The Lord is frequently compared with animals such as sheep, lions, and birds. He promises to give his children “refuge under his wings” in Psalm 91:4. What sort of refuge, and what do these “wings” look like in our spiritual reality?
Three Translations and Some Hebrew
He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure (Contemporary English Version).
He will shelter you with his wings (New Living Translation).
Under His wings you trust (Literal Standard Translation).
Each of these versions means the same thing in spite of the different sentence structure and choice of wording. Every mainstream version uses the word “wings,” and most choose “refuge,” although the CEV says he will keep you “secure,” and the LST uses “trust.”
The Hebrew chasah means “to seek refuge” or to put trust or hope in someone or something. “Wings” is actually the word kanaph, also Hebrew for “skirt” or “edges.”
Translators chose a zoomorphic style of metaphor rather than picturing the Lord as a normal human being wearing clothes under which one could find shelter: why? Earlier in Psalm 91, the word “pinions” refers to feathers.
The Psalmist also says God “will deliver you from the snare of the fowler” (v. 3). Translators chose “wings” rather than an article of clothing in order to sustain this metaphor.
Even though a bird seems weak in comparison with a wolf or prowling lion (Satan), God’s protective presence is formidable and trustworthy. He is like “an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12).
Believers become like their Savior as he “satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Psalm 103:5).
The faithful in Christ overcome pain, oppression, and sin and will be lifted above their circumstances as magnificent birds: “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). The wolf remains, but he is landlocked.
The Real Refuge
It is not; however, a physical kind of rescue God has in mind but a spiritual one. “What does it mean to abide in the shadow of the Almighty if you can be killed in the shadow of the Almighty?” asked John Piper.
He explained that “dwelling in the shadow of the Most High and keeping yourself in the love of God means trusting the love of God and the wisdom of God and the power of God to protect you from everything that could destroy you utterly.” Destroy here does not mean to physically annihilate but to spiritually crush a person.
God might allow a person to die in his service, for his glory, but if this person spends his or her life close to God, not just occasionally but constantly, then he finds shelter from temptation, a way out when he feels pressed towards sin.
He forms a gentler response to conflict and employs a more godly view of everyone and everything in his life.
The Christian sticks close to the Father right now and will not be taken from him when he dies. While the Old Testament compares God’s spiritual protection to an eagle’s wings, the New Testament shows us that the real protection is Jesus’ blood. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:7).
If God had meant that his children would be safe from danger, hidden behind a conveniently placed pair of sturdy wings, they would not suffer; and yet, they do and they have.
What God provides is shelter in the middle of strife — shelter from the emptiness of being apart from him in the midst of strife.
Believers cleave to Jesus by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit; “for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:3-4). We will be lifted up with Jesus as though on the wings of an eagle.
Rising Above the Sin of Others
Eagle imagery is suggestive of strength, freedom, rising above temptation towards personal sin, and above the sin of others. This is not a self-righteous, prideful sort of elevation.
Rising up in this way means choosing to focus on both the victory of the risen Christ and on the virtues lived out by Christ, not only in daily life but when life is at its hardest.
Stephen refused to hate his enemies or to renounce Christ when faced with death by stoning. “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:54-60).
He rose above the torture of being stoned to death, and he rose above cursing his persecutors. The whole time he was being killed, Stephen pointed to his Savior.
The salvation of a person’s soul is more important than temporal comfort, yet John Gill explains that God “comforts [his children] in their tribulations” as well.
Even at the end of his life, when he should have been crying out in anguish, God caused Stephen to fall asleep.
The Lord’s refuge was so real, so full of comfort, that Stephen died in total peace. His soul was free to worship and refuse hatred. His body was crushed, but his Spirit soared.
Do We Need Refuge?
Some might say that their belief is strong, they pray to God, and they love him. North American Christians are particularly fortunate compared with their third-world brothers and sisters: sometimes, they forget that they need the coverage of God’s wings.
But John Gill points to “the helpless state of the children of God” represented in Psalm 91:4. They are like “young birds, weak and unable to defend themselves,” and God offers his “powerful and gracious presence; he comforts them under their tribulations, as well as defends them from their enemies.” In truth, the worst enemy is the sinful nature that draws each person away from God.
There is sin from outside of a person, sin committed against an individual, but choosing to ignore God and to go one’s own way without consulting or obeying him is the most frequent sin, a day-by-day reality.
So often, it involves not doing the good which is right in front of a person rather than causing someone obvious harm. Or the sin that threatens takes the shape of ignoring or rejecting God’s Word when it does not suit us.
Shelter in the Word
When we realize that the danger is constant, calling on the name of the Lord through Christ can become a daily practice; this is the act of taking shelter in Christ.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul declares that “in every way you were enriched in [Christ] in all speech and all knowledge [...] so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end” (1:5, 7-8).
From under the refuge of the Lord’s wings, we receive direction in the Lord’s ways and redirection away from temptation.
He alone will lift us up and be our strength when we humble ourselves and let go of the earthly things we are holding onto. He alone will sustain us to his Kingdom where there will be nothing to shelter us from any longer.
For further reading:
What Does it Mean That God Is Our Refuge in Psalm 46?
What Does it Mean to ‘Soar on Wings Like Eagles’?
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