Notes and Jottings

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 13
A correspondent (W. H. M.) sends the following note on a remark in p. 107. “The following explains how the rainbow was not set in the cloud till Noah’s time. There was no rain till the flood, (see Genesis 2:55And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. (Genesis 2:5)) consequently no rainbow. The first mention of rain upon the earth is in Genesis 7:1414They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. (Genesis 7:14). It was then the windows of heaven were opened. It may be objected that rain was necessary to the growth of plants &c., and so must have been before, but in Genesis 2:55And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. (Genesis 2:5), we are told that a mist went up and watered the ground, and it is most probable that the earth was so watered until the flood. Is it not suggestive that what first descended in judgment, now descends in blessing (Matthew 5:4545That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45))? so for the Christian the fierceness of the judgment of God borne by him in Christ (the ark), condemning totally sin in the flesh, becomes now his blessing when applied practically to that flesh in delivering him from it and its evil fruits, and setting him free to bring forth fruit unto God.”