Godspeed in the journey, Barbara. As Isaiah says: "he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation" (25:7-9)
Yes, Sandra! This is such good imagery! In some of my formative years of learning to really study scripture, I learned from a woman who taught a weekly 2-hr lecture…like a seminary class. We spent an entire year doing a word study of every instance of the word eagle from Genesis to Revelation, coming upon this passage as well. She taught exactly as you have as well, finding similar scientific data to help the passage come alive for us, including how eagles will “rustle up the nest” to push out the young to begin “flying lessons.” We learned many other enlightening facts about eagles that would have been known in those days that cracked open passages. I’ve never forgotten it! It’s been helpful imagery in some of life’s rough seasons, to fuel the imagination of what God might be doing in the life of a believer, mine or another’s.
That word study was so formative as it was designed to teach us students HOW to study, how to work through the Word and mine out nuggets of gold for truth that builds and sustains faith in any season. And when I look around at nature ever since, I see the hand of God very differently for sure. What a joy that is!!
And it also was absolutely remarkable how much can be learned about God and His character, by searching through scripture like this. Seemingly minor points written off by commentators for years, when really examined, can reveal precious truth for us. And there’s so much more about eagles even!! (Makes me want to go back and reread my notes from all those years ago.) Thanks for doing the hard work of exegesis and research to bring a feast for us! Bravo!!
What a fantastic analogy the eagle is. So many times I have read or sang this passage and just imagined the majesty of a soaring eagle. How much more meaning there is here that you have explored. I love the thought of being pushed but being caught. God doesn't want us to stagnate as we are, isolated on the cliff face but he is ready to swoop in to catch us. Let's celebrate the times our wings work but stay assured that he is ready to catch us. Thank you for sharing your learnings.
Ahh! Yes! Oh I love this. Thank you Sandra for faithfully and passionately studying and offering God’s Word. While I have already underlined the first edition like crazy, I am excited to start again when this next one comes out. And…I’m ready for the rest of the Eagle findings!
Such perfect timing for me! I was just researching this very phenomena based on this passage last weekend as I prepare to teach Psalm 91 (under his pinions…) to a group of women next month. Thank you for your research and insights!
So glad to hear that! If it is helpful, know that avian imagery is important to the text. The Holy Spirit "hovers" over the waters of chaos (I think like a falcon ready to strike), and it is a dove that descends to mark Jesus as the Messiah.
Absolutely. There’s so much there. Are there any resources you recommend for diving deeper into the significance and connection between the various avian imagery across the Bible?
The photo of that eager - like Epic of Eden - is magnificent. When Mike and I were in Norway on one of our trips there, we passed a farm where a small cluster of people were gathered. The farmer explained to us that his ewe had just given birth to twin lambs, but an eagle swooped down and carried one away before they could stop it. Such power, and we are carried on such wings.
I'm guessing that was one happy eagle, and one very sad ewe. It is staggering what an eagle can do. And the image of protection and power--so encouraging.
Thank you Sandra! So many analogies in this for me. I’m recovering from a lifetime of trauma and trying to integrate what happened to me when was born again in my mid twenties (45 years ago).
Thank you for this insight and sweet reminder Sandra... it came at just the right time for me.... making some pivotal changes in my career and life path and have been hesitant, but I feel God's push!! 💖
Thank you for this! I have not been able to find any specifics about carrying eagles either, so I'm grateful for this report. Some commentators think that it is not an eagle, but rather a Griffin vulture. What do you think of this possibility?
Glad to help out! The Griffin are local, but there are no reports regarding them behaving in this fashion that I know of. The problem with so much of biblical studies is that the scholars are so siloed. The same thing happened with Hezekiahs Tunnel, the assumption was that Hezekiah’s team was incompetent until they got a real geologist involved. The Golden Eagle is a Sinai native, as you know “eagle” and “vulture” are both covered under the Hebrew term nesher, this is by evidence the best call. You can cite the “Holy” article if you need this before Epic emerges!
