The Rainbow - God's Arsenal Decommissioned

The word “bow” used here is the same word that is used of the archers bow in battle. But here the Lord speaks peace, and not war. The bow was used figuratively as a symbol of strength in battle, but here it is used as a symbol of strength in grace. It is as though God has laid down his arms in a gesture of peace. God judged “the world that then was” (II Peter 3:6) but God's arsenal has been decommissioned against sin…for a time. God said in Genesis 9:11 that he will no more destroy the earth with a flood. But in this gesture of grace toward man, God is in no way impotent; God has another arsenal that he will use at the end of this present world (II Peter 3:7).