He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4)
In regard to its’ young, a bird can use its feathers to shelter the chicks or, in some cases, fly them to safety. Essentially the mother bird uses her wings in the same way we would use our arm — either to shield our children from harm or snatch them out of danger. In the same manner, our Creator extends His protective arm over those who shelter under His wings. Furthermore, at the assigned moment, He takes those who have placed their trust in Him by the hand and delivers them from destruction.
One of the premier examples of this concept is the Passover story. Through Moses, God instructed the people of Israel to mark the lintels and doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spotless lamb. As He moved through the land of Egypt to strike down the firstborn of man and beast, the houses that bore the sign — the blood — were protected. As it is written, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you” (Exodus 12:13). The notion conveyed by the Hebrew word translated as “pass over” stems from the action a mother bird takes to protect her young; sensing danger she will extend her wings and pass over her chicks to shelter them from the impending danger.
In other words, when God passed through the land of Egypt that night, when He saw the blood on the doorposts, He did not pass by that house, He passed over it. He extended His wings over His young and sheltered them from the destroyer that was moving through the land of Egypt. On the next morning, He took them by the hand and delivered them from Egyptian bondage, as it is written: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” (Exodus 6:6).
Likewise, for all who have been born again by the Blood of the Lamb, for those whose hearts bear the sign of the covenant, the Lord has promised to pass over us and shelter us from the devices of the enemy. We can confidently shelter under the shadow of His wings and know that He will protect and defend us from our adversary, the destroyer. And we can also be confident that, at the appointed time, He will take us by the hand and lead us out of peril into liberty, victory and prosperity. As for us, it is our responsibility to remain at His side and not allow circumstances to lead us astray. If we continually draw nearer to Him, His truth will be our shield and buckler.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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