IN THE SHADOW OF GOD’S WINGS

Bible: Exodus 9: 22-26

Main verse: PSALM 57: 1 part B – Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

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The Bible lets us learn about many of God’s virtues, but the one that Christians know the most is God’s love. The Bible clearly indicates that God is the source of love.

1JOHN 4: 16 – And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Because of His love for mankind, God took a human form and came into the world to die on the cross for human sin. He has called people to come to Him to be protected and to be blessed.

That is what God had done from the ancient times when He called the Israelites to come and find refuge under His love like a hen gathering her chickens under her wings. Unfoutnately, many of them have refused Him.

MATTHEW 23: 37 – 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.

The Bible tells us stories of how God had protected the Israelites from disasters as they were slaves in Egypt. He summoned ten plagues to punish the Egyptians and forced the Pharaoh to free the Hebrews while at the same time, keeping the Israelite’s land of Goshen free of any of them.

EXODUS 8: 20-22 – And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

That’s the way God protected the Israelites so that they would not suffer the same fate as the Egyptians, but it was not the only time that God protected the Israelites. When He sent a disease upon the Egyptian’s cattle, none of the Israelite’s ones had died.

EXODUS 9: 1-6 – Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel. And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

It shows that because of God’s love for His people, He did not only keep them from the suffering that the Egyptians had, but He also protected their cattle and vegetables. Those were their necessities.

EXODUS 9: 22-26 – And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

When God sent the 9th and 10th plague upon the Egyptians, He still remembered the Israelites and protected them. During the 9th plague, God kept the land of Goshen light while the whole country was covered by darkness:

EXODUS 10: 21-23 – And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

During the 10th plague, as God punished Egyptian’s first born sons, He left the Israelite’s ones untouched.

EXODUS 11: 4-7 – And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt. And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

The ten plagues that God sent upon the Egyptians are examples of all the dangers that humans often suffer in the world, like natural disasters, pandemics and death. God’s protection over the Israelites is also an example of how God still protects Christians today, as it was written in Psalm 121:

PSALM 121: 7-8 – The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

God never changes, so He will always protect Christians from danger. Although science has advanced a lot over the years, humans still cannot find true peace in their mind and bodies. When disaster strike, even concrete buildings cannot withstand it. When pandemics happens, even advanced medicine cannot cure it, like the corona virus we have today.

Christians always thank God because He is constantly watching and keeping His children safe. In the 20th and 21st centuries, there were many diseases that had infected and even killed millions of people. For example, the Spanish Flu from 1918 to 1920 killed approximately 50 million people, and the Hong Kong Flu in 1968 killed around 20 millions.

At the time, many people felt powerless because advanced science and medicine could not help them. There are many kinds of viruses that until now, medical experts have not found any vaccine to kill them or suppress them, like HIV and corona virus.

During times like this, Christians can find comfort and peace of mind knowing that God is in control and He will keep us safe the way He sees fit. He has been calling humans to come to Him for protection, as Jesus had spoken during His ministry on Earth:

JOHN 6: 37 – All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

During times of panic, Christians will surely have a peace of mind, and even feel happiness knowing that each one of us is protected under His mighty wings, like David had experienced before:

PSALM 57: 1 part B – Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

In this time of trouble, Christians should seek God with constant prayers and by walking besides Him in this life. It is like hiding under His wings to be safe and sound until all dangers have passed.

May God love us and protect us when we seek refuge in the shadow of His mighty wings. May God keep us safe always until the day Jesus comes. Amen.