Job 38:22: “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow hast thou seen the treasures of hail?”

 

This study is dedicated to all our friends on East coast who are buried in the worst snow storm of the century.  We here in the Midwest, particularly Chicago, are thinking of you as we suffer through our 40 degree forecast with possible rain. Seriously, we in Chicago know what snow is and the hardships that come with it and our prayers are with you. We may have dodged the bullet so far but winter is far from over and February is traditionally when we get our annual blizzard. So this study is for all our friends in the Midwest as well who will be slugging it out in our mountains of snow that are yet to come.

 

To be sure Job 38:22 is using snow as a metaphor, but Joshua 10:11 tell us that God did stop Israel’s enemies with snow and hail. Now that alone should make snow a literal treasure.

 

Still the beauty of the Old Testament and its poetry is that you can drill down further beyond its literal meaning and discover even more hidden treasures.  For instance hail was often viewed as seeds falling from heaven and replanting the earth.  Snow carries a very powerful symbolic meaning for the Jews.  Jewish literature represents snow as the purist form of white and hence the purity of God and His wisdom.  Trouble (Heb. tsar), particularly for old Job means the loss or potential loss of something of value. Battle and war often means the loss of something of value and yet God is asking, “have you seen the  treasure house filled with hail or seeds to replant what  you have lost and have you entered into the purity of the wisdom of God?” In the midst of trouble we can look at the purity of  the wisdom of God and know that all we can possible loose from our trouble is that which keeps us from the purity of God which is a doorway to His heart.

 

Bible dictionaries and lexicons do not give us much help much with the word shaleg which is our word in Hebrew forsnow.  Most our lexicons merely tell us that shaleg means snow.  But let’s look at this word from a different perspective.  If we translate letter by letter we find the word snow is spelled Shin (God’s love and passion), Lamed (teaching from heaven) and Gimmel (God’s lovingkindness). Hence snow is one method used by God to teach us something about His passion and lovingkindness. If we look at the Gematra we find snow (shaleg) is spelled “Shin = 300, Lamed = 30, Gimel = 3 for a total of 333.  For one thing 3 represents God and 333 could show the God head. The whiteness of snow reminds us of the purity of the God head.   The Hebrew word shich’cha has a numerical value of 333 and that means forgetfulness.   Snow helps us forget, snow covers all the filth and dirt.  This passage asked the question:  “Have you entered the storehouse offorgetfulness?” I have walked or driven through some of the most run down areas in the City of Chicago after a snow storm and the new fallen snow makes it all look beautiful, it makes you forget all the clutter and trash that was covering the area.   In the midst of your trouble, have you entered God’s storehouse of snow that will help you forget all that those horrible things?

 

333 is also the numerical value for the word hope.  In Hebrew I have found the word sava’  which we often rendered ashope is actually a reference to a positive imagination.  When we come to the treasury of God’s storehouse of snow we enter a wonderland of all the things that God has prepared for us, beyond what we can even imagine.  No wonder God told Job sitting there in his misery, “Job, all you see is your trouble, enter my storehouse of snow, use that positive imagination that I gave you and let my shaleg cover any evidence of your trouble.  The word enter in Hebrew is bo which has the idea ofcoming into, being a part of , having intercourse with.   In the midst of your trouble don’t dwell on your trouble but walk into it surrounding yourself with all the beautiful things God has prepared for you.

 

So to all our friends up there on the East Coast, we are thinking of you and I personally encourage you to look out at all thatsnow and not think of the trouble it is causing but use your imagination and think how God is creating a treasure house of things that are even beyond your imagination.

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