This is a study of the many implications of this first verse in the Bible that deals with the Holy Spirit.

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN GENESIS 1 VERSE 2
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
INTRODUCTION
Our goal in looking at each text is to learn what it reveals to us about the Holy
Spirit and His role in creation and history. What we will learn is that there is more
about the Holy Spirit and His influence than we ever dreamed. Over all the Old
Testament we find at least 88 text dealing with the Holy Spirit in 22 of the 39 books.
Genesis only has a few, but these few have an amazing insight into the nature of
God, and this is especially so with this first text in Gen. 1:2. We will consider this
verse in the following three categories-
1. THE SPIRIT AS BREATH.
2. HOVERING BIRD IMAGE.
3. FEMINE IMPLICATIONS.
Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and
empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,
and the Spirit of God was hovering over the
waters.
The Bible clearly reveals that all three Persons of the Trinity took part in the
creation of this universe. In John 1:1-3 we read, "1In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the
beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that
has been made." We read in Nehemiah 9:6 "You alone are the LORD You have
made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that
is on it, The seas and all that is in them You give life to all of them And the heavenly
host bows down before You." Now we are going to study the roll of the Holy Spirit
in creation, and so it becomes clear that anything that God does it is done in full

2. cooperation and harmony with all three Persons of the Trinity. Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit worked together in making all the reality of our universe.
The Holy Spirit’s work in Creation results in
order (Isa. 40:12, 14; Gen. 1:2); life (Job 33:4);
beauty (Job 26:13); and renewal (Psalm 104:30).
1. THE SPIRIT AS BREATH
Breath or Wind.
ELLICOTT, "The Spirit of God.—Heb., a wind of God, i.e., a mighty wind, as rendered by
the Targum and most Jewish interpreters. (See Note on Genesis 23:6.) So the wind of
Jehovah makes the grass wither (Isaiah 40:7); and so God makes the winds His
messengers (Psalm 104:4). The argument that no wind at present existed because the
atmosphere had not been created is baseless, for if water existed, so did air. But this
unseen material force, wind (John 3:8), has ever suggested to the human mind the
thought of the Divine agency, which, equally unseen, is even mightier in its working.
When, then, creation is ascribed to the wind (Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30), we justly see,
not the mere instrumental force employed, but rather that Divine operative energy
which resides especially in the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. But we must be upon
our guard against the common error of commentators, who read into the text of these
most ancient documents perfect doctrines which were not revealed in their fulness
until the Gospel was given. It is a marvellous fact that Genesis does contain the germ
of well-nigh every evangelical truth, but it contains it in a suggestive and not a
completed form. So here this mighty energising wind suggests to us the thought of the
Holy Ghost, and is far more eloquent in its original simplicity than when we read into
it a doctrine not made known until revelation was perfected in Christ (John 7:39).
RANDY MCCRAKEN, "The Hebrew word for Spirit is ruach. However, this word
not only refers to God’s Spirit, it refers to the human spirit, and can also be
translated “breath” or “wind.” Therefore, context is important in determining what
the word ruach means. According to Kaiser the term ruach occurs 38 times in

3. Genesis-Deuteronomy (with no occurrences in Leviticus), but only 6 passages are
“key teaching passages” regarding the work of the Holy Spirit in the Pentateuch.
These passages include Genesis 1:2; 2:7; 6:3; 41:38; Num. 11:4-30 especially v. 25;
and Num. 24:2."
GORDON ROBERTSON, "The interesting part of this is the Hebrew word for
spirit. We almost get a little spooky talking about the Holy Ghost, but the Hebrew
word behind spirit is ruach, and it means "air in motion." It is the same word for
"breath." It also means "life." By resemblance to breath and air in motion, it means
"spirit." Thats where we get the translation, and the Hebrew word contains all those
different meanings. If we just leave it with our English word "spirit," were not
getting the full attributes of what the Bible is trying to describe. Its trying to
describe that theres a breath involved.
JOB 26:13, "By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding
serpent. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the
crooked serpent. By his Spirit the heavens are adorned; his hand hath formed the
fleeing serpent."
BARNES, "Verse 13
By his spirit - The word spirit here is either synonymous with wisdom, referring to
the wisdom by which God made the heavens; or with breath - meaning, that he did
it by his own command. There is no evidence that Job refers to the Third Person of
the Trinity - the Holy Spirit - as being especially engaged in the work of creation.
The word spirit is often used to denote one‘s self; and the meaning here is, that God
had done it. This was one of the exhibitions of his power and skill.
He hath garnished the heavens - He has formed the stars which constitute so
beautiful an ornament of the heavens.
His hand hath formed the crooked serpent - Or, rather, the fleeing serpent - notes at
Isaiah 27:1. There can be no doubt that Job refers here to one of the constellations,
which it seems was then known as the serpent or dragon. The practice of forming
pictures of the heavens, with a somewhat fanciful resemblance to animals, was one
of the most early devices of astronomy, and was evidently known in the time of Job;
compare the notes at Job 9:9. The object was, probably, to aid the memory; and
though the arrangement is entirely arbitrary, and the resemblance wholly fanciful,
yet it is still continued in the works of astronomy, as a convenient help to the
memory, and as aiding in the description of the heavenly bodies. This is probably
the same constellation which is described by Virgil, in language that strikingly

4. resembles that here uscd by Job:
Maximus hic flexu sinuoso elabitur anguis
Circum, perque duas in morem fluminis Arctos,
Arctos oceani metuentes sequore tingi.
Geor. i. 244.
Around our pole the spiry Dragon glides,
And, like a winding stream, the Bears divides;
The less and greater, who by Fate‘s decree
Abhor to die beneath the Southern sea.
Dryden
The figure of the Serpent, or “the Dragon,” is still one of the constellations of the
heavens, and there can be little doubt that it is the same that is referred to in this
ancient book. On the celestial globes it is drawn between the Ursa Major and
Cepheus, and is made to embrace the pole of the ecliptic in its convolutions. The
head of the monster is under the foot of Hercules; then there is a coil tending
eastwardly about 17 degrees north of Lyra; then he winds northwardly about 14
degrees to the second coil, where he reaches almost to the girdle of Cepheus; then he
loops down and makes a third coil somewhat in the shape of the letter “U,” about 15
degrees below the first; and then he holds a westerly course for about 13 degrees,
and passes between the head of the Greater and the tail of the Lesser Bear. The
constellation has 80 stars; including four of the second magnitude, seven of the
third, and twelve of the fourth.
The origin of the name given to this constellation, and the reason why it was given,
are unknown. It has been supposed that the Dragon in his tortuous windings is
symbolic of the oblique course of the stars, and particularly that it was designed to
designate the motion of the pole of the equator around the pole of the ecliptic,
produced by the precession of the equinoxes. It may be doubted, however, whether
this is not a refinement; for the giving of a name for such a cause must have been
based on knowledge much in advance of that which was possessed when this name
was given. Mythologists say, that Draco was the watchful dragon which guarded the
golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides, near Mount Atlas, in Africa, and
which was slain by Hercules. Juno is said to have taken the Dragon up to heaven,
and to have made a constellation of him, as a reward for his faithful services. The
origin of the division of the stars into constellations is now unknown.

