Repeated phrases:
12 And God said, “This is the guarantee of the covenant I am making with you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all subsequent generations:
sign, pledge of covenant=e.g. rainbow, of Noachian covenant Gn 9:12, 13, 17; circumcision, of Abrahamic covenant Gn 17:11; the sabbath Ex 31:13, 17 Ez 20:12, 20.
13 I will place my rainbow in the clouds
The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet)= normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal.
(BKC) the rainbow speaks of peace. In the ancient Near East, covenant treaties were made after wars as a step toward embarking on peace. Similarly God, after judging sin, made a covenant of peace. Israel certainly would be strengthened to see in the skies again and again God’s pledge that He keeps His promise of grace.
Reflection: The covenant was with all mankind and for all subsequent generations. God wanted us to have the guarantee that He would keep His covenant, and that was about giving us peace. The judgement was over (until the 2nd coming of Christ). We do not need to worry about the flooding as a form of judgment. God was willing to live in peace of mankind and He provided us with the grace of salvation in this dispensation. Are we willing to live in peace with God and took the grace of salvation as means of peace?
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