THE EAGLE
Anita Clark – PastorGrace Chapel, Carbondale, Kansas
“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31.
What a precious passage! The eagle is spoken of 35 times in Scripture. God really wants to impress us with this creature used as an example of victory and strength. We must learn to wait in fellowship with the Lord, and for the fruit of the Spirit to be manifested in our lives. Then we become mature in Christ and able to mount up on wings of faith, as eagles wings, and experience the strength of the Lord. Remember - the current of the wind holds the eagle suspended in the air, as is the hand of our God that sustains us. In Exodus 19:3-4, we see Moses going up to Mt. Sinai and the Lord called to him, “Thus shall thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself.” In V. 5, God says, “”...ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me.” The Lord God is so faithful to His people. He carries us when we are weak and needy.
In Psalms 91 we see a description of “the Most High,” (God) as a great bird. V.3 “surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler (Satan), and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” The rest of this chapter is so wonderful. It thrills our hearts and lifts us up above the shadows of our trials to know that our God loves us and is watching over us constantly as a great bird of prey. Psalms 17:8 says, “Keep me as the apple (pupil) of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.” He is faithfully watching over us, until we learn to fly above the trials of life.
In Proverbs 30:18-19 Solomon wrote about the eagle. “There be three things which are too wonderful for me.” “The way of an eagle in the air...” was the first example. How wondrous is the eagle riding upon the air currents, almost immobile, hardly any effort at all, marvelous and stupendous, gliding along. This speaks of our victory over trials and tests that almost would defeat us, but through the Lord’s strength, we “FLY” in victory. In Jeremiah 49:16 God speaks against Edom, using an example of the eagle, “that dwellest in the cleft of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: that makes a nest as an eagle.”
Some facts about the eagle represent how we as Eagles saints are triumphant:
1. The eagles nest is not in a low place, but high up on a Mt. Peak. Job 39:27, “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off..” This speaks of dwelling in victory in the heavenly places.
2. This place is unapproachable to man. Only God can hold us in the heights, with His arms of love surrounding us and holding us tight.
3. The eagles nest is built out of twigs- a strong framework and covered with moss and lamb’s wool and etc. The eagle puts thorns in the nest in upright position before they put the lamb’s wool to cover the roughness. The eagle gathers moss and plasters the inside till the thorns are covered so the eaglets are protected. Our safe place - how precious.
4. Feeding the young. Job 9:26 says, “as the eagle hasteth to the prey.”An eagle does not eat just any kind of old spoiled meat, as a vulture, but what she herself kills. She feeds her young bite size pieces just big enough. She instinctively knows how much and how often to feed the young. This is such a sweet picture of the Lord Jesus feeding His flock. He always knows exactly what we need. If we are very young in the Lord, He provides spiritual food to cause us to grow. However, as we begin to mature in Christ, He blesses us with depths of the Word of God. Praise the Lord our GREAT EAGLE! The Eagle also drinks fresh water and pours it in the baby’s mouths. Every believer in Christ can experience this wonderful happening. God wants us to grow up into Christ.
5. The Training of the Young - Deut.32:11-12, “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, So the Lord alone did lead him.” God knows exactly when the time has come to ‘stir up our nest.” The mother eagle scatters the moss and lamb skin, so the thorns stick up so baby birds won’t go back to the nest. When the eaglets are large enough, the mother pushes them off the cliff, compelling them to fly. If they begin to cry out, she swoops underneath them and gathers them up on her wide wings, then she drops them again - over and over. They finally get the idea or they die. If they achieve this - she takes them up very high, and they follow her. Isa. 58:14, “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD: and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth.”
6. Sometimes we become so taken up with life that we don’t put God first. So, He allows trials to work dependence upon Him. God may stir up our “nest.” When He does He always gives us power to overcome the circumstances. We learn that He is with us and letting us fly on His wings (His strength.) He wants us to grow out of babyhood spiritually, and become grown-up sons of God. He is very patient with us, although often times He allows trials and tests to get us to take that step of growth He wants us to have.
At their first attempts at flying, she supports them on the tip of her wing, encouraging, directing and aiding their feeble effort to longer and sublimer flights. So God takes the most tender and powerful care of His chosen people.”
