Psalm 91 - Part 13 - Feathers and Wings
We read in Psalm 91:4, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His truth is your shield and armor.” (GW)
There are two words that I wish to highlight from the above mentioned verse, feathers and wings. Often we don’t differentiate between feathers and wings, but in this study we will try to understand what the Lord would like to teach us through them. Feathers are generally soft and gentle and can be compared to the love of God. Wings on the other hand are tough and can be compared to the firmness that the Lord displays toward His children. While feathers give us the comfort, wings give us the strength that we are in need of. We will therefore, correlate feathers to the grace of God and wings to the truth of God. Just as wings without the feathers will be of no use, so also feathers without wings would be futile. In these last days there is much emphasis on the grace of God, but as children of God we must comprehend the fact that the grace and truth of God are inseparable.
We will study a few incidents from the bible to understand how the grace and truth of God are connected to each other.
1. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit
We read in Genesis 3:23, “So the LORD God sent them out of the Garden of Eden and made them cultivate the soil from which they had been formed.” (GNB)
When Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God’s commands, and ate the forbidden fruit, God had to drive them out of the Garden of Eden. God’s heart must have grieved much as He did so, for the reason God created man was that He desired to have fellowship with Him. Only after God had completed all of creation did He create man, so that he could grant him the position to rule over all that He had created. Also while all other created things were varied in nature, man alone was made in the image and likeness of God Himself. This is a unique privilege that God has granted to us that we must be constantly aware of.
The Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve were placed in was a glorious one and the presence of God filled the garden. Nonetheless, God had to cast them out of the garden when they disobeyed His command.
We read in Genesis 3:21, “And the LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and he clothed them.” (GNB)
The above mentioned verse is a most astounding one. God who is almighty, awesome, powerful, the One who created the heavens and the earth by the word of His mouth, though He punished man because He is a God of truth, He also made clothes out of animal skin and clothed them both. The fact that God cared enough to clothe both of them signifies the grace of God which is most evident through this loving act of His. God as one who is the epitome of truth could have left Adam and Eve to suffer for their rebellion, but instead He being a God of grace chose to lovingly clothe them. We discover how the truth of God and His grace were wonderfully displayed at the outset of creation itself.
2. When Moses struck the rock
We read in Deuteronomy 3:25, “Let me cross the Jordan River, LORD, and see the fertile land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon Mountains.'” (GNB)
This was the request that Moses implored of the Lord, that He would grant him permission to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land and behold it’s beauty.
Here’s God’s reply to Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy 3:26, “"But because of you people the LORD was angry with me and would not listen. Instead, he said, 'That's enough! Don't mention this again!” (GNB)
Moses was the chosen one whom God used to deliver the Israelites from their bondage under the cruel hands of Pharaoh. Oftentimes he interceded with God on various matters and God had favorably answered Moses. However, as Moses appealed to God that he should be granted permission to enter the Promised Land, the Lord was resolute that He did not want Moses to even discuss it with Him any further.
There was a reason why the Lord responded to Moses this way. God is one of truth and He will not ignore the sins that we commit, as He is a God of justice. The reason why God forbade Moses to enter the Promised Land is explained to us in the passage mentioned below.
We read in Numbers 20:11, “Moses raised his hand and hit the rock twice with the staff. Water came pouring out, and all the people and their animals drank.” (GW)
God had commanded Moses to speak to the rock to bring forth water to quench the thirst of the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness. However, Moses disobeyed God’s instruction and in anger against the people struck the rock twice. Though God is a God of truth, He did not want Moses to be humiliated in the assembly of the Israelites. God therefore, allowed the water to gush out of the rock in abundance so that the people and livestock could drink from it. In spite of the fact that Moses dishonored God, the Lord did not permit Moses to be disgraced among the people. The truth of God however, did not allow Moses to enter the promise land. Here again this incident reveals to us that the God of truth, is also a God of grace.
3. When God shut Noah’s Ark
We read in Genesis 7:16, “A male and a female of every animal went in as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD closed the door behind them.” (GW)
Noah had been directed by God to build an ark so that he and his family could be saved from the impending floods. The Lord had decided to destroy all the people of the earth as wickedness had greatly increased which He was unable to bear. Noah and his family alone found favor in the eyes of the Lord. After the ark was prepared, Noah and his family entered into it along with the animals as God had appointed. It is only logical for us to reason that if Noah could build such a huge ark, he would also be able to close the door to the ark. However, it was God who shut the door so that Noah could not open it.
If you are wondering why God had to shut the door to the ark, this is because He is a God of truth. The heart rending wails of the people outside may have prompted Noah to open the door to let them in. God had decided to destroy the people and therefore, He shut the door so that no one could enter whom the Lord was displeased with.
We read in 1 Peter 3:20, “Long ago they disobeyed while God kept waiting patiently, in the days of Noah as the ark was being built.” (TLV)
The God of truth shut the door, but before He did that the Lord waited patiently for a very long time hoping that the people in Noah’s days would repent. This portrays to us the gracious side of God who is constantly waiting for all men to repent and turn to Him.
Jesus the manifestation of grace and truth
It was this God of grace and truth that revealed Himself in human form through our Lord Jesus.
We read in John 1:14, “The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.” (GNB)
We see that the grace and truth of God were both evident from the beginning of creation. However, man could behold this with his eyes only when the Lord Jesus came down to the earth in human form. We read therefore that Jesus was an embodiment of this grace and truth.
Firstly, in the Garden of Eden man because of his disobedience became the object of God’s wrath, and an angel with a flaming sword stood at the entrance to forbid man from entering into that garden again. However, through Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, God made a way for sinful man to come back boldly to the throne of grace.
We read in Colossians 1:21-22, “At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence.” (GNB)
When God made the clothes out of animal skin for Adam and Eve, an animal sacrifice had to be made in order to clothe them. That sacrifice was the fore shadow of Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God who came down to sacrifice His life for the sins of all mankind.
Secondly, you may be wondering, ‘What was the big deal about Moses striking the rock twice that he was given such a harsh punishment to not enter the Promised Land?’ Moses had previously struck the rock once, and this time the Lord clearly commanded him to only speak to it. The rock that Moses struck represented Christ and we read about this in the latter part of 1 Corinthians 10:4, “.... that rock was Christ.” That rock was supposed to have been struck once only as Jesus too was to be slain for the sins of the world only once. There therefore remains no more sacrifice that can be made for the redemption of mankind’s sins.
We read in Hebrews 10:12, “Christ, however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever, and then he sat down at the right side of God.”
By being offered as a sacrifice for sins once for all, there now remains no offering that can be made for the remission of our sins.
Thirdly, though the ark that Noah made was huge, there was only one door to enter it.
We read in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved….” (ESV)
In those days when Noah was constructing the ark, the people would have watched and some may even have been part of the work force. Nonetheless, none of them were saved but only Noah and his family who chose to walk into that door into the safety of the ark, before God shut the door. Everyone else who refused to believe and enter, were totally destroyed in the floods.
Even today the door to the ark of salvation is wide open. Those who believe and enter in will be saved. Each one of us must be able to believe and confess that the Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We must believe that He alone is the only way to heaven and we must by faith enter into that door which is Jesus Himself. Yes, God is most certainly a God of grace and truth, and we will conclude with this verse from Psalm 91:4, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His truth is your shield and armor.” (GW) May each one of us find shelter under those feathers and wings of the Almighty God who is full of grace and truth.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
www.goodnewsfriends.net
