Winter, Snow, Symbols of Redemption

Yesterday I was reading in Psalm 147:
Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.

At this point I have to turn the page in my Bible. Before I turned the page I was picturing this bright, fluffy snow and broadly scattered frost making the landscape bright, beautiful, clean, refreshing. The next verse surprised me a bit:

He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?

This is more a picture of violence, strength, and dominance. But then the Psalmist continues:

He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

This verse gave me a feeling of spring when all things are being renewed. Here's the final verses and then I'll share some more thoughts:

He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!


I initially was turned to Psalm 147 examining verses 10-11, "His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." Right now I'm doing a study on "God is the Gospel" (See sidebar) and this lesson time was looking at the relationship of us being for God's glory- to worship and delight in him- and the scriptures, like Psalm 147, speaking of the Lord's delight in us. This understanding of the way God is still the object of all good things and glory and we are merely 'made in the image' of Him, helps to guard us from self-worship. God is not compromising his "God" status in taking delight in us; He does not have us as another affection or love, an idol. God is to be feared and in His steadfast love we can place our hope- he is the one to be praised, he is the one to trust, for he alone brings the redemption that brings us to Him. (1 Peter 3:18) Therefore, the final good news of the gospel is God himself and who He is and that we are brought near to Him though what He Himself did in Jesus Christ, Immanuel- God with us.

For this Psalm, I loved the images used to give us glimpses of the wonderfully dynamic God who is well described by "I am that I am." He is like both the stunning beauty and the harsh power of the snowy winter weather. And he is the Word that brings the warmth, newness, and redemption. So today if you have the snow, rejoice in the Lord who came to us, to be with us, to die and rise from the dead to save us; Praise the LORD!