5. It has been known from the earliest times, and is found in all nations; and it is
remarkable that about the same mode of division is observed, and about the same
names are given to the constellations. This would seem to indicate that they had a
common origin; and probably that is to be found in Chaldea, Arabia, or Egypt. Sir
Isaac Newton regards Egypt as the parental point; Sir William Jones, Chaldea; Mr.
Montucla, Arabia. There is probably no book earlier than this of Job, and the
mention here of the names of the constellations is probably the first on record. If so,
then the first intimation that we have of them was from Arabia; but still it may have
been that Job derived his views from Egypt or Chaldea. The sense in the passage
before us is, that the greatness and glory of God are seen by forming the beautiful
and the glorious constellations that adorn the sky.
JOSEPH BENSON,"Verse 13
Job 26:13. By his Spirit — Either, 1st, By his divine virtue or power, called his
Spirit, Zechariah 4:6; Matthew 12:28. Or, 2d, By his Holy Spirit, to which the
creation of the world is ascribed, Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4. He hath garnished the
heavens — Adorned or beautified them with those glorious lights, the sun, moon,
and stars. His hand hath formed the crooked serpent — By which he may mean all
kinds of serpents, with fishes and monsters of the sea. It is the same word that is
used for leviathan, Isaiah 27:1, of which the Targum understands it, and perhaps
may be intended of the whale or crocodile. Chappelow, who gives us divers senses of
the word , bariach, here rendered crooked, and used as an epithet to designate the
kind of serpent intended, observes that, in any of those senses, it is applicable to the
great dragon, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world, Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2. For (to allude to those senses of the word)
that crooked, apostate serpent was formed, was brought forth, was wounded even to
death, by God, fled from his vengeance, grieved, and trembled. “It may well be
asked,” says the learned Bishop Sherlock, who is of the same mind, and thinks that
by the crooked serpent here is meant that apostate spirit who tempted Eve under
the form of a serpent, “how come these disagreeable ideas to be joined together?
How comes the forming of a crooked serpent to be mentioned as an instance of
almighty power, and to be set, as it were, upon an equal footing with the creation of
the heavens, and all the host of them? When you read the whole chapter, all the
images in which are great and magnificent, can you possibly imagine that the
forming the crooked serpent, in this place, means no more than that God created
snakes and adders? This surely cannot be the case. If we consider the state of
religion in the world when this book was penned, it will help to clear this matter up.
The oldest notion in opposition to the supremacy of the Creator is that of two

6. independent principles; and the only kind of idolatry mentioned in the book of Job,
and it was of all others the most ancient, is the worship of the sun and moon, and
heavenly host. From this Job vindicates himself, Job 31:26, &c. Suppose Job now to
be acquainted with the fall of man, and the part ascribed to the serpent of the
introduction of evil; and see how aptly the parts cohere. In opposition to the
idolatrous practice of his time, he asserts God to be the Maker of all the hosts of
heaven. By his Spirit hath he garnished the heavens — In opposition to the false
notion of two independent principles, he asserts God to be the Maker of him who
was the first author of evil; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent — You see
how properly the garnishing of the heavens and the forming of the serpent are
joined together. That this is the ancient traditionary explanation of this place we
have undeniable evidence from the translation of the LXX., who render the latter
part of this verse, which relates to the serpent, in this manner: By a decree he
destroyed the apostate dragon. The Syriac and Arabic versions are to the same
effect. These translators apply the place to the punishment inflicted on the serpent,
and it comes to the same thing; for the punishing the serpent is as clear an evidence
of God’s power over the author of evil as the creating him.”
ISA 27:1 New International Version
In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword-- his fierce, great and powerful
sword-- Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the
monster of the sea.
NEW TESTAMENT PARALLEL.
BARCLAY, "The Spirit of God is connected with the work of creation. It was the
Spirit of God who moved upon the face of the waters and made the chaos into a
cosmos, turned disorder into order, and made a world out of the uncreated mists.
The Spirit of God can re-create us. When the Spirit of God enters into a man the
disorder of human nature becomes the order of God; our dishevelled, disorderly,
uncontrolled lives are moulded by the Spirit into the harmony of God."
GORDON ROBERTSON, "Lets take this into the New Testament because we have
almost the same thing where Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit. He says, "That

7. which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do
not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it
wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where
it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:6-8, NKJV).
Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit, and Hes saying it is like wind. When you get
into the Greek behind that, the Greek word is pneuma, which again means "a
current of air," "breath," or a "breeze, " and again by analogy, "a spirit." So both
the Hebrew and the Greek word are talking about breath. Its talking about wind."
It is the Spirit of God who gives us new life, a life from above. It is He who broods
over the sinful souls of men and takes them through the act of birth, from darkness
to light. As He is first revealed to us in Genesis 1:2, Christ also reveals more about
Him in John 3. Put these 2 distinct actions and birthing processes together from
Genesis 1:2, the rebirth and regeneration of a lost and dark solar system to the
rebirth and regeneration of a lost soul in John 3.
Mark Cortez, "We live in a Spirit-inflated world. In other words, God’s creation
only lives insofar as it has received life from the Spirit of God. Everywhere you see
life, you see the Spirit at work.
And this is particularly true for God’s people. God breathed into Adam’s nostrils
the breath of life, “inflating” him with God’s presence and God’s power to
accomplish God’s purposes in the world. That’s what it means to be human.
Consequently, we can’t really have an adequate understanding of what it means to
be human without the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. We are Spirit-inflated people."
Come, O Spirit, with Your sound
Like a wind, quick rushing;
Come from heaven and stir our hearts,
Each disciple touching!
Mold our actions to Your will,
You our service giving;
Move within our fellowship,
Transform now our living!
Come, O Spirit, with Your flame,
Leaping tongues of fire;
Come, and with Your glorious light
All our thoughts inspire!
Rest upon each servant's head
Till each one is speaking
Of our Christ, the Holy One
All the earth is seeking.

