"As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it." (Isaiah 31: 5)
When we think of a bird flying, we need to think of the bird's wings outstretched.
Wings spread abroad represent God's protection for us:
"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." (Psalm 91: 4)
A bird flying can speak of an ill-omen, but an omen which will not hurt us:
"As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come." (Proverbs 26: 2)
Birds in the Bible represent Jesus' sacrifice for us, too:
"1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: 3And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; 4Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:" (Leviticus 14: 1-4)
One bird was sacrificed in the cleansing ritual which followed the healing of a leper, and another bird was released for the Israelites to see.
The first bird's death speaks of Jesus Crucified for us. The second bird speaks of Christ's resurrection, the signal to all eternity that we are forever justified in Christ:
"25Who [Jesus] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4: 25)
So, when we look at the verse above in Isaiah, we read about the bird flying over the city of Jerusalem. We know that we are at peace with God because of what Jesus did for us (Romans 5: 1). Because the Father judged all our sin in His Son, we know that all punishment which we desere has passed over us and will never fall on us.
We are delivered because of Jesus, and we know that we are justified, made righteous (2 Corinthians 5: 21) because of Him.
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