Covered by the Covenant Wings
Covered by the Covenant Wings.
“Then later, I passed by again and looked upon you. And behold, I saw that your time had come – you were now old enough for love and a lover. So I spread the wings (‘kanaph’) of My garment over you and covered your nakedness and shame. I gave you My sacred promise. I, Lord Yahweh, made a divine covenant of marriage with you, saying, ‘You will be Mine,’ and I took you as My own.” (Ezekiel 16:8).
Kanaph: The Hebrew word for “wings” used over 100 times in the Hebrew Bible which has a variety of meanings, often giving us a picture of God in action or revealing for us aspects of God’s character… the literal wings of a bird; the corners of a prayer shawl; the outer extremities of a garment; the outstretched wings of angels; the protective presence God as a refuge and shelter; the glorious rays coming out of the sun; the sudden swooping presence of judgment; the strength of God to rescue and deliver from danger.
Tallit: The square or rectangular garment with four corners that is used as a prayer shawl for faithful Jews and many Christians who want to follow the daily practice of Jesus. Per the commandment above, the tallit is required to have a knotted tassel, or fringe, hanging from each of the four corners. The tallit was usually white and made of wool or cotton linen. The four corners of the garment represented the four extremities of the earth, and point to God’s complete sovereignty over the world, His universal Kingship. The four dimensions of height, width, length and depth also reminds us of God’s eternal and unlimited love for us. The four corners of the tallit were called “wings” because when someone who is wearing a tallit raises his arms in prayer, the appearance is one of bird in flight.
Spreading the Wings of a Garment. There was an ancient Near East tradition adopted by the Hebrews regarding how a man was to propose marriage to a woman. He would pick up the corners, the “wings,” of his robe or outer garment and drape them over his intended spouse. Covering a woman with the edges or hem of his garment was an announcement similar to an engagement ring in modern times. The pious Jew would go one step further and didn’t use just any garment… He would take the wings of his tallit, his prayer shawl, and spread them over his betrothed to communicate his seriousness and the holiness of his intentions. Once a man covered his intended bride with his tallit, they were considered as good as married, promised to a future together as man and wife. This symbolic act revealed that this was a man who would protect his intended bride, would provide for her, and would remain faithful to her all their days.
Ezekiel 16. The context of this passage above is even more dramatic when seen in its context. This particular chapter came down through Jewish history as one of the most notorious passages in all of Scripture. It was so scandalous and shameful to the Jews that rabbi’s would not allow it to be translated or even read in public! Ezekiel in this Word from Yahweh goes into graphic detail, using vivid if not vulgar sexual language, to shock those in Jerusalem into a much-needed turnaround. The Lord wanted to explain in this poetic allegory, which became an extended metaphor, the realities of their betrayal to the divine Covenant established with them long ago. Ezekiel is reminding the people of Jerusalem of their abominations before Him, the despicable and disgusting acts of spiritual unfaithfulness after being blessed so profoundly down through their history. Ezekiel didn’t hold anything back as he described their chasing after pagan gods, sacrificing their children to the fire, participating in ritual prostitution, engaging in sexual perversions, and turning a blind eye in their laziness and pride to the needs of the poor. Ezekiel confronted them with how Yahweh called them out of the land of Canaan, how He graciously took pity on them in their humble state, and then initiated a ‘ketubah,’ a spiritual marriage covenant on Mt. Sinai with them which promised faithfulness and love and trust between them. It was at this time in Ezekiel’s poetic allegory of 16:1-14 that the poignant picture of Yahweh taking the corners of his prayer shawl and covering them in His marriage proposal. As the faithful husband to Israel, He then showered her with blessings, lavishing one undeserved gift upon her after another. Isn’t it amazing that, despite this spiritual unraveling of the Chosen People, the Lord Yahweh nonetheless seemed to be wooing Israel back to Him in this shameful passage, openly expressing His desire for her to return home to Him? Grace, pure grace.
“In the middle of the night, the man Boaz was startled awake and turned himself. What a surprise! There was a woman lying at his feet! So he asked her, ‘Who are you?’ And she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your handmaid. Spread the wings (‘kanaph’) of your garment over your handmaid, because you are my kinsman-redeemer.” (Ruth 3:9).
Role Reversal. Here we find a righteous foreign widow from Moab, technically a member of a Jewish family through marriage, asking a wealthy, highly esteemed Jewish man to marry her! By inviting Boaz to cover her with the corners of his tallit, Ruth is asking Boaz to take her in marriage. Ruth is banking on the fact that Boaz fulfills all the requirements of being her “goel,” her next of kin who is obligated to rescue her from poverty, marry her, and thus faithfully provide for her in a faithful covenant of love.
The Obligations of a Kinsman-Redeemer. To buy back; to restore; to recover by purchase; to perform the obligation of the next of kin; to put something back into its original condition; to repay a debt; to advocate for a relative if wrongly accused; the blood relative who will do what is needed for the kin if that person is unable to do it for himself. The term Go’el was used more generally to mean to rescue from captivity, to deliver from some type of confinement; to ransom from slavery; to bring justice to a loved one’s unjust situation.
The Kinsman Redeemer was obligated in the Hebrew community to do the following for a relative:
(1.) To purchase a brother’s freedom if serving as a “slave” or an indentured servant. If this brother was in dire poverty and hired himself out to a master as a working servant for an extended time, the Go’el was obligated to buy his brother back from the master’s employment to release him from his obligations.
(2.) To buy back the brother’s land if the brother had to lease his land to pay off debts. This was done in order to regain what was originally family property to keep it within the family for inheritance.
(3.) To enact vengeance on a brother’s death if it was the result of a murder. This is called being the “avenger of blood” (Gen. 9:5), which was offset by the establishment of “cities of refuge” throughout Israel. In those cities, vengeance could not be taken, and was a sanctuary protecting those who accidentally killed someone or who acted in self-defense. The Go’el was obligated to kill the murderer of his brother.
(4.) To marry a relative’s widow if that couple was childless. The go’el, the nearest kinsman, was obligated to produce a male heir for his deceased brother’s family. In that culture, they would continue producing children until a son was born, who would then be the guardian and breadwinner of the family.
Modern Versions of the ‘Spreading of the Wings.’ This ancient Jewish signal of a man’s intentions to marry a woman, what was essentially a marriage proposal, turned out to be a symbolic action that has remained an important part of the Jewish wedding ceremony to this day. The wings of the tallit can be found in the traditional “chuppah,” the wedding canopy or covering that involves hanging a large tallit over the couple during the ceremony. This sacred prayer shawl that remains above the heads of the couple throughout the ceremony is supported by four posts holding up the corners, or by friends of the couple holding the tallit corners up by themselves. This chuppah is accepted as a sign of the covenant of love between the husband and wife. Another popular tradition is that after the wedding vows, a large prayer shawl is wrapped around the shoulders of both husband and wife as they stand together, signifying their promises of faithfulness to each other. Finally, as a sign of the sacred covenant between them and the husband’s promise of faithfulness and love, the groom covers his new bride with his own personal tallit at the end of the ceremony. Under the Wings. What a powerful statement of commitment and love through thick and thin.