And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone, and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. Revelation 4:3
A friend of mine is not a man on whom you would expect to see a tattoo, but he has one. In small blue letters, located just above the elbow on his left arm, is the name ‘Jerry’, with a curved line beneath the name. Hardly anybody ever sees that tattoo, because it is hidden from view even when he wears short-sleeved shirts. But he removed his shirt one day as we were working on a swing set for the children. When I noticed the tattoo, and asked about it, he told me the story behind it. He and his brother Jerry were in a bad car accident, and Jerry was fatally injured. Before he died, he asked his brother to promise to care for his newborn son. After the funeral, my friend got the tattoo on his arm as a permanent reminder to himself of his promise to his brother. He will wear that sign of his promise for the rest of his life. God also made a promise one day, and He provided a sign of that promise – a rainbow. Even after all of the rainbows of earth are gone, there will be a rainbow in Heaven, an eternal reminder of God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises.
As he surveyed the terrible damage caused by the great flood, Noah must have been wonderfully comforted by the rainbow and the promise that it carried. God had not only given His promise, but had also given a beautiful reminder of it. The ark that delivered Noah and his family from the flood was provided by the grace of God. Noah was just as much a sinner as all of those around him, and just as deserving of the judgment of God. The only difference was that he believed God. By faith, he accessed God’s grace. Salvation today is the very same. God has provided an Ark of refuge, the only refuge from His judgment. Those of us who have believed God’s Word, and have placed our trust in His Son would never claim that we deserve to be saved. The only One Who never deserved to face judgment bore our judgment on Himself, so that, trusting in Him, we can be delivered. And, just as He did for Jonah, God has given to us a great reminder of His promise of salvation.
God’s promise to Noah came with a token, and so does God’s promise to us. Every rainbow Noah saw from the the time he disembarked the ark was a precious reminder that there would be no more flood. Every time we are aware of the Holy Spirit within us, we are reminder that as God’s redeemed, there is no judgment for us. The judgment for our sins was borne by Another, just as the ark bore the wrath of the flood for Noah. The presence of the Holy Spirit is called the earnest (pledge, guarantee, deposit, down payment, etc.) of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). And our eternal life is guaranteed by the promise of God.
God’s promise to Noah has never been broken, as every rainbow testifies. His promise to you and me will also never be broken, as the Holy Spirit testifies. -Jim MacIntosh