8. We need to recognize that the breath of God plays a greater role than we could ever
guess. Just read the following verses and give them some thought.
THE BREATH OF GOD
The wind or breath
Genesis 2:7 7Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the
ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man
became a living being.
Ps 33:6 The word translated “breath” is the same word that is used for
“Spirit”.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Job 12:10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all
mankind.
Job 32:8 But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that
gives them understanding.
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the
LORD.
Job 33:4 4The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty
gives me life.
Job 34:14-15 14If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and
breath, all humanity would perish together and mankind would return
to the dust.
Ps 104:30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.

9. JUDGMENT
Exodus 15:10
"You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
2 Samuel 22:16
"Then the channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world
were laid bare By the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of
His nostrils.
Psalm 18:15
Then the channels of water appeared, And the foundations of the world
were laid bare At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of
Your nostrils.
Job 4:9
"By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they
come to an end.
2 Thessalonians 2:8
Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the
breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His
coming;
The ultimate text is Ezek 37:9-14
The same Hebrew word is here translated “breath”, “wind” and
“spirit”;
The Spirit of God was the first mover: He moved upon the face of the waters. When
we consider the earth without form and void, methinks it is like the valley full of dead
and dry bones. Can these live? Can this confused mass of matter be formed into a
beautiful world? Yes, if a spirit of life from God enter into it, Ezekiel 37:1-14
Milton employs this metaphor in two well-known passages.

10. Thou from the first
Wast present, and, with mighty wings outspread,
Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast Abyss,
And mad’st it pregnant …
—Par. Lost, i. 19.
… Matter unformed and void. Darkness profound
Covered the Abyss; but on the watery calm
His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspread,
And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth,
Throughout the fluid mass.…
HENRY, "And here, at the beginning of the sacred volume, we read of that Divine
Spirit, whose work upon the heart of man is so often mentioned in other parts of the
Bible. Observe, that at first there was nothing desirable to be seen, for the world was
without form, and void; it was confusion, and emptiness. In like manner the work of
grace in the soul is a new creation: and in a graceless soul, one that is not born again,
there is disorder, confusion, and every evil work: it is empty of all good, for it is
without God; it is dark, it is darkness itself: this is our condition by nature, till Almighty
grace works a change in us.
2. HOVERING BIRD IMAGE.
The very first image of God we have in the Bible is that of His Holy Spirit hovering
over the waters. It is like a mother bird hovering over her nest. We read of the

11. eagle, in Deuteronomy 32:11 ►New International Version "like an eagle that stirs
up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and
carries them aloft."
New Living Translation "Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her
young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his
pinions.
Some translations prefer to use brooding over the waters like a bird broods over her
eggs to hatch them. The whole world is seen as a giantic egg about ready to hatch
and break forth in all the wonders of what God could dream of creating. Psalm 33:6
"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath
of his mouth." Job 26:13 "By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the
gliding serpent." Psalm 104:30, "You send forth your spirit, they are created: and
you renew the face of the earth."
AMPLIFIED "The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was
upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering,
brooding) over the face of the waters."
YOUNG’S LITERAL TRANSLATION "The earth hath existed waste and void,
and darkness [is] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face
of the waters."
God is portrayed like a bird hovering, moving, brooding or fluttering over the
waters. It is like a mother bird hovering over her eggs waiting for them to hatch,
and then come forth as her creation. The universe is God’s egg, and he hovers over
it like a mother hen. God is first portrayed in a mother image giving birth to a new
creation. I say new because we can assume that God created much before he created
this universe that we know. He is eternal and this universe is not, and so it is foolish
to think that God did nothing for trillions of years, and then just decided it is time to
do something with his infinite powers. There is no end to the possible creations that
God did before this one recorded in Genesis.
It makes it laughable that Christians get angry with one another because they have
different guesses as to how God created the universe we see. Was it in 6 literal days,
or was it over millions of years? What about 6 hours, or 6 minutes, or even 6
seconds? We are dealing with a God who is so far beyond our comprehension that it
makes us look foolish when we pretend to know how he has put it all together.
Instead of getting angry, Christians should laugh at one another for being so
presumptuous as to limit God by the understanding of their minds. I am sure there
is going to be a lot of laughter when we all get to heaven and get a demonstration of
how God does things. Who knows how many other universes he will throw out there

12. to amaze and amuse us? But lets get back to the text.
The bird image of God might be questioned if it was not for many other verses in
the Bible that support this image, and make it even more dramatic by picturing God
as having feathers as well as wings. There is no point in trying to figure out what is
just poetic language and what is to be taken literally, for we have no idea of what
God actually looks like. Whenever he appears to people in the Bible he takes on the
form of a man. Only once did the Holy Spirit come down in the form of a dove at the
baptism of Jesus. Otherwise, God remains in heaven as a Spirit and no man has ever
seen him in that form, for it is invisible to the human sight. Maybe angels see
something of God on his throne, but we have no idea just what it is they see. It does
not seem likely that they see feathers and wings, but the reality is that God has given
us this image of himself.
This bird image is humorous because we just cannot imagine such a thing as God
appearing with wings. Yet there is no escape from this image because of what we
read in the Psalms. For example, Psalm 91:4 "He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and
rampart."
He will cover you with his *feathers.
You will be safe under his *wings.
Jesus gives us the same image- "Jerusalem, I often wanted to get your children
together as a mother bird gets her babies under her wings" (Matthew 23:37).
There are other texts we will look at also, but this one is the only one that refers to
the feathers of God. The wings of God are mentioned a number of times, but this
text is unique in adding the feathers to the image. If you are not somewhat shocked
by the God of all creation being pictured as a bird, then you will see no humor in
this matter, but for most people this will sound strange and even ridiculous. How
can we ever think of God as a bird, with feathers and all? It is absurd, and that is
what makes it funny. If it were perfectly normal to think of the greatest person and
power in the universe as a bird, it would not be humorous at all. However, a bird is
not anybody’s idea of the greatest of all created creatures, and so we have to be
amazed that God would allow the Biblical authors to portray him in this image.
Most people have an image of God as an old and wise man, and clothed with a
brilliant white garment. I cannot imagine anybody saying they have a mental image
of God as a giant bird. Maybe little children think of Big Bird as some sort of god,
but no adult would ever think that way. So lets face it, this is funny that God reveals
to us that he is not ashamed or embarrassed to be pictured in his Word as having
feathers and wings. Let’s explore this text of Ps. 91:4 to see its significance.
The bird image meant a lot to the Hebrew people, for it meant they had security in
God. He was their refuge from the storms of nature and the evils of men. In a

