Again I will maintain that God in His wisdom intended snow for more than just winter precipitation, important as that is. Through the prophet Isaiah God unveils it as a message of hope:
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18
Even earlier David in a prayer of repentance had recognized the aptness of the image in his plea for cleansing:
"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7
Fresh-fallen snow is a message of hope. It speaks of a new beginning, but as the snow itself does not spring up from the earth but rather falls from the heavens, so our hope for forgiveness and a new beginning do not rest with us. Isaiah and David are both clear on this point: there is a need for repentance-- a turning away from our sins, but forgiveness comes from the grace of God. The cleansing spoke of in both passages cannot be the result of human effort-- it is the gift of God. As the snow comes down to blanket the earth in beauty, a picture of purity and a new beginning, so the grace of forgiveness comes to all who are willing to turn to God from their sins.
