"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How oft would I have gathered thee, under her wings, But ye would not!'' Of all the poetic references to birds in the Bible, the one that sinks deepest in my heart and recurs oftenest to my thought is that of Malachi. He was the last writer of the Old Testament and tried to summarize his impressions, in his own words to give "the burden of the word of the Lord" in four short serious chapters. After explaining his conclusions as to the purposes and provinces of the Creator, his heart surged hot with pulsing adoration and his crowning poetic thought took form in this promise of the Almighty, which to me is unsurpassed for beauty of poetic imagery among the poets of the nations: |