He gives snow like wool: He scatters the hoarfrost like ashes, David wrote in Psalm 147:16 (KJV). The wonder of snow had intrigued man long before Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen sang their enchanting version of Snow in White Christmas. There is something equally as delightful about the first snow of winter. It’s so new and pure and soft. Almost no one can look at new-fallen snow in all its beauty and brilliance and disapprove of it.
Matthew Henry comments, “He (God) giveth snow like wool. It is compared to wool for its whiteness (Isaiah 1:18) and its softness; it falls silently, and makes no more noise than the fall of a lock of wool; it covers the earth, and keeps it warm like a fleece of wool, and so promotes its fruitfulness” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary).
God sends the snow, and it starts and stops according to His bidding. I recall a winter when it came rapidly and heavily, as a significant snowstorm hit and blanketed our area like a giant fleece of wool. When my car slid sideways down the driveway, I wasn’t thinking about the snow’s brilliant whiteness or how silently it fell to the ground. I quickly changed from a summer driving mentality to a winter crisis-freak-out driving mentality! The thing about snow is that it often comes quietly and rapidly, catching us off-guard and unprepared.
As a child, I can’t remember ever being unprepared for snow. My siblings and I always had boots, snow pants, hats, jackets, gloves, etc., available for a day of playing in the snow. A most memorable occasion was when my brother John and his friends built an igloo in our front yard. Even though I was younger than the “big boys,” I got to crawl inside the igloo, and it was magical. It never occurred to me that someone had the forethought to keep me warm with snow gear, or that hot chocolate and toast would be waiting for us when we were finished building a snowman or sled-riding.
Proverbs 31:21 says She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet. Again Henry comments on this verse, “She also gets good warm clothing for her children and her servants' liveries. She needs not fear the cold of the most pinching winter, for she and her family are well provided with clothes, sufficient to keep out cold, which is the end chiefly to be aimed at in clothing: All her household are clothed in scarlet, strong cloth and fit for winter, and yet rich and making a good appearance. They are all double clothed, have a change of raiment, a winter suit and a summer suit” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary).
Although it is essential that parents—particularly mothers, according to Proverbs—see that their children are appropriately clothed and cared for physically, it is also necessary that parents cover and protect their children spiritually. Satan preys on the most vulnerable members of our families and uses ridicule, abuse, and bullying to wound them. Such abuse can leave a child “out in the cold” emotionally, and the warmest covering we can put on them is the love of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. My mother comforted me every night when she said a simple prayer as I drifted off to sleep. The warmth and safety I felt from those prayers were better than the finest snowsuit or warmest down jacket.
Enjoy the snow—the cold, soft, beautiful, pure snow. But when coldness blows over your soul or the soul of a loved one, know how to quickly warm it up with the encouragement and comfort of the Lord’s promises to us:
The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deuteronomy 31:8).
They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:28,31).
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
© 2024, Chris Custer Werre
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