Are You An Eagle Saint?

Earlene Davis

Isaiah 40:31

“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; and they shall walk, and not faint.” 

Waiting upon the Lord promises Spiritual strength to be eagle saints. I find it interesting to read scripture where the eagle is mentioned.

Ex. 19:4, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” Here the eagle symbolizes Jehovah God delivering Israel out of Egypt, calling attention to the grace of God as the aggressor in Israel’s redemption – carrying them through the Red Sea (a type of Calvary. Life and liberty was a type of resurrection. If God had not taken up their cause they would have remained in Egyptian bondage. They were defenceless and helpless. But Jehovah as the great Eagle, the mighty One, came to their help swooping down and bore them upon His wings just as the eagles do their offspring. He is our deliverer and Redeemer, the Lord Himself redeemed us by His death, carrying us down into death and judgment, and then up into life and resurrection in Himself.

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, and there was no strange god with him.” The thought here is of the mother eagle training her young. She teaches them to fly by throwing them out of their comfortable nest which forces them to use their wings or else they would fall to the ground. That danger causes them to make the effort. The lesson is not learned in a day, it is repeated again and again until they master the art of flying and soar upon the wind. This is how the Lord trains His children. He stirs up the nest, forcing us out of the baby stage. He allows trouble to come our way disciplining in the school of affliction. All the while teaching us to use our wings of faith so we can rise and soar above all danger, thus made spiritually strong. We grow in courage, zeal and knowledge, proving our kinship to the Lord Himself, the great Eagle.

II Sam. 1:23, “Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.” They  were mighty men and David loved them, giving this beautiful eulogy comparing them to the eagle, the king of birds. Their natural skill and beauty are traits manifested spiritually in the overcomers (strong, courageous, daring and swift like the eagle).

Job 39:27, “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?” It is God that puts the instinct in the eagle to fly high and make her nest far above the haunts of men. Likewise the overcoming saint soars and nest in the Rock, Christ Jesus. The overcoming life of Christ is the heritage of all saints.  We are of heavenly birth and our real home is above. We are just sojourners here. The eagle comes down from her lofty place sometimes, but the air is her element, as the heavenlies are our sphere – Eph. 2:6, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” 

Prov. 23:5, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” Yes, the eagle flies swift and far, just as do natural riches. This warning for us is to not set our hearts on transitory things. They can disappear and we will be disappointed. God is jealous of His people’s devotion and desires our hope and confidence be set upon Him. nothing in this world can be depended on. The Lord alone is the Rock. He cannot fail those who put their trust in Him.

Jer. 49:16, “Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.” Man’s pride sets himself up high in his own estimation, feeling secure as if no evil could befall him. Such pride is characteristic of Satan which is an abomination to the Lord. He is able to bring down the proud regardless of their exalted position. Our safe place is hiding under the wings of the great Eagle Himself.

Jer. 49:22, “Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.” This speaks of Christ as the Judge of all men.  As Judge, He shall fly down upon His enemies. The eagle illustrates this, being way up in the air spys a snake and he swoops down clutching him in his beak and rises with him in the air where the battle is fought. The reptile puts up a fight, but he looses. A beautiful picture of Christ, as the Seed of the woman, bruising the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). He gets the victory over all Satan’s seed who dares to dispute Him. Every enemy will be put under His feet (I Cor. 15:25-28).

Ezek. 1:10, “As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.” These symbolic figures represent the overcomers on earth. Those walking in all the light and doing the will of God. They are joined to the throne above and they go straight forward (V. 12), rolling along in perfect obedience to the throne.

Rev. 4:7, “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” Here the overcomers are seen in heaven, closely association with the throne and they have a prominent part in its judgment. 

Back to our text (Isa. 40:31) where the eagle speaks of the believer who waits upon the Lord. His strength is renewed, mounting up, soaring in the heavenlies. Our wings of faith lifting us up into the very presence of God. Where obstacles cannot hinder, every difficulty must give way before the Spirit of the Lord. Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strentheneth me.” May we remember that Christ is the true Eagle – both as Jehovah and as Man. He is the mighty overcomer. We can lay hold of His life and His strength and be renewed by His resurrection life of which we are partakers and go on from strength to strength.