HEBREW WORD STUDY – TREASURES OF SNOW  – OTSEROTH  SHALAG  אצרות. שׁלג    

Job 38:22: “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow, hast thou seen  the treasures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble against the day of battle  and war?”

Today in Chicago we had our first snow and it did nothing to relieve my troubles.  In fact driving a disability bus the snow only increase my troubles as the slippery pavement made it harder to drive. It also created stress worrying about my fragile passengers falling on the slippery sidewalks.  So, no, I found no treasures in the snow.

Of course, this may possibly be a reference to Joshua 10:11 where  God stopped Israel’s enemies with snow and hail.  Hitler’s advance into Russia was stopped by a winter snow storm.  Historians say that had Hitler made it to Moscow he would have ruled the world and finished off his “final solution.”  The Talmud does teach we are to never forget the literal meaning.  

The beauty of the Old Testament and it’s poetry is that you can drill down further beyond its literal meaning and discover 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, The Zohar represents snow as the purest form of white and hence the purity of God and His wisdom.  The word in Hebrew for trouble is tsar which 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 God and know that all we will lose in our trouble is that which keeps us from the purity of God which is a doorway to His heart.

Lately, on our Full Access site, we have been taking our members down the esoteric route of the Hebrew language.  Thus, let’s look at something esoteric, ie., the Gematria. Snow in the Hebrew is shaleg.  It is spelled Shin = 300, Llamed = 30, Gimmel = 3 for a total of 333.  The Hebrew word shich’cha has a numerical value of 333 and that means forgetfulness.  

I often have to drive my disability bus through the hood.  This area has the highest crime rate in Chicago. It is gang infested, drug infested and crime infested.  Every building is in disrepair, trash is covering the ground and there really is nothing beautiful about this area except when it snows and that pure white snow covers all the defilements of the area making it actually look beautiful.  “Have you entered the storehouse of forgetfulness?”  That snow causes me to forget how ugly and rundown that area is.  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 hope.”  This is a positive imagination.  When we come to the treasury of God’s storehouse of snow our imagination brings us into 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, hope, positive imagination. Rather than look at your trouble.  The word enter in Hebrew is bo’  which has the idea of coming into, being a part of, having intercourse with.   In the midst of your trouble don’t dwell on your trouble but just imagine and surround yourself with all the beautiful things God has prepared for you.