Proverbs 25:13
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.
Like the cold of snow
This phrase evokes the refreshing and invigorating nature of snow, particularly in a hot climate. In ancient Israel, snow was a rare and precious commodity, often found only on the highest mountains. The Hebrew word for "snow" (שֶׁלֶג, sheleg) suggests purity and refreshment. In a spiritual sense, this can be seen as a metaphor for the refreshing presence of God or His Word, which brings renewal and vitality to the soul.

in the time of harvest
Harvest time in ancient Israel was a period of intense labor and activity, typically occurring in the hot months. The Hebrew word for "harvest" (קָצִיר, qatsir) indicates a time of reaping and gathering. The juxtaposition of snow and harvest underscores the unexpected and welcome relief that a faithful messenger brings, much like a cool breeze during a hot day of work. Spiritually, this can be likened to the relief and joy that comes from receiving good news or divine intervention during times of toil and hardship.

is a trustworthy messenger
The term "trustworthy" (אֱמוּנָה, emunah) conveys faithfulness, reliability, and steadfastness. A messenger in biblical times was often a servant or envoy who carried important news or instructions. The reliability of such a messenger was crucial, as it could mean the difference between success and failure. In a spiritual context, this can be seen as a call for believers to be faithful in their witness and service, reflecting the trustworthiness of Christ Himself.

to those who send him
This phrase highlights the relationship between the sender and the messenger. In ancient cultures, a messenger was an extension of the sender, representing their authority and intentions. The Hebrew concept of "sending" (שָׁלַח, shalach) implies commissioning and entrusting. For Christians, this can be seen as a parallel to the Great Commission, where believers are sent by Christ to be His representatives in the world.

he refreshes the soul
The word "refreshes" (נֶפֶשׁ, nephesh) in Hebrew refers to the soul or life force. The imagery here is of a parched soul being revitalized by the faithful delivery of a message. This can be likened to the spiritual nourishment and encouragement that comes from the Word of God or the fellowship of believers. It serves as a reminder of the power of truth and faithfulness to bring life and renewal to weary hearts.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Trustworthy Messenger
Represents a reliable and faithful individual who carries out tasks or delivers messages with integrity and accuracy.

2. Masters
Those who send the messenger, likely representing leaders or those in authority who rely on the messenger's reliability.

3. Harvest Time
A period of gathering crops, symbolizing a time of hard work and productivity, where refreshment is particularly valued.

4. Cold of Snow
An unexpected and refreshing relief during the hot and labor-intensive harvest season, symbolizing the refreshing effect of a faithful messenger.
Teaching Points
The Value of Faithfulness
Just as snow refreshes during harvest, a faithful messenger brings relief and joy to those who depend on them. In our lives, being reliable and trustworthy in our commitments is invaluable.

Refreshing Others
Our actions and words can be a source of refreshment to others. We should strive to be a positive influence, bringing encouragement and support to those around us.

Responsibility in Service
Whether in ministry, work, or personal relationships, being a trustworthy messenger means fulfilling our responsibilities with diligence and integrity.

Spiritual Ambassadorship
As Christians, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, representing Him faithfully in all we do. Our lives should reflect His truth and love to the world.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can you be a "trustworthy messenger" in your current roles and responsibilities?

2. In what ways can you bring refreshment and encouragement to those around you, similar to the "cold of snow" during harvest?

3. Reflect on a time when someone was a faithful messenger to you. How did their reliability impact you?

4. How does being an ambassador for Christ relate to the concept of a trustworthy messenger in Proverbs 25:13?

5. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your words and actions align with the integrity and faithfulness described in this proverb?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 13:17
This verse contrasts a wicked messenger with a faithful envoy, highlighting the importance of reliability and the positive outcomes of faithful service.

Matthew 25:21
The parable of the talents emphasizes the value of faithfulness and the reward of being a good and trustworthy servant.

2 Corinthians 5:20
Believers are called to be ambassadors for Christ, representing Him faithfully and carrying His message to the world.
The Value of a Good Messenger to His EmployersHomilistProverbs 25:13
Similitudes of Moral Beauty and GoodnessE. Johnson Proverbs 25:11-15
People
Hezekiah, Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
TRUE, Cold, Faithful, Gives, Grain-cutting, Harvest, Master, Masters, Messenger, Refreshes, Refresheth, Sending, Servant, Snow, Soul, Spirit, Trustworthy, Vessel
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 25:13

     4464   harvest
     4806   cold
     5408   messenger
     5523   servants, good
     8252   faithfulness, relationships
     8354   trustworthiness

Library
An Unwalled City
'He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.'--PROVERBS xxv. 28. The text gives us a picture of a state of society when an unwalled city is no place for men to dwell in. In the Europe of today there are still fortified places, but for the most part, battlements are turned into promenades; the gateways are gateless; the sweet flowers blooming where armed feet used to tread; and men live securely without bolts and bars. But their spirits cannot yet
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

