Genesis 9:8-17 New International Version
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” 17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”
Saturday - June 19
When my daughters run up to me, say that they love me and give me a hug it warms my heart, but that all came externally from them. They did not send a magic, inaudible message straight from their heart to mine that created an inner reaction of emotion. God does this same thing all throughout the Bible (which itself is an external word written on a physical page). God does in fact work “in my heart,” but that work is done through external words and signs. He makes promises and attaches them to physical, external stuff or “means.” In this story, God attached his promise to the physical, external rainbow! God also does this in baptism and communion. His forgiveness is attached to a physical, external sign. You are forgiven!