God promised that He would never destroy the earth again with a flood, and as a token of His promise, He has put the rainbow in the clouds. What a beautiful sight it is to see the rainbow stretching across the sky after, or during, a rainfall in the late afternoon! The sun shining on the raindrops makes all the lovely colors which we admire, and it looks so majestic in the dark clouds above us. Let us remember when we see it, that it is to tell us, as a message from God, that He never forgets His promises — no, never. He has made a great many promises in His Word to cheer the hearts of those who belong to Him. Here is one which has given assurance to many a doubting soul. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-2827My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27‑28)). Could we have any better assurance than the Word of God on which to rest our souls? If you, dear reader, are trusting in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, don’t allow Satan to put a doubt in your mind as to your eternal security.
Judgment on the Earth
Although the earth will not be destroyed by water again, God has told us that it will be destroyed by fire the next time. “The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). The world is guiltier now than in the days of Noah, because it has crucified the Son of God, but in longsuffering patience God is still waiting for boys and girls, and men and women, to accept Christ as their Saviour before the judgment falls. Dear young reader, are you saved? Now is God’s time. Tomorrow may be too late, for the Lord Jesus is coming very soon, and then the door of grace will be closed forever.
Noah’s Failure
We now come to a very sad page in Noah’s life, which should be a warning to us. None of us ever come to a point in our Christian life when we can settle down and say we are out of danger. No, the great enemy of our souls, Satan, is always busy seeking to trip us up, and lead us into paths of sin.
Noah planted a vineyard. There was nothing wrong in this, but the wrong came in when he used the fruit of it for a bad purpose. It is quite right for us to be engaged in our school work, or in business, but let us be careful that we do not let these things get such a hold on us, that they rob us of our joy in the Lord. So it was with Noah, for he became drunk with the wine of his vineyard, to his shame and disgrace before his sons, but how much more before God. Now we all know it is very wrong to be drunk with wine, but if we allow anything to fill our minds and hearts so that we have no time for the Lord’s things, it can make us “drunk” too.
What a beautiful example of “love covering a multitude of sins” is seen in the action of Shem and Japheth. When they heard of their father’s sin, they covered his nakedness, instead of talking about it as Ham did. Let us treat the failure of others in this way, and pray for them. God has graciously forgiven all our sins, and we are to show the same grace to our brethren.
Further Meditation
1. What did God give as a token of His promise never to destroy the earth with a flood again?
2. God has always been faithful to His promises. What promises did He make to Abraham? How are we shown by Scripture that God has kept them?
3. You might find it encouraging to read The Bible Promise Book edited by K. Abraham. It presents sets of Scriptures organized into 67 important themes. Our faith is fed by meditating on God’s faithfulness.