The other morning on the way to the church I saw a vulture near the road. It struck an interesting pose. Though not in flight it had it’s wings spread wide. A few miles down the road, to my surprise, I saw another vulture doing the same thing. It got me started to thinking about those strange looking scavenger birds.
Then today I was reading from Exodus where the Lord told Moses to remember how He had liberated Israel from their captivity in Egypt, destroyed Pharoah’s army and “how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” Now as you are reading this you are probably wondering how I got from vulture’s wings to eagle’s wings. The truth is that at first view the other morning I almost mistakenly thought I was looking at an eagle, but then quickly realized it was what it was, a vulture. God wanted Israel to consider what a peculiar treasure they were to Him and how much He wanted to do for them. Mostly He wanted them by His side. That is what He told them. I “brought you unto myself.” He likened the journey that He was bringing them on to a flight on eagles’ wings. The Lord wants to bear all of us to Him. He desires, as always, that close and blessed fellowship. I am afraid, however, that sometimes we mistake a vulture for an eagle. On eagles’ wings He wants to bring us to Himself. The eagle soars to great heights where it has built a nest in a secure place. By the way, vultures never build nests. Eagles are symbolic of strength, swiftness and beauty. Vultures are more symbolic of death, decay and the grotesque.
Where are you? Born upon wings of eagles or wings of vultures? Are you close to the Lord, secure and seated in the heavenly places, or do you find yourself far from Him in a place of death, stench and filth? Where are you? Wings of eagles or wings of vultures?
