring covenant and the sign He provides out of destruction that give us eternal hope. When all the living creatures came out of the ark, God made a covenant between Himself and creation. Simply put, a covenant is a promise made between two parties. A familiar covenant is, “If you eat all your supper, you can have dessert.” A biblical example is, “If you remain faithful, I will bless you.” However, God’s covenant here is different, it is one sided, only God is obligated to its terms. Unconditionally, God promises “never again” will waters from above and below destroy all life on earth. Sure, there is peril in life due to regional outbreaks of wrath, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and flooding rivers, but God promises “never again” will He call the waters to wipe out all life on earth.

To assure Noah and his descendants, including you and me, of God’s commitment and faithfulness to His covenant with creation, He gives a sign involving the light and glory of His creation, the rainbow. The sign of the rainbow in the clouds is God’s reminder that His “steadfast love endures forever” (cf. Ps. 136).

But God provides another sign to bring comfort and peace to troubled hearts and minds. The symbol God chose to bring peace, light, and hope to the world is the cross of Calvary upon which Jesus poured out His lifeblood for the sins of the whole world. Out of the destruction that sin has brought to your life, God gives everlasting hope only He can provide. Just as the cross of Christ stands as the sign of your salvation, the washing in the flood waters of Baptism is God’s precious gift to you of your adoption as His son or daughter through Jesus Christ. That is why Luther’s Small Catechism teaches in the Morning Prayer: “When you get up, make the sign of the holy cross.” That is to remember the cross, remember you are baptized, and remember the source of your hope and salvation!

To remind Himself, God placed a sign in the clouds, a beautiful rainbow to bring us joy and hope when we see it. Even more than that, God gave us a new sign born out of destruction to bring us eternal hope, the cross. To assure you, He loves and holds each of us so precious in His sight, God sent His Son, Jesus, to fulfill the terms of His everlasting covenant. I pray that you would daily make the sign of the cross to remind yourself you are God’s treasured sons and daughters through the waters of Baptism. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

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