Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 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: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I 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. When 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.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” – Genesis 9:8-17
Rerouting… Rerouting… Rerouting… I cannot tell you how many times I have been driving somewhere new, trusting the directions of my GPS, only to make a wrong turn. What does my technological navigator do? It begins to reroute my journey to get me back on the right track.
The story of Noah and the flood is one of many “rerouting” moments in the Bible. Very early in the story of creation, humanity sinned and brought destruction to all that God had made. In Genesis 6, things had gotten way out of hand. It says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him on the earth” (Genesis 6:5-6). Go was sorry he made humankind. Another interpretation of that phrase is that God, “repented.”
So, God decided to wipeout creation and start over. He sent a great flood. But instead of starting over from scratch, God chose to save a man named Noah. He had him build a boat for his family and 2 of every known animal as the “seeds” for God’s new world. After 40 days and nights of rain, the waters receded, and new life began.
Then God made a promise to Noah and anyone who came after him. In short, God promised to never do something like that again. It’s almost as if God felt that his actions were a bit much. From here on out, God chose to engage and guide humanity in a new way. Just a few chapters later, God called a man named Abram to be the father of a great nation who would lead all peoples in the way of God. God promised not to destroy us again, but to remain patiently present to us, guiding us with his spirit. God rerouted our path by rerouting the ways he connects with us.
Anytime you see a rainbow, be reminded that God will not wipe you out, but that he is patiently present to your life regardless of your situation. When you see that same rainbow, be reminded that he has called you to be a model for all people, showing them how to live and walk in God’s ways.
Proceed to the route.