Fascinating Phenomena

Order in the universe fascinates me. Watching Jeopardy a while back, I learned something that I probably should have known long ago. When a double rainbow appears the second bow is a mirror image of the first--the colors are in reversed order. I mentioned my newly acquired knowledge to several others; some knew it, but nobody seemed to think that it was as profound as I did. (Where was I when this bit of knowledge was passed out?) So, the pattern of the first or main bow’s top half-ring is  red, descending to orange, yellow, green, blue and finally to indigo, and that is just reversed in the second, upper, bow. Every time two rainbows occur, that will be true. I find this fascinating and indicative of something greater.

There is, of course a rational explanation to this meteorological wonder. It’s just a matter of reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light in water droplets as well as prismatic mirroring. Beyond being fascinating, however, this truth is beautiful and enlightening. It speaks Order, and order articulates design. “O Lord, Our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the universe. You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalm 8:1)

The rainbow was the seal to God’s promise to Noah--not to destroy earth. nor to so devastate it again. (Genesis 8:8-17) It seems that the bow, an instrument of war, was hung on earth’s wall as a symbol of peace. No longer is God  at war with earth and humanity, even though the inclination of the human heart tends toward evil. The Creator has not abandoned Creation; and He gave this colorful, orderly sign as a reminder that He is still involved in the affairs of His creation

All creatures--especially We Image-Bearers-- are called upon to behold: “The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. . . .” (Psalm 24:1). This means far more than to just observe; it means “Be impressed.” “Understand that Creation is of  God.” “See the grandiloquence of order in the universe.” (No, we are not to blur Creator and Creation; there is a clear distinction to each.) It takes more than telescopes and Copernican postulates, as good as they are: behold, the hand of God in Creation; when you do your cup too will run over.

The Psalm’s authors got this; I think Walt Whitman did too:

                        When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer

      When I heard the learn’d astronomer,  

      When the proof, the figures, were arranged in columns before me,

      When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

      When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the    

              lecture room,

      How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

      Till rising and gliding out I wandered off by myself,

      In the mystical moist air, from time to time,

      Looked up in perfect silence at the stars.

I would like to change his last line to, “Looked up at the perfect, audible silence of the stars.” but I won’t. Psalm 113:3 and 6 say, Praise the Lord from the rising of the sun to its setting and to humble oneself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth.

My cup runneth over.