To make a long story short I was prompted to write this post because it's cold outside. Now given the time of year this is not a surprise and I usually would be inclined not to give such things a second thought but I am currently reading A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God and he was discussing how God is constantly speaking to us. I was a little taken aback by this statement because I feel that God usually only speaks to me at certain times, often through my Bible reading or perhaps when I am praying but I realized my spiritual "ear" is not as open to him speaking through nature. So this prompted me to consider what the Lord might be saying to me through the cold and as a consequence I took out my Strong's Concordance to see where the word "cold" is used in the Bible and did a brief word study to see if I could pick out some things that the Lord was trying to communicate to us about the cold or through the cold.
Polar Opposites
What would we know about cold if we didn't have the concept of hot? I would argue that "cold" cannot exist without "hot" and that it is in the experiences that we have between these two extremes that we have a sense of what "temperature" is. The use of opposites is a fundamental aspect of creation. We see this with the separation of the light from the dark in Genesis (Genesis 1:3-5). Opposites are part of nature itself. The Lord declares this to Noah after the flood. "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22 ESV). Parallelism is used here and I think it's just interesting to point out that cold is equated with seedtime, winter and night whereas hot is equated with harvest, summer and day. These concepts are used frequently throughout the bible and they provide rich amount of material to meditate on.
Cold is a Universal Feeling
Everyone, king or slave, rich man or poor, wise or fool, knows what it's like to feel cold. It is a condition of being that is universal to man (and many animals and plants although they may not experience it in the same way we do). Job's friend laments of the poor "[t]hey lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold." (Job 24:7 ESV). And Paul echoes this when discussing his tribulations where he was "in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, without food, in cold and exposure." (2 Corinthians 11:27 ESV). Because we know what it is like to feel cold and to suffer it we have compassion for others and empathy when they are suffering its sting. We can imagine we are there with them and so we have in some sense communion with the afflicted. So, the cold serves the purpose of bringing man together in fellowship through compassion.
Evil Is Equated with the Cold
We sometimes speak of someone being "cold-blooded" and I would define this as unfeeling, uncaring, aloof. An atmosphere of sin can deaden our hearts and cause them to become cold. The Lord warns us that in the latter days "because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12 ESV). The spiritual atmosphere around us affects our hearts, minds and souls (as the physical atmosphere affects our bodies). If we live and dwell amongst sinners and are constantly exposed to sin this can be damaging to us, as if surrounded by spiritual pollution. Therefore, we must be sure to always kindle the flame of the Holy Spirit within us and make strong the holy temple that is our bodies so that it can be a shelter from spiritual storms and toxic atmospheres.
But Cold Can Be Used for Good
Cold periods or even cold people in our lives can be used for the good, as a way of refreshing our walks with Christ. "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42 ESV). When we drink something cold we have a reaction to it, we become more alert; our eyes are opened. Similarly, if we feel an unexpected cold breeze we perk up and stand at attention. So it is that the cold periods of our lives can spur us to alertness, attention and ultimately action. As we are commanded to stay awake and keep watch we should welcome those things which stimulate this in us, even if they can be difficult to bear at the moment.
Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for the times of refreshment that you provide in our lives and pray that we use them for your glory and honor. In this fall and winter season, may we be strengthened by your divine flame to withstand all the gales, hail and frost that the enemy would try to buffet us with.
Polar Opposites
What would we know about cold if we didn't have the concept of hot? I would argue that "cold" cannot exist without "hot" and that it is in the experiences that we have between these two extremes that we have a sense of what "temperature" is. The use of opposites is a fundamental aspect of creation. We see this with the separation of the light from the dark in Genesis (Genesis 1:3-5). Opposites are part of nature itself. The Lord declares this to Noah after the flood. "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22 ESV). Parallelism is used here and I think it's just interesting to point out that cold is equated with seedtime, winter and night whereas hot is equated with harvest, summer and day. These concepts are used frequently throughout the bible and they provide rich amount of material to meditate on.
Cold is a Universal Feeling
Everyone, king or slave, rich man or poor, wise or fool, knows what it's like to feel cold. It is a condition of being that is universal to man (and many animals and plants although they may not experience it in the same way we do). Job's friend laments of the poor "[t]hey lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold." (Job 24:7 ESV). And Paul echoes this when discussing his tribulations where he was "in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, without food, in cold and exposure." (2 Corinthians 11:27 ESV). Because we know what it is like to feel cold and to suffer it we have compassion for others and empathy when they are suffering its sting. We can imagine we are there with them and so we have in some sense communion with the afflicted. So, the cold serves the purpose of bringing man together in fellowship through compassion.
Evil Is Equated with the Cold
We sometimes speak of someone being "cold-blooded" and I would define this as unfeeling, uncaring, aloof. An atmosphere of sin can deaden our hearts and cause them to become cold. The Lord warns us that in the latter days "because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12 ESV). The spiritual atmosphere around us affects our hearts, minds and souls (as the physical atmosphere affects our bodies). If we live and dwell amongst sinners and are constantly exposed to sin this can be damaging to us, as if surrounded by spiritual pollution. Therefore, we must be sure to always kindle the flame of the Holy Spirit within us and make strong the holy temple that is our bodies so that it can be a shelter from spiritual storms and toxic atmospheres.
But Cold Can Be Used for Good
Cold periods or even cold people in our lives can be used for the good, as a way of refreshing our walks with Christ. "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42 ESV). When we drink something cold we have a reaction to it, we become more alert; our eyes are opened. Similarly, if we feel an unexpected cold breeze we perk up and stand at attention. So it is that the cold periods of our lives can spur us to alertness, attention and ultimately action. As we are commanded to stay awake and keep watch we should welcome those things which stimulate this in us, even if they can be difficult to bear at the moment.
Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for the times of refreshment that you provide in our lives and pray that we use them for your glory and honor. In this fall and winter season, may we be strengthened by your divine flame to withstand all the gales, hail and frost that the enemy would try to buffet us with.
