Deuteronomy 32:2 (a) This is a type of the precious blessings of GOD that will be sent from Heaven to revive and restore and refresh His people.
2 Samuel 23:4 (c) In this statement we see a real comparison between the reign of Saul, which was full of sorrow and bitterness, and the reign of David which was to bring such refreshing blessing from Heaven to the people.
Psalm 72:6 (a) We see here a picture of the delightful effects of the grace of GOD, the kindness of our Lord, and the beneficent influence of His presence upon the drooping heart and the weary soul.
Proverbs 25:14 (a) The Lord is telling us here of those whose tongue is larger than the hand. They talk big, but do little. They promise much, but produce nothing.
Proverbs 28:3 (a) One would think that the poor man would bring a blessing to the poor, seeing they are in the same condition. One would think that the rain would bring fruitfulness and blessing to the ground as it fell upon it. The opposite is true in this picture. The rain destroys the vegetation by its force and power, which is unnatural, and it is quite unnatural for a poor man to oppress others who are poor.
Ecclesiastes 12:2 (a) Here is a wonderful picture of old age. Nothing seems to be right to the one who has become aged. After a rain, the clouds should disappear, and the sun should shine again. With the aged, however, there is no longer a consciousness of joy following sorrow, nor smiles following tears, nor the sun following rain.
Isaiah 4:6 (b) This is descriptive of the storms of trouble, and the deluge of sorrow which would overwhelm the soul were it not for the refuge offered by our Lord in Himself. (See also Matthew 7:25).
Isaiah 55:10 (a) The Word of GOD is compared in this passage to the rain which falls upon the dry ground, and does its work immediately; also to the snow which falls and may lie upon the ground many days to finally soak in and produce a blessing. When we read the Word of GOD, or hear it preached, some blessing always comes immediately. Other things that we hear or read lie dormant in our souls and minds, sometimes for years; then when the conditions are ripe, that particular message becomes a live message.
Hosea 6:3 (a) The passage no doubt refers to the restoration of Israel in their own land as a nation. It also may be applied to our own lives. The blessing of our Lord is given in the spring to cause the seed to grow, and the fields to flourish. This is true in the early part of our lives when the mind is active, the vision is clear, and there is strength for action. Then at the end of the harvest, as at the end of our lives, the blessing of the Lord is given to soften the ground, and prepare the fields for another season of planting and harvesting. The Lord gives dying grace to those who are dying.
James 5:7 (a) This figure is used to describe the joy that comes to the heart in all our service as we look for and expect and receive the blessings of Heaven from the hand of GOD, both for the inception of our labors, and the progress of them, and the successful conclusion of them.