What Is The Spiritual Meaning Of Snow in The Bible?
Good Morning Friends,
Yesterday’s Sunday Funny Pages had several comics that focused on making snowmen. And I guess it is appropriate because the ice storms have hit the Mideast with a vengeance. And a glacier the size of Delaware is about to break off into the North Atlantic. But here in Florida we rarely sees ice and snow and in fact, last week we were the only place in the United States that it did not snow. The thing is that Florida is kind of like the climate which Jesus experienced. The obvious difference is that we do not have mountains and clefts to retain the snow. Snow is not unheard of here in Florida but it is rare and does not last long. Still, I think some will be feeling a little of the cold this MLK Day in more than one way. And though some may feel the choice of scripture for the day is insensitive, know that my desire is to warm the hearts of those who realize that Jesus is the transformer of everything in all forms and colors regardless of the images used to explain it. So we are going to explore some scripture on snow. And we will perhaps even consider if we would rather be hiding under the covers this morning or if we truly are seeking forgiveness from the comforter that might just show up as a blanket of snow in some places. So, What Is The Spiritual Meaning Of Snow in The Bible?
Scripture: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalms 51:7 (NRSV)
From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven?
Job 38:29 (NRSV)
Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isaiah 1:18 (NRSV)
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
Matthew 28:3 (NRSV)
His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire,
Revelation 1:14 (NRSV)
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
Psalm 135:7 (NRSV)
The Lord says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
Message: The effects of sin and forgiveness are before us each day. They are brought into focus when we realize that guilt cools our confidence. Guilt freezes our relationships. Guilt keeps us stuck in the cold past with the threat of an ice age. Then there is a point in our lives when we hopefully realize that we are depraved sinful creatures that must be brought to repentance to be cleansed and forgiven. The experience is like a cool drink on a hot day. The image is of a transformation of dark clouds into this amazing thing called snow. It is a symbol of purity and cleanness but more importantly an example of transformation so we might reflect God in our lives. Scripture referencing snow is found in some of the most beautiful passages of the Bible. And the message it brings should amaze us. Friends, we are living in such a place in the universe where God has made possible a water cycle. Water evaporates into the sky and the clouds and they hold a mind boggling amount of water even though they are floating above us. Most things get denser and denser as the temperature cools. Water does this too as it gets colder until something miraculous happens. When water crystallizes into ice the molecules it is made of get farther apart and it sometimes turn into snow that reflects light even though it is cold and burns as fire. Friends, the message is not about color but transformation and a cycle of life that reflects the light of Christ. And sometimes in the cycle we might expect things to get colder until we huddle together…expand together… realizing that God is in control of a process that is beyond our full comprehension.
Pray for that day when we join with God as a blanket of snow even though we each are but a snowflake. Pray that those who grow cold find warmth in the amazing forgiveness and healing of God. Pray that people carrying the burden of guilt in the winter of life be given the blanket of believing. Pray we experience forgiveness in the warmth of each other’s spirit. Pray we repent. Pray we thank God for bearing our sins. Pray God mold us into the person we were designed to be. Pray we be an emotional strength for others when they face a cold and cruel world. Pray that even if we are called the frozen chosen we never let our love grow cold.
Pray that those who grow cold find warmth in the amazing forgiveness and healing of God. Pray we rejoice in the mystery of it all. Pray we realize that though work in not yet finished God has a plan to use us all and that it is more than a dream.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 