God's Glory in Hiding Sin
A sermon (No. 2838) intended for reading on Lord's Day, July 5th 1903, delivered by C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Lord's Day evening, July 15th, 1877. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter."--Proverbs 25:2. The translation of our text, if it had been more literal, would have run thus, "It is the glory of God to cover a matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." For the sake of variety in language
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Good News
A sermon (No. 2866) delivered on Thursday Evening, January 6th, 1876, by C.H. Spurgeon at The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country."--Proverbs 25:25. This is a text for summertime rather than for a winter's evening. It is only on one of our hottest summer days that we could fully appreciate the illustration here employed; we need to be parched with thirst to be able to feel the value of cold waters to quench our thirst. At the same
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

That a Man Should not be a Curious Searcher of the Sacrament, but a Humble Imitator of Christ, Submitting his Sense to Holy Faith
The Voice of the Beloved Thou must take heed of curious and useless searching into this most profound Sacrament, if thou wilt not be plunged into the abyss of doubt. He that is a searcher of Majesty shall be oppressed by the glory thereof.(1) God is able to do more than man can understand. A pious and humble search after truth is to be allowed, when it is always ready to be taught, and striving to walk after the wholesome opinions of the fathers. 2. Blessed is the simplicity which leaveth alone
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Epistle xxxix. To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria.
To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria. Gregory to Eulogius, &c. As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country (Prov. xxv. 25). But what can be good news to me, so far as concerns the behoof of holy Church, but to hear of the health and safety of your to me most sweet Holiness, who, from your perception of the light of truth, both illuminate the same Church with the word of preaching, and mould it to a better way by the example of your manners? As often, too, as I recall in
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Epistle Xlii. To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria.
To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria. Gregory to Eulogius, &c. We return great thanks to Almighty God, that in the mouth of the heart a sweet savour of charity is experienced, when that which is written is fulfilled, As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country (Prov. xxv. 25). For I had previously been greatly disturbed by a letter from Boniface the Chartularius, my responsalis, who dwells in the royal city, saying that your to me most sweet and pleasant Holiness had suffered
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Wherefore Christ Undertook a Method of Setting us Free So Painful and Laborious, when a Word from Him, or an Act of his Will, Would Alone
Wherefore Christ undertook a method of setting us free so painful and laborious, when a word from Him, or an act of His will, would alone have sufficed. 19. Then he labours to teach and persuade us that the devil could not and ought not to have claimed for himself any right over man, except by the permission of God, and that, without doing any injustice to the devil, God could have called back His deserter, if He wished to show him mercy, and have rescued him by a word only, as though any one denies
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

"Boast not Thyself of To-Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day May Bring Forth. "
Prov. xxvii. 1.--"Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." There are some peculiar gifts that God hath given to man in his first creation, and endued his nature with, beyond other living creatures, which being rightly ordered and improved towards the right objects, do advance the soul of man to a wonderful height of happiness, that no other sublunary creature is capable of. But by reason of man's fall into sin, these are quite disordered and turned out of
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Love in the Old Covenant.
"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another."-- John xiii. 34. In connection with the Holy Spirit's work of shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts, the question arises: What is the meaning of Christ's word, "A new commandment I give unto you"? How can He designate this natural injunction, "To love one another," a new commandment? This offers no difficulty to those who entertain the erroneous view that during His ministry on earth Christ established a new and higher religion,
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

How the Silent and the Talkative are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 15.) Differently to be admonished are the over-silent, and those who spend time in much speaking. For it ought to be insinuated to the over-silent that while they shun some vices unadvisedly, they are, without its being perceived, implicated in worse. For often from bridling the tongue overmuch they suffer from more grievous loquacity in the heart; so that thoughts seethe the more in the mind from being straitened by the violent guard of indiscreet silence. And for the most part they
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

God's Glory the Chief End of Man's Being
Rom. xi. 36.--"Of him and through him, and to him, are all things, to whom be glory for ever." And 1 Cor. x. 31--"Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." All that men have to know, may be comprised under these two heads,--What their end is, and What is the right way to attain to that end? And all that we have to do, is by any means to seek to compass that end. These are the two cardinal points of a man's knowledge and exercise. Quo et qua eundum est,--Whither to go, and what way to go.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Christian Behavior
Being the fruits of true Christianity: Teaching husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants, etc., how to walk so as to please God. With a word of direction to all backsliders. Advertisement by the Editor This valuable practical treatise, was first published as a pocket volume about the year 1674, soon after the author's final release from his long and dangerous imprisonment. It is evident from the concluding paragraph that he considered his liberty and even his life to be still in a very
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The History Books
[Illustration: (drop cap T) Assyrian idol-god] Thus little by little the Book of God grew, and the people He had chosen to be its guardians took their place among the nations. A small place it was from one point of view! A narrow strip of land, but unique in its position as one of the highways of the world, on which a few tribes were banded together. All around great empires watched them with eager eyes; the powerful kings of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylonia, the learned Greeks, and, in later times,
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

The Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16. THE tongue which at first was made to be an organ of God's praise, is now become an instrument of unrighteousness. This commandment binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue, the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil. It has a prohibitory and a mandatory part: the first is set down in plain words, the other
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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