Hawks and Eagles

Here in West Texas, we are surrounded by hawks of all sizes. I like the large hawks. These beautiful birds intrigue me in many ways. I love to watch a hawk sitting on a telephone post or in a tree top. I am captivated by the hawk flying way up in the sky and also swooping near the fields seeking some prey. I am amazed that God has created hawks to survive in very hot and very cold weather. In the Bible, Leviticus 11:16; Deuteronomy 14:15; and Job 39:26 refer to hawks briefly.

Although I do not see eagles very often, the Bible has some tremendous references to eagles. Here are a few of them.

According to Exodus 19:4, the Lord said to Moses: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." God is like a female bird guiding and protecting her young as they are trying to learn to fly.

In David's lament over Saul and Jonathan when the Philistines killed them on Mount Gilboa, David described them with these words in 2 Samuel 1:23:
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
A skilled soldier or athlete is like a swift eagle.

In God's famous assurance of his faithful people, he declares:
Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31).

All around us, God's wondrous creatures encourage and teach and sustain us in our faith.

John Willis