13. dangerous world like this people need a refuge, a shelter, a fortress, a shield, or a
wing, which is a synonym of all the others. Believers are like little birds with many
natural enemies, and they need a place to flee to for escape. The people of God often
ruffled God’s feathers in their disobedience and they had to suffer his wrath, but
God was always ready to welcome them back into the nest of his love if they would
repent. It was the greatest comfort of Old Testament saints that they knew God
would take them under his wing again and shelter them from his wrath, and also the
wrath of their enemies. The feathers represent the warmth the mother hen provides
for the chicks. You get the image of God’s people being like little birds out in the
cold, and all of a sudden mother hen comes and they scurry under her to escape the
cold air, and snuggle under her breast, and feel the pleasure of her warm body.
When you see the image in this light, it becomes a powerful image of comfort and
assurance that nothing can happen to a child of God that will do any permanent
damage to their security in Christ. It may seem funny that God and Jesus both are
like mother hens, but when you are feeling like Chicken Little and your world seems
like it is falling apart, and the sky itself is falling, you have no greater joy than
running to the warmth and security of that mother’s breast.
Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me;
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
Under His wings--what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blest.
Under His wings--oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life's trials are o'er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
Resting in Jesus I'm safe evermore.
Here is the testimony of a Christian facing a negative situation and receiving this
verse from a friend. “My friend sent me Psalm 91 when I was waiting for surgery
and for some reason it calmed me down... I like verse 4...
He will cover you with his feathers,

14. and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Somehow I got this visual of being covered with God's feathers... and I felt safe and
protected.”
Someone wrote, "Because of the centrality of the “refuge” metaphor in Psalm 91, it
is important to recall, in the first place, that the term “refuge” is the root metaphor
for the LORD’s protective care, not only in Psalm 91 but also in the rest of the
Psalter. According to Gerald T. Sheppard, this pervasive metaphor in the Psalms
was first introduced in the beatitude of Psalm 2:12 (“Oh the happiness of those who
take refuge in him”) as “a theological thematizing” of the lament psalms that follows
in the Psalter. “To seek refuge in God” is, as Psalm 142:5 shows, a summary
reference to prayer:
“I cry to you, O LORD,
I say, ‘You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.’”
The image here is that of an eagle, or maybe a hen—in any case it's a picture of a
bird that senses danger and then protectively spreads its wings over its young. An
expert on birds once told me that this move is very common. A bird senses the
approach of a predator, or the threat of something falling from above, and
instinctively spreads out its wings like a canopy. Then the fledglings scuttle
underneath for shelter. The move is so instinctive that an adult bird will spread
those wings even when no fledglings are around!"
If you saw the film March of the Penguins, you know how unbelievable it was that
any creature could survive what they go through. They are able to keep warm
through the most miserable winters that anyone can imagine, and it is due to the
way God designed their feathers. An author who knows his Penguins writes, “To
keep warm in the frigid arctic waters, Emperors have a number of unique body
features. First, unlike most birds, they have a layer of insulating blubber under
their skin. In addition, their feathers are actually waterproof and denser than most
birds—approximately 70 feathers per square inch! Last but not least, between the
insulating blubber and the waterproof feathers, there is a layer of air right above
their skin. So, the heat from their bodies warms this layer, and their feathers shield
it from cold and water.”
Had God not given them this design, and their unique feathers, they would all
perish in a single winter. Their feathers and wings are images that mean life rather
than death, and that is what the feathers and wings of God represent to us as
believers. In this cold world where the winds of unbelief are always blowing and
freezing people out of the kingdom of God, we need the feathers of God’s loving
warmth and the shelter of his wings to survive. The bird image is strange and funny,
but when you grasp the meaning of them it is pure pleasure to have a Creator and
Savior who are like mother hens to us. Feathers are great for tickling someone and
making them laugh. We should be tickled by the feathers of God, for they can make

15. us laugh at all the dangers this world holds, for nothing can separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Another poet sees the feathers of God like a feather duster that can wipe away the
dust of the world from our lives. It is like the image of the washing of the feet that
have picked up the dust of the world as we walk through it.
“Brush me, O God,
with the feathers of your mercy,
for I am dusty with pettiness.
Day by day in fear
my heart collapses on itself.
My hours are gray with forgetfulness.
See — the coals of my love have already settled into ash.
Breathe me into new life,
that I may expand
in the amplitude of your love.” Author unknown
There is only the one isolated reference to the feathers of God, but there are far
more that deal with the wings of God. For example we read in Ruth 2:12 “May the
LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the
LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." These
words of Boaz to Ruth mean that anyone who becomes a part of the people of God
come under the wings of the God of Israel. It was a common proverb and saying
among the Jews, for this bird image of God was the greatest source of their sense of
security. The Jews used this phrase of coming under God’s wings to describe the
conversion of someone to Judaism. A gentile who comes to accept the God of Israel
is said to come under his wings. We would rather say that one who comes to trust in
Jesus as their Savior is born again, but it is not that different to say they have come
under the wings of God. Coming under the wings of God is, as we have described,
like a lost, cold and lonely little chicken finding the warmth of a new mother hen
who shelters him under her wings and makes it a part of her family of chicks. It is
like being born again into a new family with love and security. So coming under the
wings of God is basically the same thing as being born again. Ruth was born again,
for she came out of a world of pagan idols and put her trust in the God of Israel,
and she became a child of God.
Psalm 17:8 says, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your
wings.” This is the prayer of David as he faces the many enemies that would destroy
him. He is in desperate need of a place of refuge. He needs a place of security where
he can escape the enemies all around him who will take his life in violence. It is a
fearful situation to be in, and his only hope is that God will hide him in the shadow
of his wings. He is like a little chick which sees the vicious hawk flying over-head
and he knows that he is doomed unless mother hen will hide his weak little body
under her wings. The wings of God symbolize salvation, for no chick will be able to

