Isaiah 40:28-31
On Eagles’ Wings
The eagle is mentioned some 30 times in the Bible. Sometimes the
eagle is mentioned in relationship to prophecy. Often the eagle is
mentioned with judgment, but sometimes it is used as the symbol of
the child of God after he has become what the Lord wants him to be,
as it is here. Notice how God uses the eagle as a symbol of God’s
infused power and strength. Yet God associates that strength with the
Christian. Why?
Some 30 plus years ago, Richard Adkins, gave me a copy of a message.
The message was a copy of a copy. The preacher of that message never
identified himself in his message and tape only had "Eagle Message"
written on it. It was in very poor condition, and I had to strain to
understand it, but I was greatly encouraged by it. I preached that
message, almost thought for thought to our church a few weeks later.
In the years since, I have added a few thoughts to the message but it
is essentially another man’s sermon.
I have been told that the man who originally preached the eagle
message was probably Bobby Thompson, although I have not been able to
verify it as I have misplaced my copy of the tape.
Let me share some facts with you about the eagle:
1. There are many types of eagles. Here in the U.S., we have two
which are native, the Bald Eagle and the Golden Eagle.
2. In Israel, the place where these verses were written, there
are many other varieties including the Golden Eagle, the
White Tailed Eagle, the Eastern Imperial Eagle, the Great
Spotted Eagle, the Strep Eagle, the Tawny Eagle, and
others. Sadly, despite the large number of different breeds,
the eagle population in Israel is very small.
3. The eagle is in the air what the lion is in the jungle. He
is king.
a. There is no bird which flies as high,
b. that moves as swiftly,
c. that is as strong, or
d. or that loves as dearly as the eagle.
e. Those four characteristics which set the eagle a part
from other birds and are mentioned in the Bible.
4. The eagle was built for height.
a. The eagle flies high
(1) Eagle can fly between 1 and 2 miles high, although
one source says they have been spotted as high as
25,000 feet.
(2) At that height, ice would be forming on their wings
as they fly.
b. The eagle lives high.
(1) The eagle will build his nest in the highest tree or
on the highest cliff that he can find.
(2) The only requirement an eagle has before he will
built his nest is that he must be able to see
clearly in all directions - no obstructions.
5. The eagle has some of the most powerful eyesight of any
creature that God created. The eagle can see three to four
times farther than a human. From 5,000 feet, the eagle can
see a rabbit running along the ground. He can spot another
eagle soaring from fifty miles away.
6. The eagle is swift! It can descend from a height of 2 miles
in 40 seconds. That is a descending rate of over 185
mph. While the cursing speed of an eagle is around 30 to 35
mph, they have been observed moving at over 130 mph.
7. Eagles live a long life. At the time the original sermon was
preached (probably the early 1980’s), the oldest known eagle
in captivity was at an eagle sanctuary. It was 128 years
old. The eagle had lived through 3 generations of
caretakers, being in the care of the grandson of the man
who originally started the eagle sanctuary.
8. The eagle has been a symbol of power through history.
a. Over 5,000 years ago, the Sumerians took the eagle with
his wings spread out as their symbol.
b. The Persians used the eagle as their nation symbol.
c. The Persians were conquered by the Romans, who even though
they were the conquerors, likewise took the eagle as
their national symbol.
d. Napoleon Bonaparte used the golden eagle as his emblem.
e. In Germany’s days of world dominance, they also claimed
the eagle as their mascot.
f. And of course, in 1782, the United States took the Bald
Eagle for its national emblem.
g. The reason the eagle keeps coming up in history is because
it speaks of majesty and royalty. The eagle is a regal
animal as God intends His people would be regal in their
walk with Him.
I. The Height of the Eagle
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.
A The eagle loves height.
1. In this text, God is issuing judgment on Edom. Edom
was a mountain people who like to dwell in the high
mountains. They thought it made them invincible, and
it did against many earthy armies.
2. God uses the eagle as an illustration of these people.
They, like the eagle, loved to dwell in high places.
3. The fact here that we want to draw is that the eagle
likes to dwell high.
B. The eagle likes height because that is the way God made
him. From the time he is born, that is its nature.
1. An eagle is not satisfied with feet on the ground.
That is just not the way that God made him. The
eagle must be high to be happy - and so must we!
2. God didn’t make Christians to cluck like chickens on
the ground or to dig furrows under the earth like
the snake, but to soar high above all things - in
the heavens!
