Should we take every expression in the Bible literally? Interpreters have always recognized that some expressions in Scripture are not intended to be taken literally, since the obvious meaning is a figurative one. For example, when the Book of Isaiah states that “the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear” (59:1), interpreters acknowledge this as a figurative expression that doesn’t imply that God has a literal arm or ear. And obviously, when Genesis portrays people as being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) this doesn’t mean that people are visually modeled after the deity, but rather that their human functioning is in some sense patterned after the way God functions, exercising dominion over the earth.
Portions of the Bible that are poetic (e.g., the Psalms or writings of the prophets) or in dramatic form (e.g., the Revelation to John) may not be candidates for a literal interpretation. The astute interpreter makes a judgment about what type of literature is in question before deciding what can be taken literally and what is symbolic, analogical, or figurative.
Nevertheless, there are some expressions in the Bible where what seems to be a figurative expression — and is usually taken as such — may indeed have a literal referent. When such expressions are taken literally, a new insight into the meaning of he passage may emerge. Here I am exploring two such expressions, one from the Hebrew Scriptures and one from the Gospels.
First, a believer may speak of being nurtured by the Lord “beneath the shelter of his wings.” The meaning is that the believer senses the protection and blessing of the Lord in the course of his life, as in the promise of Psalm 91:4, “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” In using this expression we would not visualize God as some gigantic fowl with literal wings.
Nevertheless, in Psalm 61:4 the worshiper prays, “Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” Here, the “wings” of the Lord are located in a specific place, the “tent” or tabernacle where the presence of the Lord is most intensely manifested. The reference is clearly to the ark of the covenant, which was set in the most holy place of the tabernacle of the wilderness, later in the Temple of Solomon. The “wings” are the literal wings of the cherubim, the guardian figures of hammered gold which faced one another above the ark as in Exodus 37:9, “The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.” While it is said that the high priest alone would enter the Holy of Holies annually on the Day of Atonement, there is evidence that at times the ark was removed and returned in procession to the sanctuary (e.g., Psalm 24), so other worshipers would be familiar with its appearance.
Recognizing the literal implication of the phrase “beneath the shelter of his wings” adds an important nuance to this expression. It’s not enough for the believer to have some sort of personal, but nebulous, assurance of enjoying the presence and protection of the Lord. Rather, this sense of presence is specifically connected to the place of worship, where the Lord’s devotees have gathered to offer “a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15). Participation in the worshiping community is, or should be, the venue in which an individual believer experiences “the shelter of his wings.”
Turning to the New Testament, we find another expression that is always taken figuratively, but which has a literal geographic referent that most interpreters ignore. In Mark 11:23, Jesus tells his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” Obviously this “faith to remove mountains” (1 Corinthians 13:2) doesn’t refer to the use of supernatural earth-moving equipment, but to the ability of our faith to challenge difficult conditions encountered in Christian life and witness.
Nevertheless, there is a specific historical nuance to this statement by Jesus. When he states, “whoever says to this mountain,” to what mountain does he refer? The scene is Jerusalem, and the largest mountain in view is the Mount of Olives to the east of the city. But there is another mountain close by, not as prominent topographically but vastly more important theologically: the elevation we know as Mount Zion or, in context, the Temple mount that adjoined it.
A well-known passage in Isaiah (2:3, echoed in Micah 4:2) declares that “many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” It was the Lord’s intention that the worship of Israel should be the vehicle through which his righteous purposes would be extended from “his mountain” to all the world’s peoples. But, as is clear from the Gospel record, Jesus was acutely concerned that this hadn’t happened. Through his proclamation of the kingdom of God he sought to remind his Jewish contemporaries of God’s interest in reaching other nations, the “Gentiles,” as well. In cleansing the Temple of the activities that were blocking Gentile access (the vendors’ booths were crowding the Temple’s outer enclosure, the Court of the Gentiles), he reminded his listeners that the sanctuary in Zion was to be “a house of prayer for all the nations” (Matthew 11:17, quoting Isaiah 56:7).
In the Scriptures, especially the writings of Isaiah, the sea can stand for the Gentiles, the nations of the world (e.g., Isaiah 60:5, “the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you”). When Jesus speaks of the “mountain” being “thrown into the sea,” we can note a specific reference to extending the worship of the one righteous God to all nations, displacing their immoral polytheism. This was to be accomplished through the faithful witness of his followers, who carried the message of kingdom of God beyond its Jewish environment into the wider Mediterranean world and beyond.
So, while figuratively dwelling “beneath the shelter of his wings” and exercising “mountain-moving faith” are expressions describing the believer’s ideal life as a follower of Jesus, they have literal implications as well. Acknowledging the specific architectural and geographic references underlying these expressions can yield additional interpretive insights.
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