How Is God’s Word Like Rain And Snow?

“A lamp.” “A fire.” “A hammer.” “A sword.” “Spirit.” “Life.” “Truth.” “Seed.” “Milk.” “Solid food.” What am I talking about? Throughout the Scriptures the Word of God is compared to different things. Each of those comparisons helps us better understand the power and purpose behind what God has said. Saying that God’s Word is a light, a fire, a hammer, a sword—and that it is spirit, life, truth, seed, milk, and solid food—are all ways of picturing the importance and usefulness of it.

We can see how the Bible is a “lamp” to our feet and a “light” for our path (Psalm 119:105) as it shows us the way to God and the way to live for God. God’s Word burns with the fire of a thousand suns as it pierces the darkness of sin and unbelief. It is a hammer that flattens the pride and opinions of people. The words of the living God function like a sharp double-edged sword dividing soul and spirit and judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) The Son of God said that the Word of God is spirit, life, and truth. In the gospel lesson for this Sunday we heard Jesus compare the Word of God to seed that is sown by a farmer to produce a crop. In his first letter Peter called God’s Word the spiritual milk that nourishes believers. The author of the letter to the Hebrews also compares it to solid food that believers need as they grow and mature in faith and Christian living.

In all of the comparisons that I just mentioned we gain more and more insight into the Word of God. They each give us a slightly different view of how God’s Word works and how we are to use it. In the Old Testament lesson for this Sunday God compares his Word to two more things that I have not yet mentioned. He says that his Word is like rain and snow. What new perspective does this simple comparison give us concerning God’s Word? We ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to answer the question:

HOW IS GOD’S WORD LIKE RAIN AND SNOW?

I. It comes from God

II. It sustains spiritual life

III. It accomplishes God’s purpose

The sixty-six chapters of Isaiah have been called a “mini-Bible.” The first thirty-nine chapters show God’s judgment and condemnation upon the sins of his people. That is similar to the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. (Although there is of course the good news of the Gospel found in the Old Testament as well.) But if we continue the comparison we see that the last twenty-seven chapters of Isaiah, similar to the 27 books of the New Testament, declare a message of hope and comfort as they point ahead to the work of the Messiah. Obviously the verses we are considering come from the second half of Isaiah. So here the LORD wants us to find comforting truths concerning his Word as he compares it to rain and snow. May we take his message to us to heart as we are led to understand the meaning of that comparison.

I.

To understand a comparison between one thing and another we need to at least understand one of the two things that are being compared. In this case God uses something from everyday life that most of us can understand. He refers to the weather. Where do rain and snow come from and what effect do they have on our world? Meteorologists and scientists can explain what they have observed about the weather. The moisture in the clouds falls as rain or snow. That water causes plants to grow and sustains life on earth. Then the water evaporates from the oceans, streams, and lakes and begins the cycle all over again.

But this marvel of nature doesn’t happen by chance. God—the creator—made it so. He continues to sustain the natural order he has put into place. Psalm 135:7 states, “He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” Jeremiah declared, “When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” (Jeremiah 10:13) And as Jesus said of his Heavenly Father, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) The rain and snow come from God at his command.

In these verses that we are considering from Isaiah the LORD uses the rain and snow that come from him as a point of comparison to his Word. Just as the snow and rain come from God so do his words. But isn’t that obvious? Don’t we all agree and believe that the Word of God comes from God? Thankfully our congregation and our synod still acknowledge the Bible as the inspired Word that has come from God. But that truth and the implications of it are under attack. We hear of Christian churches that say the Scriptures are God’s Word and yet they deny or ignore much of what it says. Some will say that the Bible “contains” the Word of God just as a pitcher of “kool-aid” contains sugar along with water, air, and flavoring. In other words they are saying that Bible has God’s Word in it but it also has the thoughts and words of humans. Almost every Christian church body will agree that the Bible is “inspired” but many will not agree that every thought and word in it is inspired.