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The Battle Bow of Peace

Words of Faith Final

The Battle Bow of Peace
Words of Faith 2-23-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 9
      [8] Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: [9] "I now establish my Covenant with you and with your descendants after you [10] and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. [11] I establish my Covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
    [12] And God said, "This is the sign of the Covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: [13] I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the Covenant between me and the earth. [14] Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, [15] I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. [16] Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting Covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
    [17] So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

          When Noah and his family came out of the ark, it was a day of new beginnings. God made a commitment as part of that new beginning. He made a covenant that He would never again cut off all life by the waters of a flood. Never again would God destroy the earth with water.
          Ancient covenants between groups of people usually included a "sign" of some sort, such as a stone turned upright. Such a sign served as a reminder of the Covenant to future generations. The sign that God put in place was considerably more impressive than an upturned rock. God created the rainbow. One of the most beautiful sights in creation, the rainbow, would appear after every storm.  
         To this day, the rainbow forever serves as a reminder to God of His Covenant. It also serves to remind all living creatures of God's gracious intention toward His creation.  
          The rainbow is a powerful image of God's peace. The Hebrew word for rainbow is also the word meaning "battle bow." A battle bow that is hung up is a symbol of peace. The battle bow is now "put away," hung in place by the clouds. After the Flood, it was a symbol that the "battle" was over. After judging sin, God has made a covenant of peace with all of His creation.
          However, the peace declared by God was a limited peace. There was still the problem of man's sin. Man was still technically at war with God. But God declared a treaty of peace in regard to the devastating physical judgment on the earth. God will not destroy the whole earth before it is time to do so. Judgment will come once again in the end times (Zech. 14:1-3; Rev. 19:15). Judgment also still comes to individuals and nations that disobey God.  
           The rainbow points toward God's ultimate plan for peace. We still need to find spiritual peace with God. We can only find such peace through the work of Jesus that has been done on our behalf. Romans 5:1 declares, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." This is the final Covenant of peace with humanity.  
           Jesus fulfilled all that was needed for ultimate peace. "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near" (Ephesians 2:14-17).
            God has provided an incredible peace for us. Have you received that peace? Are you at peace with God? The rainbow is a powerful image of God's provision and intention to be at peace with you. Have you received His offer?

           Lord God, I thank You for Your provision of peace. I thank You for the provision of Jesus. I thank You for declaring peace and fulfilling all that is needed for me to be at peace with You.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.