Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.
An older friend of mine – a retired pastor and Old Testament scholar – used to sign his letters in an unusual way. It wasn’t with any of the usual assortment of “love” or “yours ever” or even “kind regards”, but with the expression “Under the sheltering wings”.
Whose wings? It turns out that this is a striking term used several times in the Bible about God Himself. Picture an adult bird on a nest, sheltering little chicks, their tiny faces peeking out from time to time. It is a beautiful picture of the loving care of God for His people.
King David thought of God in this way. In the Psalm quoted above (Psalm 17), David was surrounded by mortal enemies – so he appealed to God to keep him under his wings. It is a striking picture of protection. The Lord’s people are not spared difficulty and danger, but we do have a refuge, right under His protecting wings. See Psalm 91 for the same idea.
God’s sheltering wings are also a picture of closeness and intimacy with Him. Because you are my help, said David, I sing in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 63:7). Have you and I thought of the covenant closeness we have with Almighty God in these terms? Or in times of dryness and longing, here is David again: I long to dwell in your tent for ever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalm 61:4)
Being under God’s sheltering wings is one of the astounding privileges of the Christian. It is one to remember when we face difficulties, or when we are tempted to envy unbelievers, and a great truth to remember when we come to God in prayer.
It turns out that this expression went deep in King David’s own family history. His great-grandpa, Boaz, had used this term of the woman who went on to be David’s great-granny, Ruth, when they first met. “May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:12) The whole book follows Ruth’s discovery – as a foreigner coming in – of the wings of refuge.
This is a privilege our Lord Jesus longs for others to have, too. With great sorrow, He said He longed to gather the people of Jerusalem together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Matthew 23:37). Tragically, they’d have none of it – but His longing remains! Would that more and more people would be gathered under Jesus’ wings!
My older friend has gone to be with Christ. I am reviving his wonderful sign-off myself, for it conveys so much. It’s not copyright!
