Eagles and God
The imagery God uses to describe His nature and the way He works on this earth is so remarkable. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used the imagery of God’s careful attention to the lily of the field. His clothing of a lily whose “lifespan” is so brief is God’s assurance He will cloth us. In that sermon, He talked of God’s care for birds who make no provision like sowing and reaping, yet God is still so involved in their lives. God has placed in His creations imagery that helps us understand Him.
Consider God’s imagery regarding eagles.
Take as example of this truth His creation of the eagles. Solomon, the wisest man of the Old Testament, mentions four things which far surpass his ability to comprehend. Heading that list is “…the way of an eagle in the air” (Prov. 30:19). For thousands of years, men have watched birds soaring in the air. Yet, it was only about a hundred years ago that mankind began to fly. The majesty of the eagle is so remarkable.
When God brought the Jews from Egyptian bondage He manifested His power. His ten plagues of judgment on the Egyptians brought more devastation on Egypt than we can begin to imagine. The mightiest power of that time was driven to its knees as the holocaust from heaven destroyed their lives. They even lost their precious jewels and gold, yet not a single battle was fought. When they arrived at Mt. Sinai, God said to them, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you unto Myself” (Ex. 19:4). The imagery is not of them being plucked by an eagle with its talons and snatching them from bondage but of them soaring out of that land on the wings of a majestic eagle.
In the last month of Moses’ life, he taught Israel to sing the song of Moses. In the early verses of that song, they sang of God’s concern for His people as shown in their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. The song describes how the eagles of that land taught the young eagles to fly. The older eagles fluttered over the nest and urged the eaglets to leave the safety of that nest. If and when they wearied in flight, they could find rest on the wings of their parents (Deut. 32:11). This is how those young eagles learn to soar. This is also how He deals with us.
The application of this imagery is so vivid in our lives. His eyes are over us, and His ears are open to our prayers. He knows our needs before we ask, and He promises to answer our fervent prayers. As the eagle takes its young and places them on its back, so He takes us. He promises that “…those who wait on the Lord shall…mount up with wings like eagles” (Isa. 40:31).