Skip to main content

The Shadow of Your Wings

             How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:7) 

Some people speak of verses like this one as showing the feminine side of God, or God, the Mother. That image may exist, but it isn’t necessary to this verse. One of the neat things about technology is the chance to watch eagles, hawks, and owls raise their young. And at least in the Bald Eagle’s nest, the male helps build the next, broods over, protects, and feeds the young, too. Also interesting is the information shared that hummingbirds sometimes build their nests near hawks’ nests (Hummingbirds) because the hummingbird and its nest is kept safe from predators by the presence of the hawk, which generally sees the hummingbird as too small to use to feed its young.

I’m not saying that God does not do things that we think of as feminine. I’m just saying that this verse isn’t a good proof-text that can be used to impose feminism on Scripture or God.

So what are we to make of this? One interesting note  is that the psalmist does not say “Your people.” People, in general, take refuge in the shadow of God’s “wings.” One of the things that atheists complain about is the supposed claim that because they are atheists, they are immoral or amoral, which means that they are evil. They naturally object to this. But when you ask them the basis for their moral code, or if they list examples of their moral code, chances are good that much of their code will correspond to the teachings of Scripture.

They may object to this, saying that other cultures have developed codes,  or that their code is somehow self-evident or self-chosen, but all they’re just demonstrating the first chapter of Romans. It is within this commonly understood (but not necessarily commonly applied) sense that people turn to for protection.

Equally, there is common grace. God uses nature to provide for our needs, whether we are His people, or just people. He gives some wisdom, knowledge, and talent. All of these things protect and shelter us, as His wings.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more