Noah and the rainbow of promise · God remembers his covenant
A Bible story to tell as a family · Genesis 9:8–17 · ages 3–10 · 10 min
The story
Long after creation, the world God had made good became full of evil. The Bible says the earth was full of violence, and that this grieved God’s heart. But there was one man who was different. “Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Noah was righteous and walked with God, like someone who walks every day beside a friend.
God warned Noah that a great flood was coming and told him to build an ark: a huge wooden boat, covered with pitch inside and out, with three decks, rooms and a door in the side. It was not an afternoon’s work. And the text sums up Noah’s obedience in one sentence: “So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.”
The day came. Into the ark went Noah, his wife, his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth, and his sons’ wives. The animals went in too, in pairs, male and female, from the birds to the creatures that crawl. Then comes a beautiful detail: “Then the LORD shut him in.” It was God who closed the door. Then it rained forty days and forty nights, the waters rose, and the ark floated above everything.
The flood was a long, sad time. But the text says: “But God remembered Noah”. God sent a wind, and the waters began to go down. The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah opened the window and sent out a dove, which came back without finding a place to land. Seven days later, it came back in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak. Seven more days, and it didn’t come back at all: there was dry land out there.
God told everyone to come out. Imagine the animals stepping on the ground again, the birds flying far away, the children running on the wet grass. The first thing Noah did was build an altar to worship the LORD. Before building a house or planting a garden, he gave thanks.
Then God spoke to Noah and his sons. He made a covenant, which is a solemn promise in which God commits himself and never goes back on his word. And he included everyone: Noah, the children not yet born, and even the animals that came out of the ark. God said: “never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
And God gave a sign for this promise: “I have set My rainbow in the clouds”. Notice something curious: God said that he himself would look at the rainbow, to “remember the everlasting covenant”. Not that God forgets. It’s a way of saying that the promise is always before his eyes. So the next time the rain passes and colors appear in the sky, stop what you’re doing and say together: God keeps his promises.
8Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9“Behold, I now establish My covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth—every living thing that came out of the ark. 11And 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.” 12And 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: 13I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16And whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of every kind that is on the earth.” 17So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and every creature on the earth.”
What the Bible says
- v. 9–10: the covenant is with Noah, with his descendants and with every living creature, including the animals.
- v. 11: “Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
- v. 16: the rainbow is a sign for God himself to remember the everlasting covenant.
What we learn
God takes evil seriously: violence grieves his heart and has consequences. But he also protects and saves, shutting the door of the ark and remembering Noah. After the flood, it is God who commits himself, without demanding anything in return, and he includes even the animals in the promise. The rainbow teaches us that our security doesn’t depend on our being strong, but on God’s faithfulness. Later, the Bible compares the ark to the salvation we receive in Christ (1 Peter 3:20–21).
Questions to talk about
For little ones
- What animals do you think were in the ark?
- What did the dove bring back in its beak?
For kids
- Why do you think Noah built an altar before doing anything else?
- God put the rainbow in the sky so that he himself would remember. What does that show about God’s promises?
For teens
- The flood story shows that violence grieves God. How does that change the way you think about evil in today’s world?
- Noah obeyed in a long task, without seeing results for a long time. Where do you need that kind of perseverance?
For adults
- Which of God’s promises does our family need to remember in this season?
- What visible sign can we create at home to remember God’s faithfulness in hard times?
Activity
With colored pencils, draw a big rainbow together on a sheet of paper. In each band of color, write or draw something God has already taken care of in your family’s life. Stick it on the fridge until the next rain.
To memorize: Genesis 9:13
Prayer
Faithful Lord, thank you because you keep your promises. When we are afraid, remind us of the rainbow. Protect this home, care for the animals and the whole earth, and teach us to trust in you. Amen.