Clouds part 4
We all know I like the law of first mention, right? When the first use of something in the Bible sets the stage for how it that term or concept will be used going forward. The first time the word "cloud" is used in the KVJ is Genesis 9:13. This was after the flood, right? God talking to man. Let's read verses 13-15. "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant berween me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." There's a lot there. I want to pick out and point out a few key things. The first being, I've been talking about the silver lining that I believe every cloud has. But how this takes it even a bit further. God put his bow on it. As a token. A covenant. A promise. The cloud ran out of rain. And God said He would remember that and not use a flood as a means of destroying the flesh. But if I can get a little bit deep here, the destruction of the flesh is not a bad thing. It's a good thing. Look at Romans 7:18, "For I know tha in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing..." The flesh needed to be washed in the water of baptism. Destroyed, in a very real sense. But the point for today is that God did what needed to be done and never needs to do it again. He put a bow on it. Put a rainbow in it. So that we could see and know and so that HE could see and know. It's a token. A reminder. God brings the rain clouds (filled with living water) into dry situations. But He doesn't want to, or need to, drown us. He gives each situation and season exactly what it needs. All in God's timing. That's the key we need to learn. We are so impatient so often. That microwave mentality. We want it hot and we want it now. We have trouble looking at the big picture. Seeing that all things work together for good. We don't always have to see clouds in a negative way. Jesus (LOVE) blew away the dark cloud. Any clouds left are here for our benefit. They have what we need sometimes. Rain in a drought that DOESN'T turn into a flood. We need rain. It's necessary for life. Rain comes from clouds. Clouds are not a bad thing. God uses them for our benefit. Even if someone means something for evil, God can use it for good. Again, He got rid of the "bad" cloud. So we don't have to worry about that anymore. We can enjoy the benefits from the goodness of our heavenly Father taking care of us and giving us everything we need. That is a father's main role: Providing for his family. God is not only our provider, He is our provision. He has given us everything we need by giving us... Himself. In a very real sense--and we saw this the other day--the cloud is His hand. It is one of the methods He uses in order to bring us water in a dry place. To cleanse us. To restore us. To heal us. Everything has it's time. Everything has it's measure. Rain isn't bad. Clouds aren't bad. We need to see things the way God sees them. And experience and enjoy them as He has set out for us to do. AFTER the flood God put a bow on the cloud. After the cross Jesus blew away the black cloud. And now... all is well!