09. Rainbow Language!
“I have set my rainbow in the clouds,
and it will be the sign of the covenant
between me and the earth.
Never again will all life be destroyed
by the waters of a flood.” (Genesis 9:15)
As the floodwaters receded and the land began to dry, the new landscape, transformed by the great upheaval, slowly started to reveal itself.
Only after all the water had dried up could the current form of the land be seen. In this sense, if the creation of heaven and earth at the beginning was God’s greatest work for humanity, Noah’s flood was not only God’s greatest abandonment of humanity but also His new act of re-creation.
God left seeds of new life in Noah’s ark. However, these seeds were not perfect. The most important thing to remember at any time is whether I am currently obedient and complete before God. Therefore, rather than saying, “I did this in the past!” or “I will do this in the future!”, it is always crucial to live a life of ‘faithful words and actions’ that glorify God by speaking and acting in faith today. Even those who have committed evil deeds in the past or plan to do so in the future can please God by shedding everything before Him and walking with Him today.
The rain that seemed to sweep away the heavens and the earth stopped after 40 days as planned, and the sun shone brightly as if nothing had happened. The land that emerged after about 150 days dried in the sunlight and breeze, and seeds of various plants that had been floating in the water took root and sprouted anew. This not only symbolized the initial creation of the world but also showed that God would one day recreate the world in this way.
Moreover, the many languages that existed in the world, which expressed the same things in slightly different ways, were naturally unified as only the language used by Noah’s family remained. How happy it was! Noah’s family, who had always longed for a new world to open with one language in the ark, could finally set foot on the ground. The joy and emotion were indescribable.
The first thing they did upon setting foot on the ground was to build an altar and offer a thanksgiving worship to God. This thanksgiving worship was incomparable to the offerings of Cain and Abel, who were in a state of happiness and prosperity. However, it was the heart of Noah’s family to give glory to God. God accepted this offering and said,
“I will never again curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human
heart is evil from childhood.
And never again will I destroy all living creatures,
as I have done.
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:21-22)
God further blessed them and entrusted them with all things, saying,
“Be fruitful and increase in number;
fill the earth and subdue it.”
And as a sign of the promise, He gave the rainbow. Even today, when people look at the rainbow, they feel a new hope inherent in humanity, and their hearts become lighter and more joyful.
In the country where I am ministering, ‘Molisha,’ it often rains, and we frequently see such a promise of God in the form of rainbows, sometimes even double rainbows. However, in Korea, where it is already difficult to see rainbows due to air pollution, I wonder if this symbolizes the spiritual reality of Korea.
Nevertheless, God is still using the Korean people as tools for missions and as industrial workers, which may be because there are still many spiritually alive and praying souls in Korea, and it is God’s plan to use them as tools for missions. Although the occurrences are few and not clear, I think the occasional rainbows in Korea prove this. I hope that Korea will become a land where rainbows appear abundantly again, becoming a country of God.
On the other hand, some people who look at the world with regret question why God is just letting things be in today’s reality, which is as evil and chaotic as the time of Noah’s ark. However, God is patiently enduring, watching, and waiting for the right time. He is also giving opportunities. Otherwise, no one could stand perfectly before God. Even today, those who know that there is a day of destruction and a day of standing before God’s judgment seat strive to walk with God more than Noah did.