16. survive without the saving wings of its mother.
Rev. Adrian Dieleman writes of a well known account of how a mother bird saved
her chicks. “An article in National Geographic several years ago provided this
penetrating picture. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers
began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a
bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a
tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.
When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.
The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to
the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing
that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to
abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had singed her small
body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those
under the cover of her wings would live.” In this true story we see the reality of
wings being a valid symbol of salvation. To come under God’s wings is to be
protected from what would otherwise destroy us. In a lost world the only safe place
is under His wings.
In Psalm 36:7 we see the wings of God are broad enough to shelter all who will
come. “How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find
refuge in the shadow of your wings.” There is room for all classes of people without
discrimination. Kings need the shelter, comfort, and security just as much as
servants, and it is king David who knows this better than anyone. He had to face
enemies all his life, and he needed a hiding place where he could feel secure and
protected, and he found it, not in his palace, but under the wings of God.
"Under these wings, therefore, four blessings are conferred upon us. For under
these we are concealed:under these we are protected from the attack of the hawks
and kites, which are the powers of the air: under these a salubrious shade refreshes
us, and wards off the overpowering heat of the sun; under these, also we are
nourished and cherished." Bernard.
Three other texts deal with the place of shelter in the shadow of God’s wings, and
they are:
Psalm 57:1 NIV
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will
take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
Psalm 61:4 NIV
I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Selah
Psalm 63:7 NIV
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
Here is a man who says he sings

17. When in the shadow of God's wings.
For there he feels safe and cool.
To leave this security he would be a fool.
All of this was motivated by the bird image of Gen. 1:2 where God begins the story
of creation by representing himself as a mother bird hovering over the dark waters
of chaos. It is a funny way to begin, but as we have pursued it we discover it is one of
the most comforting images we have of God. His wings become a common image for
comfort and support. Many have rested their weary head on the feathered pillow on
their bed. Come unto me and rest is the message of the feathers of God, and his
wings provoke other images as we see in some poetry.
His plumes shall make a downie bed,
here thou shalt rest; He shall display
His wings of truth over thy head,
Which, like a shield, shall drive away
The fears of night, the darts of day. Thomas Caryl.
The little poem of John Bunyan uses wings to define the difference between the Old
law and the New grace.
Run, John, run, the law commands
But gives us neither feet nor hands,
Far better news the gospel brings:
It bids us fly and gives us wings.
Another image of the wings is that of security and adventure.
And He will raise you up on eagles' wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of His hand.
John Gillespie Magee Jr.
1922-1941
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things
you have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
high in the sunlit silence. Hovr'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

18. my eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up, the long, delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
the high untrespassed sanctity of space,
put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
3. FEMININE IMPLICATIONS.
THE FEMININE SIDE OF GOD.
We tend to think of God as a male. The man upstairs is heard frequently, but I
never have heard anyone refer to the woman upstairs. The fatherhood of God is a
common statement, but how often do we hear of the motherhood of God? The Our
Father is the most famous prayer on earth, but there is no Our Mother prayer.The
masculinity of God is assumed, but here in this bird image of a mother bird
sheltering her chicks we have a feminine image of God. Genesis goes on to say God
created both male and female in his image, and so God’s being has both male and
female aspects, and I find this somewhat humorous because the feminine side of
God is so seldom thought of as a reality. I want to explore this further for there are
other humorous aspects of this side of God. You have to admit that it seems funny to
conceive of God as both male and female. It is hard to get such an image in our
minds. But Scripture makes it clear that God is both, and modern studies make it
clear that the ideal person among humans is also one who has the balance of both
male and female. Of course, we are not to think of God as having any physical
resemblance to male or female. In Deut. 4:16 it is forbidden to make any image of
God in the likeness of either male or female. It says, "Lest ye corrupt yourselves,
and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or
female." God is spirit, but his spirit has both male and female qualities and
attributes, and this is to be true in the life of every believer for a balanced life. The
following two paragraphs represent contemporary thinking on this issue.
“Dr. Janet Spence and Dr. Robert Helmreich, both professors of psychology at the
University of Texas have produced a book called Masculinity And Femininity. In
this book they demonstrate by massive evidence that the ideal personality is neither
masculine nor feminine, but a proper balance of both. The woman who is too
feminine becomes too passive and dependent, and the man who is too masculine
becomes so aggressive and competitive he loses his concern and compassion for
others. Both sexes have the capacity to learn from each other, and balance out each

19. other. Male and female become one whole, not just physically in sex but
psychologically as they take on the good qualities of each other. Jesus was the
perfect man because He had the perfect balance of the male and female virtues. He
did not hesitate to portray his love and compassion to be like that of a mother hen
for her chicks. Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets
and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
Balance is the key. A man who has the right balance will be a more loving and
affectionate friend. If he becomes to feminine then he becomes homosexual and has
a distorted and out of balance personality. The leading minds in psychology say
that the male and female principles co-exist in every person and must be balanced
for persons to have a healthy personality. If one or the other becomes totally
dominant it is destructive. In their book they show by elaborate tests that those who
had a balance of both sexes had the highest sense of self-esteem, and those who felt
neither masculine nor feminine had the lowest self-esteem. The point is, you cannot
fulfill God’s command of loving yourself and your neighbor as yourself without a
balance of the male and female virtues. Men need the example of feminine
discipleship, and women need the example of masculine discipleship. Where there is
only one or the other there is a deficient form of Christianity.” The Christian view
of God made progress over the Jewish view that was restrictive of the feminine side
of God. In fact, the Jewish theologians blocked this aspect of God from their
thinking.
Ron Rhodes gives us some insight into how early Jewish scholars thought about the
female of the species. They did at least include them in the same species, but that is
about as far as their hearts would let them go. He writes, “The woman is "in all
things inferior to the man," said first century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.
Rabbi Judah, a contemporary of Josephus, said "a man must pronounce three
blessings each day: 'Blessed be the Lord who did not make me a heathen; blessed be
he who did not make me a woman; blessed be he who did not make me an
uneducated person.'"
Jewish Rabbis in the first century were encouraged not to teach or even to speak
with women. Jewish wisdom literature tells us that "he that talks much with
womankind brings evil upon himself and neglects the study of the Law and at the
last will inherit Gehenna [hell]." One reason for the avoidance of women was the
belief that they could lead men astray: "From garments cometh a moth and from a
woman the iniquities of a man" (Ecclus. 42:13). Indeed, men were often viewed as
intrinsically better than women, for "better is the iniquity of a man than a woman
doing a good turn" (Ecclus. 42:14). In view of this low status of women, it is not
surprising that they enjoyed few legal rights in Jewish society. Women were not
even allowed to give evidence in a court of law. Moreover, according to the rabbinic
school that followed Rabbi Hillel, a man could legally divorce his wife if she burned
his dinner.”

