Biblical Imagery 1 - The Word As Rain And Snow
Rain and snow don’t originate from the earth—they come from above just like God’s word does not originate from man on the earth.
Isaiah 55:8-11 (ESV)
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Here is the image depicting the impact of God’s word, as certain and unavoidable as the rain and snow nourishing the earth.
The earth is not the life-giver in this illustration. It is the rain and snow, water from above, that causes the earth to burgeon, “giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.”
Since God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours, He sends His word from heaven to soak in our hearts and produce God’s ways and thoughts in us.
Rain and snow don’t originate from the earth—they come from above just like God’s word does not originate from man on the earth. Man cannot invent the Word of God by himself because “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Rain and snow accomplish something, even though unseen at first. This is the main point - God’s word always works - It never fails to accomplish what it was sent for.
Now rain falls and works quickly with visible growth soon after. Quick understanding, immediate conviction, and rapid change in our spiritual life. In the Near East dry hard ground can seemingly overnight sprout with vegetation after the first rains of the rainy season.
Snow on the other hand looks inactive, but it covers the ground, slowly melting over time and releases water gradually. They tell us that snow melted is even more beneficial for the earth than ordinary rain. Snow isn’t just delayed water—it protects shielding plants from harsh, killing frost. There have been times when reading the word seemed fruitless, yet it was protecting me from spiritual damage.
Whether God’s word works quickly like rain producing quick visible results, or slowly like snow, doing a deeper work, the Word works!
Sometimes the Word comes as rain and we can receive it immediately. It comes right into our heart. Sometimes it seems very hard and difficult to receive. The disciple said to Jesus at one point, “This is a hard saying; who can receive it?” Well, that’s snow. We must be patient for the snow of God’s Word to work.
The main point is to get the fact that exposure to God’s word always brings results. Many rejoice when the rain of God’s word produces overnight results, but allow disappointment to come in when the snow of Gods word falls on our hard hearts ready to do a slow deep work in us.
The word will produce two different products—bread for ourselves, seed for others. Bread is what we need to eat for our own strength and health, but seed is that which is left over to give forth for others, and God’s Word will produce both in our lives; bread and seed.
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