NOAH'S SACRIFICE AND GOD'S PROMISE

Noah did not forget God who had saved him and his family from the Flood. The first thing he did after coming out of the ark was to build an altar. Noah took one of every clean animal and bird to use as a burnt offering on the altar. Obeying God's command, Noah showed his faith in Christ who was to be the great Sacrifice for the world. Noah's offering also thanked God for protecting him and his family during the Flood. God was pleased with the offering. He accepted the offering and blessed Noah and his family.SRme 1.232

Noah's act teaches a lesson to everyone. We should learn that every time we receive a special gift of God's love and mercy, the first thing we should do is thank and worship Him.SRme 1.233

God did not want people to be afraid there would be another flood every time they saw a dark cloud and felt drops of rain. So God graciously encouraged the family of Noah with a beautiful promise: "'I promise that never again will all living beings be destroyed by a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth. As a sign of this everlasting covenant which I am making with you and with all living beings, I am putting my [rain]bow in the clouds. It will be the sign of my covenant [promise] with the world.'SRme 1.234

"'Whenever I cover the sky with clouds and the rainbow appears, I will remember my promise to you and to all the animals that a flood will never again destroy all living beings. When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between Me and all living beings on earth. That is the sign of the promise which I am making to all living beings'" (Gen. 9:11-17).SRme 1.235

How gracious and loving God was to give us the beautiful rainbow with its many colors! The rainbow is a token of the promise the great God has made to human beings. But the rainbow also reminds us that God once destroyed the world by a flood because of the great wickedness of the people.SRme 1.236

God planned that, when children would see the rainbow, they would ask, "What does the rainbow mean?" Then their parents would explain how God destroyed the world by a flood because the people were so wicked. Parents would tell the children that God had placed the rainbow in the clouds as a sign that He would never again destroy the world with a flood.SRme 1.237

The rainbow is given to help people believe God and trust in Him. The rainbow is a symbol of God's mercy and goodness to us. When we see the rainbow we know that people were so wicked God had to destroy the earth with a flood, but God will not destroy the earth that way again. His mercy still circles the earth. God says that every time He sees the rainbow in the sky, He will remember His promise. Of course, God will never forget a promise, but He uses our language and way of talking so we can understand Him better.SRme 1.238