20. Part of the humor of this whole issue is how men have tried to ignore and hide the
fact that God is female as well as male. It interferes tremendously with his ego that
demands that he feel superior to females. This is based on the macho feeling that he
is stronger than women and power becomes the final measure of value. If all you
want is a God of power then the male image is adequate, but what if you also want a
God of love and compassion? If that is the case, then you have to include the
feminine side of God to have the full picture. Those who think that the might is right
philosophy is the ultimate will not want to mess with the male image of God, and so
they become anti-feminine in order to boost their status. This was a part of Jewish
history.
What this means is that feminine theologians have done us a great favor in pointing
out that the Bible does reveal God to be both male and female, and that we need the
female aspect to have a full view of God, which make him a complete person with all
of the positive attributes that make him the pattern for humans made in his likeness.
God would lack balance if he did not have both male and female characteristics, and
being he is perfect, he has to have that balance. God can be seen as an aggressive
male warrior, but also as a sympathetic female midwife, or mother showing tender
care for babies. There is a harsh and rugged side of God, but also a soft and tender
side. This balance gives us a God of justice and a God of mercy all in one package,
and the world needs just such a God. Without this balance even God becomes a
problem rather than a solution.
The humorous aspect of God being both masculine and feminine is that it gives us a
paradoxical picture of God functioning as mother and father. We know the
Fatherhood of God so clearly that it is difficult to grasp the motherhood aspect of
his being, and it is somewhat shocking when we do. God clearly plays the role of a
mother in Isa. 66:13 "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you . . ."
The Amplified Bible leaves no doubt as to how its scholars interpret the words
immediately prior to these: Isa. 66:12 "For thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will extend
peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
you shall be nursed, you shall be carried on her hip, and be trotted on her [God’s
maternal] knees." In Deut. 32:18 God is seen as both father and mother to Israel.
"You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you
birth." To father or beget is the male image, but to give birth is the female image.
Jewish theologians give us an insight into how they see God portrayed as both male
and female.
"* There are masculine names of God and feminine ones. For example, the name
Elokim usually associated with God's attribute of justice is masculine, while
Shechinah, a name that evokes God's presence in a close and intimate way, is
feminine.
* In the Midrash, God is sometimes referred to as groom with the Jewish people as
his bride and at other times (e.g., Friday night Sabbath prayer service) God is
presented as bride.

21. * Images of God as father and God as mother are found throughout Torah and
Jewish tradition.
* God embodies the ideals, the perfection of both mother and father -- unconditional
love, infinite patience, strength, support."
The surprising thing, and therefore humorous, is that God is portrayed as having
both breasts and a womb. It makes sense that it is so, for he is the source of our
birth and of our nourishment for life. Let me share with you the Scofield Reverence
Notes that go into detail on the breasts of God and the significance of this metaphor.
"Almighty God" (Heb. El Shaddai)
(1) The etymological signification of Almighty God (El Shaddai) is both interesting
and touching. God (El) signifies the "Strong One" (See Scofield "Genesis 1:1") . The
qualifying word Shaddai is formed from the Hebrew word "shad," the breast,
invariably used in Scripture for a woman's breast; e.g. Genesis 49:25; Job 3:12;
Psalms 22:9; Song of Solomon 1:13; 4:5; Song of Solomon 7:3,7,8; 8:1,8,10; Isaiah
28:9; Ezekiel 16:7. Shaddai therefore means primarily "the breasted." God is
"Shaddai," because He is the Nourisher, the Strength-giver, and so, in a secondary
sense, the Satisfier, who pours himself into believing lives. As a fretful, unsatisfied
babe is not only strengthened and nourished from the mother's breast, but also is
quieted, rested, satisfied, so El Shaddai is that name of God which sets Him forth as
the Strength-giver and Satisfier of His people. It is on every account to be regretted
that "Shaddai" was translated "Almighty." The primary name El or Elohim
sufficiently signifies almightiness. "All-sufficient" would far better express both the
Hebrew meaning and the characteristic use of the name in Scripture.
(2) Almighty God (El Shaddai) not only enriches, but makes fruitful. This is
nowhere better illustrated than in the first occurrence of the name Genesis 17:1-8.
To a man ninety-nine years of age, and "as good as dead" Hebrews 11:12. He said:
"I am the Almighty God El Shaddai . . . I will . . . multiply thee exceedingly." To the
same purport is the use of the name in Genesis 28:3,4.
(3) As Giver of fruitfulness, Almighty God (El Shaddai) chastens His people. For the
moral connection of chastening with fruit bearing, see John 15:2; Hebrews 12:10;
Ruth 1:20. Hence, Almighty is the characteristic name of God in Job, occurring
thirty-one times in that book. The hand of El Shaddai falls upon Job, the best man
of his time, not in judgment, but in purifying unto greater fruitfulness Job 5:17-25."
God is the Great Nourisher, and the Word of God is the milk of his breast that
sustains life in the spirit of the believer. 1 Peter 2:2 says, "Like newborn babies,
crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." When
we do not drink of that life giving milk we dry up and cease to grow. There is good
reason the Bible is so filled with stories of feeding people. Taking nourishment is
essential for body, mind and spirit, and God supplies the food necessary for the
growth of all three. Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan has a book out called, God Speaks to
Us in Feeding Stories. It is all about how God feeds us, and it is illustrated by studies
of feeding events in the Bible. The table of contents gives you the idea.

