Frustrating attempts to find a suitable children’s Bible prompted the question, “Why are angels always illustrated with wings?” And with this question we began some study and meditation on the significance of wings in scripture.
A symbol of protection
The most common Hebrew word for wings in the Old Testament is kanaph, defined by Young’s Concordance as “a covering or protection.” Thus the magnificent wings of the cherubim towering over the ark (a type of Christ) figuratively show the protective shielding of God’s redemptive work in His Son. Nothing will thwart His plan to bring many sons to glory. His purpose is absolute: “The cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat” (Ex. 37:9 NKJV).
Further investigation into the usage of kanaph reveals a consistency of meaning and provides a fascinating study.
In the well-known phrase: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings (kanaph)” (Ex. 19:4), the angel reminds Moses of the fate of the Egyptians in contrast to the shielding and protection given the Israelites.
The psalmist, overwhelmed by problems, finds a safe haven beneath the wings of his God: “For you have been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy, I will abide in your tabernacle forever, I will trust in the shelter of your wings (kanaph)” (Psa. 61:3).
Various Psalms emphasize the concept of the sanctuary of God’s care by combining an associated word shadow with wings: “Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me under the shadow (tsel) of thy wings” (Psa. 17:8 and note 36:7; 57:1; 63:7). We find the word tsel closely associated with wings (kanaph), with a similar suggestion of protection or defense.
Wings overshadowing a woman
Having heard of Ruth’s faithfulness, Boaz says: “The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings (kanaph) you have come for refuge” (Ruth 2:12 NKJV). The same word is found in 3:9 when, waking from sleep and finding a young woman lying beside him, Boaz asks, “Who art thou?” and she answered, “I am Ruth thine handmaid, spread therefore thy skirt (kanaph) over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.”
The spreading of the corner of a garment by a man over a woman was evidently a ritualistic act denoting betrothal. Prompted by Naomi’s awareness of the law of kinship and the knowledge that Boaz was a near relative, Ruth was showing Boaz she wanted him to shield and protect her in marriage. This custom is beautifully illustrated in the metaphor of Ezekiel 16:8: “Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt (kanaph) over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.”
The same train of thought is found at the annunciation: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you…”(Lk. 1:35 NKJV). God would spread His wings over Mary, taking her as the mother of His Son. Perhaps the angel’s message would remind this godly woman of the story of Ruth and how she became an ancestor of the Messiah whom Mary was now to bear. Just as Ruth had incurred the risk of being regarded as a loose woman by lying with Boaz, so Mary would be suspect, being pregnant prior to marriage.
Wings overshadowing Israel
The theme of covering and protection is found in what must surely be one of the most poignant passages in scripture — the Lord’s lament over Jerusalem: “0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate” (Mt. 23:37 NKJV). The words resound with pain and sadness as the Lord anticipated the impending horrors of A.D. 70.
That ensuing tragedy, followed by centuries of suffering, could have been avoided had they been willing to accept Jesus as their Messiah and recognized the allusion to Psalm 91 in his words: “He who dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow (tsel) of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings (kanaph) you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night…nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday” (Psa. 91:1-6 NKJV).
Maybe the Lord was also connecting the related idea of Genesis 1:2: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (NKJV). One has the impression of the Spirit hovering like a bird with outstretched wings as if to guard and protect the place of the intended creation. Jerusalem, the place that would witness the new creation, could likewise have been shielded. If the inhabitants had been willing to yield to His guidance and care, the delivery of Hezekiah’s day could have been repeated. “Like birds flying about, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it: passing over, He will preserve it” (Isa. 31:5 NKVJ). The result of their intransigence was the desolation foreseen by the Lord, the fall of Jerusalem, the desecration of the temple and the end of the Jewish dispensation.
A future overshadowing
In the mercy of the Lord, the process of His redemptive work continues. Israel is back in the land, although still in unbelief and soon to experience the purging that will bring them to their knees, “When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning” (Isa. 4:4). This lovely chapter, fulfilled initially by the deliverance from Sennacherib, projects to the great deliverance from the latter-clay Assyrian.
In verses 5 and 6 of the same chapter, the kingdom age is described in the language of the wilderness scene, the cloud and tabernacle denoting the protective, covering guidance and presence of the Lord. “And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory there will be a defence [“covering” in NKJV]. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow (tsel) in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge and for a covert from storm and rain” (Isa. 4:5-6).
We are privileged to have insight into great truths. May we be further blessed and able to take shelter with the saints from all ages under the shadow of His wings throughout eternity.
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