I went for a walk to our College farm today and when I came across the scene below I was reminded of the following verse in Psalm 91:4 that reads. The Lord “will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.”
As mentioned before, the poetry of the Psalms often uses imagery to get the point across and this is one of those occasions.
Some other psalms that also use this same imagery are:
“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (17:8)
“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” (36:7)
“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” (57:1)
“I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.” (61:4)
“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” (63:7)
I like what C.H. Spurgeon had to say about this imagery in his commentary on the Psalms (first published in 1870):
“…’He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.’ A wonderful expression! Had it been invented by an uninspired man it would have verged on blasphemy, for who would dare to apply such words to the Infinite God? But as He himself authorized, yea, dictated the language, we have here a transcendent condescension, such as it becomes us to admire and adore. Does the Lord speak of his feathers, as though he likened himself to a bird? Who will not see herein a matchless love, a divine tenderness, which should both woo and win our confidence? Even as a hen covers her chickens [or a duck her ducklings] so does the Lord protect [those] who dwell in him; [so] let us [shelter] down beneath him for comfort and for safety. Hawks in the sky and snares in the field are equally harmless when we nestle so near the Lord.” (see references # 28)
No wonder the psalmist can say, “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!” and then, that his people “take refuge in the shadow of [his] wings.” (36:7)
James encourages us to “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8)
It seems that sometimes ducklings are smarter than us human beings. They knew exactly where to be today when this dangerous looking creature with his camera was standing above them!
Tehilim (Psalms) - "songs of praise". 