22. * God Gives Bread from Heaven (Exod 16:3-36)
* David and the Holy Bread (1 Sam 21:2-8)
* God Feeds Elijah, the Woman, and Her Child (1 Kgs 17:1-18:3)
* God Sends Elisha to Feed the Crowd (2 Kgs 2:9-13; 4:42-44)
* Jesus Changes Water into Wine (John 2:1-12)
* Jesus Feeds the People in the Desert (Matt 14:13-21; Mark 6:34-44; Luke 9:10-
17; John 6:1-15)
* The Lord's Supper (Matt 26:26-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-20)
* Jesus Cooks for His Friends (John 21:1-4)
This is only a fraction of the feeding events in the Bible, but it gives you a taste of
how God is constantly being a nourisher of his children with physical, mental and
spiritual food. We usually think of women being the food givers to the children, but
God gladly takes on this image of the mother nourishing her babes.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow "And if we look back at all the blessings in which Shaddai is
over and over invoked, they are about fruitfulness and fertility. God is seen as
Infinite Mother, pouring forth blessings from the Breasts Above and the Womb
Below, from the heavens that pour forth nourishing rain, from the ocean deeps that
birth new life. In the Aleinu prayer, we envision a glorious future by chanting the
phrase, "Letakken olam bemalkhut Shaddai." In the past we have understood this
as: "To heal the world in the Kingship of the Almighty." But now we can draw on
"Shaddai" as the Breasted One, and hear ourselves call out: "To heal the world
through the Majesty of Nurture."
William Branham wrote in the next few paragraphs, "Now, after Abraham, when
he was ninety and nine, we come now to 17th chapter, the next chapter of Genesis.
And God appeared to him again. And when He appeared to him this time, He
appeared to him in the Name of Almighty God. The Hebrew word there is El
Shaddai, which means... "El" means "God, the strong One" from Genesis 3, "the
strong One." "El", "God, the Life Giver." "Shad, S-h-a-d," means, "breast, like the
woman." "Shaddai" means, "breasted," plural. And God appeared to Abraham in
the Name of God, the strong breasted One.
What a thing to appear to an old man a hundred years old, and his body as good as
dead, after He had made him a promise that he was going to have a baby by his wife
Sarah, and her ninety. Think of it. Now, what a promise. "Abraham, you are old.
You--your strength is gone. And for the last twenty-five years you've trusted Me.
But now I want to tell you what my Name is. My Name is the breasted One, the
strong One. I--I'm the breasted God." Now, watch. Not "a breast God," but
"breasted" both for spirit and body: Wounded for our transgressions, with His
stripes we were healed. The breasted One, the strong One, the strength Giver...
You take a little baby, when it's weak, and run down, and dying. The mother takes
the little baby in her arms, lays it up to her breast. The little fellow's fretting and
crying. But just as soon as it begins to nurse on the mother, what's it doing? It's

23. pulling the mother's strength into its own body. It quits crying, starts laughing. It's
satisfied. And God, when a believer can take a hold of God's promise, God, through
Christ, pours His strength into the believer's body. And while he's recuperating,
he's satisfied. Hallelujah! The believer, nursing from the Word, the breasted One,
the New Testament and the Old Testament, nursing from God's promise. As he
takes God's promise of healing, salvation, whatever it is, he's laying on the bosoms
of God just as satisfied as he can be. Nobody can shake him away from there. He's
holding on for dear life and nursing God's strength into his body. Hallelujah!
Oh, I'm so glad to know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. He feeds His little ones, pours His strength
into His believers through His Word. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Then when the believer
comes, he comes up to El Shaddai, and he leans upon His bosom, and he just draws
His--he draws God's strength right into his own body by believing His Word. Oh,
blessed be the Name of the Lord."
It is folly to deny God any role in our lives, for he is truly everything to us in one
way or another. This poem gives you that impression:
“I am the Almighty God (El Shaddai).”—Genesis 17:1
Oh what is Jehovah El Shaddai to me?
My Lord, God and Saviour, Immanuel, He;
My Prophet, Priest, Sacrifice, Altar and Lamb;
Judge, Advocate, Surety and Witness, I AM;
My Peace and my Life, my Truth and my Way;
My Leader, my Teacher, my Hope and my Stay;
Redeemer and Ransom, Atonement and Friend;
He’s Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End.
Yea, more is Jehovah El Shaddai beside---
Avenger and Shepherd, and Keeper and Guide;
My Horn of Salvation, my Captain in war,
My Dayspring, my Sun, and my Bright Morning Star;
My Wonderful, Counselor, Wisdom and Light;
My Shadow by day, and my Beacon by night;
Pearl, Ornament, Diadem, Treasure untold;
My Strength and my Sun, in Him I behold.
All this is Jehovah Ropheka and more—
My Bread and my Water, my Dwelling, my Door,
My Branch and my Vine, my Lily and Rose;
Rock, Hiding Place, Refuge, Shield, Covert, Repose;
My sure Resurrection, my Glory above;
My King in His beauty, my Bridegroom, my Love;
My all and in all in Christ Jesus I see,
For God hath made Him to be all things to me.

24. Now say to Thy soul, “What is He to thee?”
---------------------------------John H. Sammis
It would take a book to deal in depth with all the verses that give us a feminine side
of God, and so I will just list the key texts here and give brief remarks.
Genesis 1:27: "God created man in his image and likeness; male and female he
created them." The feminine is as much a part of the image of God as the masculine.
Both are made in God's image, and so the image of God is not complete until you
include both the feminine and masculine. If some argue that woman was taken out
of man, it does not change anything, for if man is made in the image of God and
woman is made in the image of man, then she is made in the image of one made in
the image of God and is thereby also made in the image of God. But the text of the
Bible makes it clear that God made both in his image.
Genesis 5:2, "He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named
them Man in the day when they were created." Man is God's name for both
the male and female. It is man who is made in the image of God, and man is both
male and female. To say that the feminine is not part of the image of God is to make
the feminine temporal and not eternal. What is feminine will only be for time and
not eternity, and so there would be nothing feminine in heaven. This is clearly false
thinking, for the whole people of God are called the Bride of Christ, and heaven
begins with the wedding supper of the Lamb. The feminine is a major image of the
eternal bliss believers will share with their Redeemer for all eternity. All that is
beautiful about both the feminine and masculine will be everlasting, for they are all
part of the image of God that will never pass away.
The Lord, for example, is portrayed as a nursing mother (Isa. 49:15), midwife (Ps.
22:9-10), and a female homemaker (Ps. 123:2). Check these texts in Deut. 32:18, Isa.
49:15 and 42:13-14, 66:13 Matt. 23:37, and James 1:17-18. the Holy Spirit gives us
new birth and this is the function of the feminine side of God. First, the God of the
Bible is not male in any sense. God is not a sexual being. Jesus taught that God is
spirit (John 4:24) and not one who brings things into existence through procreation.
God is not to be represented as either a male or a female (Exodus 20:4;
Deuteronomy 4:16). Nevertheless, the Bible uses feminine imagery when it speaks of
God as giving birth to Israel (Deuteronomy 32:18) and the Christian (James 1:18).
Jesus said he longed to gather rebellious Israel to himself as a mother hen gathers
her chicks (Matthew 23:37-39). These kinds of metaphors reveal that although God
is not a sexual being, he possesses all the qualities that we appreciate in both men
and women, because God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).
There is no doubt that God is like a mother in many ways. In Genesis 1:1 he is
brooding over the creation like a mother hen. In Isaiah 49:15 his compassion and
love are like a mother with a child at her breast, and in Isaiah 66:13 it says, "As a
mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you_"

