Bible Study - Psalm 91 and Wings

In our Bible study of Psalm 91, we saw how that psalm related to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The devil quoted from that psalm, out of context, trying to get Jesus to test God and jump off the pinnacle of the temple, at his (the devil’s) request, and then see if God would really take care of Him. Jesus resisted that temptation and all the others, by quoting Scripture and doing God’s will, not Satan’s. Jesus was taken care of, even among wild animals, and was helped and protected and strengthened by the Lord and His angels, until it was time for Him to suffer and die, in payment for our sins.

Psalm 91 emphasizes trusting Almighty God, the Most High, and dwelling in His shelter and knowing that He “holds fast to us in His love for us.” We still will have trouble in this life, but the Lord will be with us and deliver us as He knows best and one day show us His salvation in everlasting life. That is why Satan distorts this psalm and ignores its true message, in trying to pull Jesus and us away from the Lord as our Refuge and trying to get us to do foolish and hurtful things, against God’s will.

In Psalm 91:4, God is also pictured as gathering his people “under His wings” as a “refuge” and protection, as a bird would do for its little ones. (Pinions are the outer parts of wings, but all parts of the wings are used, as well.) This is an image used in a number of other psalms, also. (See Psalm 17:8, Psalm 61:4. and Psalm 63:7: “Hide me in the shadow of Your wings… in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy.”) Boaz also says that as Ruth has left her Moabite “gods” and has been brought to believe in the one true God, it is “under His wings she has come to take refuge” (Ruth 2:12).

In prophecy in the Old Testament, God speaks through Malachi of “the sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings.” That “sun” is Jesus, come into the world as a true man, as well as still being God the Son, for our salvation. (See Luke 1:78-79: “The Sunrise shall visit us from on high to give Light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”) Jesus calls Himself “the bright Morning Star” in Revelation 22:16, and Peter says in 1 Peter 2:24 that by His saving work and His “wounds, we have been healed.” (See also the prophecy of Jesus and His healing in Isaiah 53:5 and 58:8.) Jesus also identifies Himself as One with the God of the Old Testament by using this same image for Himself. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus comes to Jerusalem and sorrows over the people there and says, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not.” He wants to provide peace and protection to all, but people can resist and reject Him and His “wings” of refuge.

Our primary protection is in God Himself, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but also through created angels as messengers and for protection for us. (Some angels, including Satan and the evil spirits, rebelled against God and work against Him, as they work against Jesus and all believers in Jesus.) Good angels provide help and protection, though, as Psalm 91:11-12 describes.

Angels are “spirits” but can appear as people or often are pictured as “winged” creatures. See, for example, the seraphim, a kind of angel, in Isaiah 6:1-7. Images of cherubim, another kind of angel, were placed on the ark of the covenant in Exodus 25:18-21 and in the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple, in 1 Kings 6:21-21. Angels provide protection and help, as in the case of Daniel in the lions’ den in Daniel 6:22. (See also Psalm 34:7 and Matthew 18:10, regarding watching over “little ones,” as examples.)

As I have mentioned before, this protection does not mean that we will avoid all trouble and tragedy in this life. The Lord will care for us in the midst of trouble, though. Jesus predicts that some will even lose their life for Christ’s sake and the Gospel, in Mark 8:35. We do not understand many tragic events that happen but try to trust that God can work all things out for good for us, as He promises (Romans 8:28). Remember that when Jesus was arrested in the garden, He said that He could call 12 legions of angels to help Him, but His Father’s plan was for Him to suffer and die for our sake, as our Savior. He was not protected but paid the penalty for our sins.

One more comment about “wings” and the Scriptures. Eagles are mentioned 32 times in the Bible. As they can fly high and soar in the air, their strength is sometimes compared with the strength God can give us when we are spiritually tired and weary, whether young or old. See the words of Isaiah 40:28-31. The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator, with unsearchable wisdom, who never grows weary. He can give strength and power to the faint. Even youth and young men can be exhausted. But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength and mount up with wings like eagles.

In Psalm 103:1-5, David asks us not to forget all of God’s blessings: forgiveness, healing, redemption, steadfast love, and mercy. He satisfies us with so much good that “our youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Eagles have been an inspiration to many cultures, including U.S. culture and in Biblical times. The wings of eagles remind us of the ultimate strength we receive from the Lord and His many blessings. He keeps on strengthening us through His Word and especially through the Good News of Christ, our Lord and Savior.