C. You can see the eagle was built for height by his eyes.
1. What would an eagle be on the ground? He’d be a MESS!
2. The eagle builds his nest high and with a clear view
so that he can see for miles, but eyes that are made
to see for miles can not see that far when the eagle
is grounded.
a. Instead, the earth and its foliage gets in the way.
b. When Christians get up high, they can see clearly
the hand of God.
c. Down on the ground they can not see over the
mountain or around the tree.
d. When we loose perspective, that is a sign that we
are flying too low!
D. You can see the eagle was built for height by his body.
1. Strong, long wings that help the eagle in the air
would be a hindrance on the ground!
2. The Golden Eagle has a average body size of 30 to 34
inches, but a wingspan of seven feet.
3. The eagles’ wings are so long, he can not jump from
the ground and fly.
4. He must jump from a perch into the wind and let the
wind come under his wings and lift him up!
E. You can see the eagle was built for height by his ability.
1. And there is no place on earth that is safer for the
eagle than to soar on high.
a. The storm causes no problem for the eagle.
(1) What about lightning? rain? wind?
(2) God didn’t design the eagle to fly through
the storm but over it.
(3) As the eagle approaches a storm, he locks
his wings in such a position as to let the
wind strike in an angle to give him lift.
The force of the storm is deflected
harmlessly downward so that instead of
striking against him it lifts him up.
(4) The eagle harnesses the fierce winds to fly
over the storm!
(5) Like the eagle, the Christian is not build to
fly through, but over the storms of life.
(6) We are to enter into His presence, rest in
His strength, and let His will be
accomplished in us!
b. Hunger is no problem for the soaring eagle. I
have already mentioned his powerful eyesight
which can spot prey from thousands of feet in
the air.
2. And there is no enemy that can defeat the eagle in the
air.
a. No bird that can beat an eagle one-on-one. He’s
just too strong.
b. But suppose some birds, say falcons, try to gang
up on an eagle. What one enemy could not do, a
flock could.
c. In such a case, the eagle does not land or drift
toward the earth.
d. Rather, he soars upward and into the sun.
(1) God gave the eagle a special second eyelid so
that when he looks at the sun, it comes
down to protect his eyes and screen out the
sun so that he can see.
(2) Other birds do not have this second eyelid.
(3) When the eagle turns into the sun, the other
birds lose sight of the eagle, but he
continues on unharmed.
e. Again, Christian, the safest place for you is to
be flying high toward the SON.
(1) Notice I said SON not SUN.
(2) Do not retreat to the world. You are more
venerable there than any place else.
(3) And do not let Satan clip your wings.
(4) Soar, Christian, soar!
F. Everything about the eagle says - "STAY UP HIGH!"
1. The eagle’s large wings would be a hinderance, not a
help, on the ground.
2. Their eyesight which can see for miles would be nearly
useless when blocked by hills and trees.
3. So should it be with the Christian.
a. Christians must not be content to be grounded.
b. God did not make us that way.
II. The eagle is swift.
Deut 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against
thee from far, from the end of the earth, as
swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue
thou shalt not understand;
A. The context of this verse warns of God bringing a swift,
powerful nation against Israel if they refuse to obey
God, but the illustration emphasizes the eagle’s
swiftness.
1. Throughout the Bible, the swiftness of the eagle is
pictured.
2. \\#Daniel 7:4\\ in describing Babylon, the fulfiller
of this prophecy, described them as a lion with
eagle’s wings.
3. The wings mean that these beings are swift!
B. The eagle’s descent
1. The wings of some eagles are seven feet (or larger)
from tip to tip. The eagle soars by keeping those
enormous wings spread out.
2. The eagle does not fly as much as he glides.
3. The eagle only flaps his wings only about 10% of the
time. 90% of the time, he is just coasting.
4. When the eagle sees a prey from his height, he pulls
those wings behind him, drops his head, and plummets
to the ground.
5. The eagle can drop 2 miles in forty seconds - that’s
180+ miles per hour.
6. The eagle can collide with a prey in a dive of 200
MPH, roll on its back and catch its stunned victim in
its strong talons before its quarry can hit the
ground.
7. Then with the mighty talons, he scoops up his prey,
spreads his wings, and immediately begins his upward
ride.
