Eagle's Wings

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt--on the very day--they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: `You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites" (Exodus 19:1-6).

When I started doing funerals in South Dakota, I was introduced to a song I had never heard before—"On Wings Like Eagles". It seemed as if almost every family wanted this song used as part of the funeral service for their dearly departed. As time went by, I discovered that there are actually several different songs written on the idea of "On Eagles’ Wings." But what these different versions have in common is the idea taken from Scripture that God, like an eagle, lifts us from our problems.

This idea is based on the behavior of a mother eagle towards her young ones. When she believes that her offspring are strong enough to fly, she breaks up the nest, forcing her chicks to leave it. She then flutters overhead, showing them how to fly and encouraging them to try. If the chicks do not try to fly, she will take them on her wings and soar aloft; then, she will suddenly glide out from under them, briefly leaving them to fly on their own. If they cannot manage to stay aloft, the mother eagle darts back underneath them, takes them on her wings, and returns them safely to the rock upon which the nest was built. God describes Himself in these same terms in Deuteronomy chapter 32: "He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions."

Scripture develops this idea further in Isaiah chapter 40 where we read, "those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Here we see that when we trust in the Lord, He will give us the strength to travel through life; we can make the journey from birth to old age without getting worn down by despair because God supports us with His strength.

It is because of imagery like this that people want such a song for a funeral, because their focus is on the journey through life having come to an end. But while this is a nice sentiment, it does not do full justice to God’s purpose in bearing us up on eagle’s wings. The reference to eagle’s wings in Exodus is the very first such reference in the Bible, and so we must look at this passage carefully to see the point that God was making to us through Moses.

Not so long ago, the Israelites had been held captive as slaves in Egypt. They had been worked hard, kept half-starved, and there had been attempts to limit the number of their children. The Israelites were living in misery and they had begged God for deliverance. In response, God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery and into a bright new future across the desert. It was not an easy job. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, did not want to lose the cheap labor that he got from his slaves, and it took ten plagues sent by God to make him realize that holding Israel captive just wasn’t worth the trouble. And even after Pharaoh had agreed to let God’s people go, he changed his mind, forcing God to drown the enemy army to protect the fleeing Israelites.

In all this, God not only acted as Israel’s nurturing protector, He also showed Himself to be like an eagle in other ways. An eagle is a dangerous opponent; in Hosea chapter 8, God compares the danger of His anger to the danger of an eagle’s attack: "An eagle is over the house of the LORD because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law." And an eagle, because of its swiftness, can bring about change suddenly and unexpectedly; Jeremiah warns how quickly God can come and change things when he says, "Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles" (Jeremiah 4:13).

God had demonstrated both of these eagle-like qualities when He rescued the Israelites from Egypt; He showed His devastating anger through the ten plagues, and He showed how quickly He could change everything when He drowned all of Pharaoh’s army in one swift stroke. God not only has the power to strengthen His children in their weakness, He also has the power to protect them from the attacks of predators. In this sense, the phrase "eagle’s wings" takes on the added meaning of delivering from danger.

So when God speaks here of "eagle’s wings", He is speaking of His divine power that takes His loved ones away from danger. But where were the Israelites taken to by God’s wings? They were brought to Mount Sinai, where they received a wonderful gift: God told them, "Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." God had rescued the Israelites so that they could begin an entirely new kind of life. No longer would they be oppressed by slavery to an uncaring king; now, if they swore their loyalty to God, He would make them a kingdom of priests. This is a remarkable promise! A priest’s job is to act as mediator between God and humanity. By accepting God’s leadership in their lives, the Israelites had gone from being slaves to becoming God’s representatives to the world! The God who had demonstrated both power and love in freeing the Israelites was willing to come into the lives of others as a rescuing eagle; the Israelites were to be His representatives who could personally attest to God’s power and willingness to save. The ones God had rescued would now offer His rescue to those who were still in slavery.

This meant that for the Israelites, the journey had not ended, it had just begun. Now more than ever, they would need God’s support and strength; now more than ever, they would need to be encouraged and supported in learning how to fly, so that they would not become exhausted as they journeyed through life as God’s nation of priests, bringing news of God’s salvation to the world. God’s ‘eagle wings’ had rescued them so that they would be freed to work for the Lord in thankfulness for His great care and mercy.

Looking at Exodus, we see that the eagles’ wings God speaks of are not really about lifting us out of life so much as lifting us into a new life here on earth. Like the Israelites who were born into slavery, we too were born into slavery—but while the Israelites were oppressed by a cruel king and his laws, we were oppressed by Satan and sin. Just as there appeared to be no way out for the Israelites, so did our situation look hopeless—no matter what we tried to do, the fact that sin contaminates everything we say and do made it impossible for us to please God in even the smallest way. Every sinful word and deed only served to advance Satan’s control of our lives. But like a powerful eagle, God rescued the Israelites--and like a powerful eagle, Jesus rescued us. Jesus, God’s divine Son, came into the world, into Satan’s kingdom, and here our Lord opposed the evil creature that held us as prisoner. Just as Moses led the Israelites free from Pharaoh’s control, so has Jesus freed us from Satan’s control; He did this by resisting Satan’s every temptation to do wrong, succeeding in our place where we have failed. And Jesus freed us from Satan’s eternal rulership by dying the death that we deserved for sinning, so that we could be forgiven and renewed and find acceptance in God’s kingdom instead of Satan’s. Like an eagle, Jesus destroyed our enemy and has carried us away on His wings to safety.

But we were rescued for a purpose. The Israelites were not taken to heaven, but they were brought before God. They were brought to Him to be set aside for a new way of life—service to God instead of slavery to a selfish king. Our Lord Jesus has rescued us for the same purpose. We have been freed from the domination of sin and Satan so that we can belong to God and serve Him in grateful love. Jesus did not bear you on His wings to Mount Sinai, but He has instead brought you to His church—nevertheless, the purpose of your coming remains the same. The Israelites were brought to God’s holy mountain to hear the promise of God--if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Jesus brings you to His holy Church to also hear His promise: "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). God freed the Israelites for a purpose—that they turn their backs on Egypt and dedicate themselves to His leadership. Jesus rescues us from sin for the same purpose—that we turn our backs on sinful distractions and dedicate ourselves exclusively to His leadership in our lives.

Commitment to God resulted in a wonderful opportunity for the Israelites—trade slavery for becoming an ambassador representing God! Commitment to God results in a wonderful opportunity for us as well—Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus promises that when we dedicate ourselves to His work, He will always be there to support us and strengthen us, just like the caring mother eagle: He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.

As we look closely at Scripture, we see that the comfort of the ‘eagle wings’ of God is not the comfort of being freed from the responsibilities of life; no, the ‘eagle wings’ of God are the wings that have rescued us from sin and Satan, they are the wings that hold us up and help us on our way as we dedicate our lives to God’s service. God’s ‘eagle wings’ protect us and carry us away when temptation comes calling; God’s ‘eagle wings’ lift us when the worries of life sap our strength. Flying on God’s ‘eagle wings’ gives us the joy and confidence to teach our children to rely on the Lord, and to tell our friends about the wonderful rescue and strength that Jesus has put into our lives and wants to share with them as well. The ‘eagle wings’ of God are not about the end of life, they are about the beginning of life!