Under His Wings: A Closer Look at Two Overlooked Commandments
In addition to the well-known Ten Commandments, God gave more than 600 other instructions throughout the Old Testament. Among them are two commandments that recently stayed my mind and stirred my heart.
At first, I read these verses simply as rules—nothing more. But when I read again, I began to see a much deeper, spiritual meaning. The insight moved me, and I felt compelled to share it here.
These two commandments are found in Deuteronomy 22:6–7:
“If a bird’s nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.” — Deuteronomy 22:6
“You shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.” — Deuteronomy 22:7
Here, for a single situation, we’re given two instructions: “you shall not” and “you shall.” Both are dependent on specific conditions. That’s quite different from the Ten Commandments. For example, “You shall not murder” is absolute—there’s no version of it that becomes “you shall.”
But in this case, the instruction is conditional: don’t take the mother with the young, but once the mother is gone, you may take the young. It’s easy to ask, Why such a command? Is it really a big deal to wait until the mother bird flies off to find food before taking the young? Wouldn’t nature provide those moments anyway, maybe after a breeding season? Still, there’s something more going on here—something worth pausing and reflecting on.
Let’s take a short detour with a couple of familiar Bible questions:
- What is the shortest verse in the Bible? (You probably know it!)
- How many times did Jesus weep?
Scripture tells us Jesus wept in three distinct moments:
- At the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35),
- Over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41),
- In the Garden of Gethsemane (Hebrews 5:7).
Now, let’s come back to the heart of the topic, keeping those tears in mind. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus often stayed in nearby villages and walked to Jerusalem to minister. On one of those occasions, recorded in Luke 13:34, He looked upon the city and its people with a broken heart. He didn’t just lament—He gave a prophetic warning:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” — Luke 13:34
In the triumphal entry, when Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem, He wept and saying what going to happen to the children of Israel.
“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’ — Luke 19:41-44
This wasn’t just a moment of sorrow—it was the voice of deep love and longing. Jesus used the tender image of a hen gathering her chicks to describe His desire to shelter and protect the people of Jerusalem. This same parallel is said in Matthew 23:37.
History records what followed. In A.D. 70, under the Roman Emperor Titus, the Second Temple was destroyed, and Jerusalem was left in ruins. But it wasn’t only the buildings—it was devastation for the people themselves. And it didn’t stop there. From Titus to Hitler, and even to the brutal attacks on October 7, 2023, Israel has faced repeated waves of suffering. The deep wound remains: they rejected their Savior.
“You shall not take the mother with the young.”
“You shall surely let the mother go…” — Deuteronomy 22:6–7
These commandments are more than a rule about birds. They paint a picture. Just as the young are not to be taken with their mother, Israel was meant to remain under the protective wings of God. Spiritually, it reminds us that we too are meant to come under the shelter of our Savior. But as history shows, many missed that opportunity.
A Moment to Pray
Let’s pause here and pray together:
"Lord, we lift up Jerusalem and all of Israel to You. We pray for peace to rest upon the land, and for Your protection to cover its people. Give wisdom and strength to their leaders. May hearts be softened and turned toward You. In Jesus’ name, Amen."
What Do These Commandments Mean for Us Today?
By God’s grace, His wings of protection now extend to all of us. Through Jesus, we are invited to come under His care—not just physically, but spiritually. Let us come to know Him as our Savior, turning to Him in repentance and receiving His forgiveness.
That commandment about the mother bird and her young isn’t just about wildlife. It’s a picture of God’s tender care and our place under His covering. We are the young ones. Christ is the One who offers refuge. Let us live under His wings, in the safety of His grace.
Even though this commandment was given to the Israelites, and even though Jesus wept for Jerusalem and her children, history shows us something powerful and hopeful: Ruth, a Moabite woman, chose to come under God’s wings—and she was not turned away.
“The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” — Ruth 2:12
Ruth was a Moabite, descended from Lot and his eldest daughter. The Moabite people had been cursed because of their role in the sin and deception involving Balaam during Israel’s wilderness journey. But Ruth made a different choice.
Ruth 1:16 - “Your God will be my God.”
That was the moment she stepped into God’s covering—and everything changed. The blessing didn’t stop there. Ruth became part of the lineage of King David—and ultimately, part of the family line of Jesus Christ, the Savior.