C. Why did God make the eagle so swift?
1. The answer must be because he lives so high.
a. If he wasn’t so fast, he’d never be able to catch
his prey.
b. God made the eagle mighty enough to soar in the
heavens but fast enough to catch his prey!
2. The Bible describes the Christian’s prey.
a. The Bible tells us that the lost are going into
hell very quickly.
Ps 55:15 Let death seize upon them, and let them
go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in
their dwellings, and among them.
b. The Bible also tells us that we are to rescue them.
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling
them out of the fire; hating even the garment
spotted by the flesh.
c. Once death has seized a soul, they go down quick
into hell.
d. The lost soul needs to be snatched before it
begins its quick descend into hell.
e. In order for that to happen, the Christian must
go quickly, as the eagle, to rescue the perishing.
3. \\#Luke 14:21\\ Jesus commands in this parable that
we "go out quickly" and bring in the needy.
D. The eagle builds a strong nest for a home.
1. The eagle’s nest can be as large as two rooms of a
house. It can be as deep as 8 to 10 feet. The nest
would have to be big for two or three to stay in it
if they have wing spans of 8 feet.
2. A finished eagle’s nest is strong enough to hold two
grown men. It can weigh in excess of two tons.
Remembering that every stick and branch must be
flown up to the nest’s remote location, one can
better appreciate the task.
3. If the nest is blown down, the eagle will start the
task over again.
4. Once completed, the eagle sits on the lip of that
perch and guards his territory.
5. Eagles are very protective of their domain. Some
eagles guard as much as 22,000 square acres of
land. When they see an enemy or prey, they mount up
and fly swiftly to deal with it.
6. We, Christians, are in our perch right now. This
church is our nest, but we must ever survey the
surrounding territory and be ready to leave our nest
swiftly to rescue the prey!
III. The eagle is strong.
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.
A. Eagle handlers wear a special glove when they allow an
eagle to land on their arm.
1. I thought it was because of the sharpness of the
eagle’s talons and that might be part of the reason
but not all.
2. Even though the eagle only weighs 20-30 pounds, he is
amazingly strong.
3. If the eagle chooses to use his strength on the arm
of his keeper, he could crush every bone in the
keeper’s arm.
4. Those gloves are steel lined to keep that from
happening.
B. The eagle is strong enough to pick up it’s own weight and
soar back into the sky.
1. One report tells of an 22 pound eagle picking up a
kangaroo which weighed over 100 pounds and carrying
it for over a mile.
2. That eagle was carrying 5 times his weight - maybe not
remaining air born the entire mile - but he still
managed!
C. Why is the eagle so strong?
1. He would have to be in order for him to dwell on high!
2. Even a five pound rabbit would be difficult for the
average bird to carry for a mile. Consider that the
eagle may carry his prey up a mountain a mile or more!
3. If you are going to dwell on high, you must have the
strength necessary to sustain yourself.
D. Christians have the strength necessary to dwell on high!
1. We have what it takes to pray.
2. We have what it takes to resist.
3. We have what it takes serve.
4. We have what it takes to endure.
5. We have everything necessary to dwell up high!
Many years ago, I heard the story of the eaglet’s egg and the
prairie chicken. Somehow, the eagle lost her egg and the prairie
chicken found it. Thinking it to be her own, she hatched it. From
the first, things were noticeably different. The new arrival’s
feathers, his feet, and every other part of his being was different
from his adoptive family. But even more than the external features,
the heart of this ugly duckling was also different. He didn’t care
much for worms, or dirt, or clucking. However, the young eagle did
these things because everyone else was doing them. In the evening,
he would sit on a rock and see things high over head that his
siblings could not see. He would see a hawk, or falcon, or an eagle
and would admire their flying ability - wishing he could fly too.
But because he never knew that he could, he never flew.
So it is in the lives of many Christians. They sit earthbound,
digging in the dirt of this world and eating its worms, never
realizing that they were designed for better things—things that are
far more lofty and heavenly. Some sit and wish for the better
life. They know it is out there. They long to have it, but
they do not know that it is already theirs! All they must do is
reach out and take it.
By the metaphor of the eagle, God tell us that we are to be more! He
wants us to fly higher, be stronger, see more clearly, and love more
dearly than any other!
Friend, I hope you see that the eagle is not just a bird and the
Christian is not just a person. Both have been fashioned by the
Creator to serve Him in a unique way. Now which are you? the
chicken or the eagle?
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