25. The context of this verse goes back to Isa. 66:10 and says, ""Rejoice with
Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you
who mourn over her; That ye may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling
breasts; that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance and
brightness of her glory. For this is what the Lord says: I will extend peace to her like
a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be
carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so
will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."God is depicting
Jerusalem as a well loved nursing mother; a mother who provides nourishment and
comfort from her breast. He says the people should be delighted with Jerusalem the
way a baby enjoys the suckling and sustenance from his mother. God promises
peace and glory to her so that the people will have their physical needs met as a
baby does when nursed, they will have security as a baby who is carried on his
mother's hip, and they will have joy as a baby does when it is played with in his
mother's lap. God used the word GLORY to symbolize breastmilk! God clearly
has an appreciation for mothers who show their love and compassion for their
babies through close physical contact that includes breastfeeding, being carried, and
play. When a child nurses, his spirit is being fed as well as his body, and he is
learning the character, and affection of God.
God is imaged as having a womb: Isaiah 46:3 "Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly,
which are carried from the womb" (KJV), and in labor in Isaiah 42:14, "For a long
time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out
like a woman in labor, I will gasp and pant" (NRSV). And lest one think only Isaiah
has images of God as a Mother, note that in Hosea 13:8 God is pictured as a mother
bear protecting her cubs and in Luke 13:34 as a hen gathering chicks, both
maternal acts. The goal of God is to have a family of many children of all kinds from
every tribe, tongue and nation. Ponder these words from the lips of God: Isaiah
66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you . . .
The Interpreter's Bible Dictionary sees it as highly significant that the Hebrew term
for the uniquely female organ, the uterus (womb), is used in the original Scriptures
to describe God's compassion. God's wisdom is obviously an integral, eternal aspect
of God. Scripture frequently speaks of this highly rated aspect of God's character as
if it were a person. Scholars believe John's concept of the Logos, the Word that was
God and became flesh (John 1:1-14) was derived from the Old Testament
understanding of Wisdom as much, probably more, than from the Greek idea of
Logos. And yet Wisdom, the one before whom are riches and honor and
righteousness (Proverbs 8:18) and who shared with God in the creation of all things
(Proverbs 8:27-31) is consistently given a female gender in Proverbs and by Jesus
(Proverbs 1:20; 4:6; 8:1,11; 9:1; 14:33; Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:35).
In the New Testament we also find feminine images of God. There is that familiar
story of the encounter of Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus asks, "What must I do to

26. be saved?" And Jesus says, "You must be born from above." The image Jesus
employs is that of God, giving birth to Nicodemus. It is an image of God as mother
of the newborn Christian! The Bible uses many names and a multitude of
metaphors for God; and in so doing, preserves the mystery of God. God is like a
housewife, seeking something she has lost; like a shepherd, going after a stray; like a
mother, feeding her infant. But, obviously, God is not literally father, mother,
shepherd, or homemaker. God is so much more than any of these names or images
can possibly encompass. So using many names gives insight into the complex nature
of God; but also preserves the mystery and majesty of God, who is always finally
beyond our ability to fully understand or describe.
HOLY SPIRIT
It would appear that God the Father is neither sex, but that this is balanced out by
the Son being male and the Holy Spirit being female. You have the external visible
God to correspond to the visible sex organs of the male and the invisible organs of
the female represent the hidden or invisible God of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom and
the Holy Spirit are in the feminine form, and the first view of the Spirit is like a
mother eagle hovering over her young in creation. When we study the external
nature of God we focus on the male image, but when we look at the internal nature
of God we focus on the female side. Wisdom is feminine in Proverbs 8 and 9, and is
associated with the Holy Spirit. You have Father and Son, and many feel it is logical
that the Holy Spirit be the mother aspect of this Triune family of the Godhead. The
church is the bride of Christ, and the bride is all in whom the feminine Holy Spirit
resides. The male believer is filled with the feminine Spirit and becomes a part of the
bride.
Ron Rhodes has some paragraphs that deal with an interesting historical reference
to the motherhood of God. He writes, "When world leaders were working out the
Camp David Accords, each referred to God's care as a motive for negotiation. Sadat
spoke of a little ant on a huge black stone, which God sees and cares for. Bagin and
Carter quoted their traditions: how God never forgets his covenant with his people;
and how the hairs of our heads are all numbered. Pope John Paul I, whose brief
reign was to end a few days later, picked up the theme at his Sunday blessing: "I
share the sentiments [of the world leaders]; each and every one of us is an object of
God's undying love. We know that God's eyes are always upon us, even when things
seem very bleak. God is, indeed, our father." "Even more," he continued, "God is
our mother - not wanting to hurt us, but only to do good for us, all of us. If children
are ill, they have additional claim to their mother's love. And we too, if by chance we
as a society are sick or are on the wrong track, have yet another claim to God's
love."
These words stunned the world. Was the pope infected by feminist theology? No. He
was reclaiming a truth often ignored: God, whose mystery creates both male and
female in the divine image, can be spoken of in metaphors derived from either sex.
The pope's remarks connect speech about God with a mother's typical experience
with a sick child, signifying that God keeps maternal vigil during the long night of

27. human sickness.
How beautiful! We need that image in our wounded world right now. Why then do
Christians fear feminine images for God? Because we rarely hear them. Because
omitting maternal imagery in official speech about God is a hallmark of Western
and Eastern Christianity, at least since the Nicene Creed became the official
summation of our beliefs: "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty..."
Every image in the Creed is masculine, thus obscuring our own ancient traditions.
Jesus uses feminine images for God: comparing God to a midwife, an old woman
sweeping the house in search of a lost coin, and a woman crying out in labor. In fact,
scripture contains a riotous melee of images in its attempt to express the mystery of
God: wisdom, liberator, judge, rock, father. These are, of course, all metaphors. But
a metaphor is far more than a simple illustration. It says something that can be said
in no other way. It retains the tension of the "is and is not". God is our rock, yet
God is not a physical rock. God is our father. And yet God is not our biological
father. God is our mother, but God is not a female."