"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?" Job 38:22.
What are the treasures of snow and hail? There are many. Among others, by means of them, the Creator stores long-lasting supplies of water on mountains and hilltops, as well as covering the ground at lower levels. In warm weather these high and low storehouses melt and seep into the soil or release a flow of clear water into rivers, lakes and reservoirs—a vital supply for the needs of every living thing. Coming fresh and pure from melted snow, this water is more valuable than can be told. This is one of the important treasures.
On its way to lower levels, this "treasure of the snow" makes itself known, as rivers it has formed pass through powerhouses, turning huge electric dynamos. In other places it turns waterwheels and millstones in flour mills and other kinds of machinery. Here are other treasures for mankind.
Vast supplies of melted snow seep into underground reservoirs, called aquifers, some of which are very deep and hundreds of miles long. The Creator has placed most of these under dry lands where quantities of it are pumped to the surface to nourish crops that would otherwise die in the hot sun. On a smaller scale, homes in every part of the world depend on wells which have originated the same way. The treasures are seen here, too.
Glaciers are formed by millions of tons of snow and hail that, over the years, have become hard ice. Growing deeper and deeper, its very weight forces it down a mountainside, pushing at the ice that has gone ahead of it. The 40-mile-long Columbia glacier in Alaska came into existence this way.
As these glaciers move slowly along, they dig into the soil and create wide valleys which later become forested or covered with grass and flowers, adding to the beauty of the area. Great pieces of ice from those that reach the ocean drop off to form icebergs, providing a mixture of fresh and salt water in big bays. Many forms of sea life thrive in this blend of water and are eaten by fish, seals, whales, porpoises, etc., some of which become a source of food for humans.
The list of treasures keeps growing, and if space allowed, we could add many more.
In the 37th chapter of Job, verses five and six, we read: "Great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend. For He saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth... and to the great rain." God's bounty never stops at our mere needs, but He provides beyond our power to ask or think. There is not only the beauty of snowcapped peaks showing His handiwork, but in more ways than we have discussed, hidden "treasures of the snow" provide benefits to us. We can truthfully say, "How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" Rom. 11:3333O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33).