Snow. A delicate creation from our
loving Father. Who can describe or imagine the beauty of snow. The first thing
that strikes us about snow is its purity. The snow is white because the tiny
crystals of which it is made reflect so much light. It often makes people
snow-blind.
Who doesn’t thrill to sit down with a
cup of coffee or hot cocoa and watch the snow fall. It is magical. It is
beautiful. It is spellbinding. It is fascinating.
“Whiter Than
Snow” has a lovely air of humility. The lyrics brim with sacrifices the
author will make for the Lord along with pleas for the Lord’s guidance:
"I want Thee forever to live in my soul."
"Break down every idol, cast out every foe."
"I all things forego."
"Help me to make a complete sacrifice."
"I give up myself and whatever I know."
"Within me a new heart create."
In the late 1800s, James L. Nicholson was born in Ireland, and he emigrated to America around age 25. He made his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and began attending Wharton Street Methodist Episcopal Church. He found a clerk's job in the Post Office Department. He died in 1896 in Washington, DC.
No personal details about him are
recorded; all we know is that he was an adamant lay servant—teaching Sunday
School classes, assisting in ministry, etc. He wrote this song around 1871.
The tune was composed by William Gustavus, who was born in October 1835 to German immigrants in Baltimore, MD. When he was eight years old, he began singing in a German church in Baltimore. He learned to read music in a church singing class, and afterwards studied piano and organ.
As a young man he moved to Philadelphia where he remained the rest of his life. He learned bookbinding at J. B. Lippincott's but spent his evenings studying and practicing music.
He wrote and taught music, leading choirs and choral societies for the gospel.
He was an
experienced trainer and leader of large bodies of singers of all ages and was
much sought after to lead choirs and choruses in sacred music in Philadelphia.
He also taught singing, piano and music theory. He was closely connected with
Welsh music festivals and directed the combined Welsh Societies at the
bicentennial of the landing of William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania).
From
1858-1868, Fischer was Professor of Music at Girard College.
Before leaving Girard College, he started in the piano business, where
he built up one of the most prosperous piano houses in the country. He was a partner
with John E. Gould until Gould’s
death in 1875. From that time, Fischer was sole proprietor of the business for
a number of years, when he took his oldest son, Charles, into partnership. He
finally retired in 1898 and was succeeded by his son.
This song is a
heartfelt plea to God to wash us until we are whiter than snow. The hymn's
popularity greatly increased with its inclusion in the well-known Gospel
Hymns Series published by Sankey and Bliss. It has since provided a musical
prayer that needs to be expressed by every Christian.
The singer’s
desire is to become perfectly whole. Unfortunately, none of us can make
ourselves whole.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us and help us to be like Jesus. Only God can create a new heart in us. And as the song says He is patiently waiting for us to call upon Him for help.
In one hymnal
there’s a section titled “Hymns of Aspiration.” These are songs
expressing our desire for a deeper faith, a purer life, and a stronger walk
with God. “Whiter Than Snow” is such a hymn.
Like the psalmist David did in his prayer in Psalm 51, we all need to experience God's cleansing and forgiveness. Only then will we be effective for God in helping others and directing sinners to Him. Psalm 51:13
Verse One
"Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe--
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
Psalm 145:1-2
"I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever."
Studylight.org, Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible: Every day will I bless Thee . . . For new
mercies every morning; for fresh
supplies of grace every day, which all come from the fulness of Christ, to whom
all grace is given, and from whence it is received, and in whom all spiritual
blessings are, and by whom they are bestowed; and I will praise Thy name
forever and ever; as long as he lived in this world, and to all eternity in the
world to come.
Verse Two
"Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;
To get this blest cleansing, I all things forego--
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
Hebrews 9:11a, 12, 14
"But when Christ came as high priest . . . He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption . . . How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"
Sermonwriter.com, Richard Niell Donovan: The "blood of Christ" is superior to "the blood of goats and bulls," which offered ritual cleansing to those who were defiled. While the sacrifices of the tabernacle/temple cleansed the guilty party, that cleansing was temporal and limited in its effect. It had to be repeated regularly, and would not grant access to the Holy of Holies . . . Just as sacrificial animals had to be without blemish, so also Jesus was without blemish--without sin. Jesus offered Himself as a voluntary sacrifice--not true of the sacrificial animals. Also, Jesus' sacrifice cleanses "conscience from dead works," freeing us to serve God without a burdened conscience.
Verse Three
“Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the
skies,
And help me to make a complete
sacrifice;
I give up myself, and whatever I know—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow.”
Romans 12:1
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship."
Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: [Paul] entreated the Romans, as his brethren in Christ, by the mercies of God, to present their bodies as a living sacrifice to Him. This is a powerful appeal. We receive from the Lord every day the fruits of His mercy. Let us render ourselves; all we are, all we have, all we can do . . . The work of the Holy Ghost first begins in the understanding, and is carried on to the will, affections, and conversation, till there is a change of the whole man into the likeness of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. Thus, to be godly, is to give up ourselves to God.
Verse Four
"Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet,
By faith for my cleaning, I see Thy blood flow--
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
Romans 3:22, 25a
"This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus to all who believe. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood--to be received by faith."
Studylight.org, Bridgeway Bible Commentary: When the Bible speaks about faith in relation to salvation, it is not speaking about some inner strength that enables people to triumph over difficulties. Faith is more concerned with helplessness than with strength. Faith is reliance. It is an attitude whereby people give up all their own efforts to win salvation, no matter how good they be, and trust completely in Christ, and Him alone, for their salvation. It is not merely an intellectual acknowledgment of certain facts but a belief wherein people turn to Christ and cling to Him with their whole heart. It is not accepting certain things as true, but trusting in a person, Jesus Christ, and all that He has done through His life, death and resurrection . . . Yet faith, in itself, does not save. It is simply the means by which sinners accept the salvation that Christ offers. Salvation is not a reward for faith; it is a gift that no one deserves, but it can be received by faith.
Verse Five
“Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait;
Come now and within me a new heart
create;
To those who have sought Thee Thou
never said’st “No”—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow.”
Romans 10:13
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Studylight.org, Clarke's Commentary: Whosoever shall call upon, invoke, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners, shall be saved--shall have his guilt pardoned, his heart purified and if he abide in the faith, rooted and grounded in Him, showing forth the virtues of Him who was called out of darkness into His marvelous light, he shall be saved with all the power of an eternal life.
Verse Six
“The blessing by faith, I receive from above;
Oh, glory! my soul is made perfect in
love;
My prayer has prevailed, and this
moment I know,
The blood is applied, I am whiter than
snow.”
2 Corinthians
5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
Bibletools.org:
If a person truly believes, he will repent, and the consequence is
reconciliation with God. Our relationship to Him changes; it is entirely new.
Our point of view, our world view, changes. We no longer look at life in the
same way. Now we view everything from the perspective of God, His Word, and His
Kingdom.
Sing Refrain:
“Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow. Now wash me, and I shall
be whiter than snow.”
I
am indebted to the following resources:
Bibleportal.com
Retrospectivelily.wordpress.com
Christianmusicandhymns.com
A Song in My Heart, Robert J. Morgan
Blueletterbible.org
Biblehub.com
