Since childhood I have had an amateur interest in weather. Whenever there is a thunderstorm I will often go out onto my front porch and watch the storm clouds, the wind, and the lightning. I have learned to identify all the different types of clouds, and what types of weather they are associated with. I am certainly not alone in this interest. Even the Bible often speaks about the different aspects of weather, including in our psalm for today. Let’s take a look at these verses, and several others in the Bible, where types of weather are mentioned.
Living in the Chicago area, in the Midwest part of the U.S., I see a lot of different weather all throughout the year. We get quite cold in the winter, with generally a lot of snow. Blizzards, with blowing and drifting snow is not uncommon. Thunderstorms are very common from spring through the fall, with the spectacular storm clouds and lightning. And along with thunderstorms often comes the threat of tornadoes and occasionally hailstorms. The only real weather event that Chicago is not subject to would be hurricanes, though when a severe hurricane hits the gulf coast, we sometimes end up having storms that were brought about by it.
Our portion of Psalm 148 tells of all parts of creation giving praise to the Lord God. We read of all types of animals that praise the Lord (vs. 7, 10). Plants, trees, mountains and hills sing their praise (vs. 9). The Scripture also records all types of people, as well, that bring the Lord praise (vs. 11-12). This is wonderful to proclaim, and we see this in many psalms, and other parts of the Bible. The one that piques my interest today is that of verse 8, where we read that fire, hail, snow, clouds, and stormy wind bring praise to the Lord.
All throughout Scripture we see that God sovereignly oversees weather. He uses each of these events to accomplish His will. God used fire to speak to Moses when He spoke from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2). He led the people of Israel through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). With regards to weather, fire could be described as lightning. King David, a prolific poet and psalmist, has many times described strong storms as acts of God, including sending lightning to scatter His enemies (II Samuel 22:15; Psalm 144:6). Centuries later, the Prophet Zechariah also tells how the Lord uses lightning against His enemies like arrows (Zechariah 9:14). Jesus said that God will send lightning from one part of the sky to the other when He returns (Matthew 24:27; Luke 17:24).
God has used hail many times for His purposes. The seventh of the ten plagues against Egypt was a plague of hail (Exodus 9:13-35). When Joshua and the armies of Israel came into their land, God fought for them with hailstones (Joshua 10:11). Prophets also describe how God used hail in judgment (Isaiah 28:2, 17; Haggai 2:17). During the Tribulation, God will again judge mankind with great hailstones (Revelation 8:7; 16:21).
Snow is mentioned several times in Scripture, along with cold, and that it is sent by the Lord (Psalm 147:16-17). Frequently, though, snow is mentioned in the Bible with regards to its whiteness, and as a comparison in how when we come to the Lord in repentance of our sins, we can be washed as white as snow (Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18).
We see clouds throughout Scripture. God was in the pillar of cloud, leading Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22). There are several verses in the Bible that either explicitly or alludes to the fact that God rides upon the clouds or upon a whirlwind, which could be similar to a tornado (Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1; Isaiah 66:15). God used a whirlwind to take Elijah up to heaven (II Kings 2:1-11), and He spoke to Job out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1, 40:6). We see several times in the Gospels where the Lord Jesus calmed the storms over the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27; 14:22-33).
I hope you enjoyed this very brief look at some meteorological events recorded in the Bible. If you like weather as much as I do, there are many other passages in God’s Word that speak of this topic. All of creation, including the weather, praises and serves the Lord.
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