Let It Snow

A winter storm can point you to something much greater and more powerful

In the ESV version of the Bible, there are 24 times when the word snow appears.

Of course, living in Little Rock, this is what made me think to do that particular word search:

So here’s what I learned about snow from the Bible.

1. The first reference to snow in the Bible draws a parallel between snow and leprosy. God famously had Moses put his hand inside his cloak and when he pulled it out, “behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.”

Twice more in scripture leprosy is compared to snow.

2. While the first time snow is mentioned in scripture is about disease, maybe the best known use of snow in the Bible is about being washed clean – whiter than snow (Psalm 51:7).

And Isaiah contrasts our scarlet sins with the purity of God’s cleansing power – again, He makes our sins “whiter than snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

3. The book of Job has the most references to snow – five verses. The book of Psalms references snow four times. Proverbs, three times.

4. Maybe the most common use of snow in the Bible connects it to God’s power and sovereign control over nature.

- In Job 37, the Bible says “God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. (Job 37:5-6).

- In the next chapter, God asks Job if he has entered the storehouses of snow which He has reserved for the time of trouble.

- The Psalmist says God “sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes” (Psalm 147:15–16).

5. The virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 is not afraid of snow for her household. Her family has garments that are double thick so they are ready when the snow comes (Proverbs 31:21).

6. There are only two times snow is mentioned in the New Testament. Do you know where?

- The first time is when Mary Magdalene arrives at the empty tomb on the first day of the week after Jesus has been crucified. There she sees an angel, whose “appearance was like lightening, and his clothing was white as snow” (Matthew 28:3).

- The other New Testament reference to snow is in Revelation 1, when John comes face to face with Jesus. “The hairs of his head were white,” John says, “like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14). That picture of Jesus in Revelation 1 calls to mind the vision Daniel had of the Ancient of Days, whose clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire” (Daniel 7:9).

This weekend, if you live anywhere in the path of the approaching winter storm, when you start to see the white stuff falling from the sky, your thoughts may turn to sledding and snowball fights if you have kids. Or you may be thinking about hazardous roadways and having to shovel your driveway or your side walk.

But you might also take a minute and think about the One who controls blizzards and thunderstorms, hailstones and hurricanes. Pause for just a minute and remember His mighty power and His sovereign control over all things.

Or as you look out on a driveway covered in white, think about your sins which were scarlet. He has made white as snow.

Or meditate for a few minutes on the purity and holiness of the One whose robes are white as snow and whose head is crowned with purity, symbolized by His radiant white hair.

The snow that is coming our way will melt and be gone before long. But the snow should remind us of things that are eternal and glorious.

As you watch the snowflakes falling this weekend (and I hope it’s snowflakes you’re seeing and not freezing rain!), think about what the Bible tells us about snow – and what it pictures for us.