Under His wings

“He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.” (Ps. 105:39). “The Lord loved Israel.” (1Ki. 10:9).




“All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;… And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1Cor. 10:2).

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” (Ex. 13:22,23).

“And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.” (Ex. 14:19,20).

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.” (Lev. 16:2).

“There came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him.” (Lk. 9:34-35).

“And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.” (Ex. 16:10).

“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” (Ex. 40:34-38).

“And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.
So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.
And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not.
And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed.
And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.
Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.
At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.” (Num. 9:15-23).

“And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.
And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.
And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.
And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.” (Num. 10:33-36).

“And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that Thou Lord art among this people, that Thou Lord art seen face to face, and that Thy cloud standeth over them, and that Thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.” (Num. 14:14).

“And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.” (Num. 16:42).

“Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.” (Deut. 1:33).

“Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.” (Neh. 9:19).

“In the daytime also He led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.” (Ps. 78:14).

“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.” (Rev. 14:14).

“The Lord’s portion is His people: Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, and fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taken them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” (Deut. 32:9-12).

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matt. 23:37).

Our God is a clingy God, a jealous God. He desires nothing more than to hover over His creation. He has no greater joy than intimacy with His children. Moses likens the Lord to spreading out His wings over Israel.

Sinners don’t like God’s hovering over them. It makes their hard hearts feel suffocated. Love is a strange thing to them. Satan and sin brought an aberration to the warming and strengthening power of love upon the will and the whole being of the human, the creation which was designed to glory in and reflect God’s love better than any other throughout the vast universe.

I want to be a child of God, hidden beneath His cloud, His embrace, His bosom of love. To be “in the Beloved,” to be hid with Christ in God. To wait in His presence for Him to work in me all that He needs me to accomplish for Him. To be enthralled in His world, bereft of all other earthly realities. No more working hard to “achieve big things for God,” but rather, resting in Him, partaking of His story, His character, His power. “Blessed are all they that wait for Him.” (Is. 30:18).

Staying with Him on Mt. Sinai as did His friend Moses, learning of Him and His Law, as His precious son, until my face shines like His, remade in the image of God. As the Lord is the precious Child of the Almighty, spotless and blameless, so do all they that come under His cloud find special privileges with Him. Because they trust in Him they are accounted righteous, never having sinned (as He see us). As their Master was filled with the Holy Spirit at rebirth (His incarnation), so they are filled with the Holy Spirit from their rebirth; thus He can be just in justifying them. If the Son will make you a son, you shall be a son indeed.

Their focus is on their beloved Elder Brother and their God. They “serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” (Ps. 2:11). As little children, they humbly follow the Angel of the Lord. Where He goes, His little angels go with Him; where He abides, they abide. Nothing but death parts them from Him, and “they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Rev. 14:5).

If you are striving to know Him I give you the Bible approbation, “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” (Ruth 2:12).