I enjoyed the 'Eagle' extract, it made me smile as I have seen so many times over the years, the world, scientific discovery etc. eventually catching up with the Word of God 😁. Roll on November 👍
I love your tenacity, and the fact that you dug into a resource from 1918 to verify this! It's a powerful illustration of the God's care for his people. And the last line about a "well-executed-shove" was well taken.
The idea that being carried and being pushed are not opposites but part of the same care feels very true to the Exodus story and to faith more broadly. That image of the fledgling falling only to be caught underneath captures something powerful about trust, growth, and the kind of love that doesn’t remove risk but remains present through it. I’ve been writing recently about love and faith in a similar way — how moments that feel like falling often become the places where we realize we were being carried all along — and if you’d ever like to read it, I’d be grateful to share it here: https://theeternalnowmm.substack.com/p/eternal-love?r=71z4jh
Godspeed in the journey, Barbara. As Isaiah says: "he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation" (25:7-9)
Yes, Sandra! This is such good imagery! In some of my formative years of learning to really study scripture, I learned from a woman who taught a weekly 2-hr lecture…like a seminary class. We spent an entire year doing a word study of every instance of the word eagle from Genesis to Revelation, coming upon this passage as well. She taught exactly as you have as well, finding similar scientific data to help the passage come alive for us, including how eagles will “rustle up the nest” to push out the young to begin “flying lessons.” We learned many other enlightening facts about eagles that would have been known in those days that cracked open passages. I’ve never forgotten it! It’s been helpful imagery in some of life’s rough seasons, to fuel the imagination of what God might be doing in the life of a believer, mine or another’s.
That word study was so formative as it was designed to teach us students HOW to study, how to work through the Word and mine out nuggets of gold for truth that builds and sustains faith in any season. And when I look around at nature ever since, I see the hand of God very differently for sure. What a joy that is!!
And it also was absolutely remarkable how much can be learned about God and His character, by searching through scripture like this. Seemingly minor points written off by commentators for years, when really examined, can reveal precious truth for us. And there’s so much more about eagles even!! (Makes me want to go back and reread my notes from all those years ago.) Thanks for doing the hard work of exegesis and research to bring a feast for us! Bravo!!
Thanks for sharing, Karen. It sounds like such a formative experience!
Love this! How God uses what may well be commonly observed to communicate his soaring love for his own.
What a fantastic analogy the eagle is. So many times I have read or sang this passage and just imagined the majesty of a soaring eagle. How much more meaning there is here that you have explored. I love the thought of being pushed but being caught. God doesn't want us to stagnate as we are, isolated on the cliff face but he is ready to swoop in to catch us. Let's celebrate the times our wings work but stay assured that he is ready to catch us. Thank you for sharing your learnings.
Amen
Ahh! Yes! Oh I love this. Thank you Sandra for faithfully and passionately studying and offering God’s Word. While I have already underlined the first edition like crazy, I am excited to start again when this next one comes out. And…I’m ready for the rest of the Eagle findings!
Such perfect timing for me! I was just researching this very phenomena based on this passage last weekend as I prepare to teach Psalm 91 (under his pinions…) to a group of women next month. Thank you for your research and insights!
So glad to hear that! If it is helpful, know that avian imagery is important to the text. The Holy Spirit "hovers" over the waters of chaos (I think like a falcon ready to strike), and it is a dove that descends to mark Jesus as the Messiah.
Absolutely. There’s so much there. Are there any resources you recommend for diving deeper into the significance and connection between the various avian imagery across the Bible?
The essay I cite on the Holy Spirit in the OT would be helpful to you!
Thank you!
The photo of that eager - like Epic of Eden - is magnificent. When Mike and I were in Norway on one of our trips there, we passed a farm where a small cluster of people were gathered. The farmer explained to us that his ewe had just given birth to twin lambs, but an eagle swooped down and carried one away before they could stop it. Such power, and we are carried on such wings.
I'm guessing that was one happy eagle, and one very sad ewe. It is staggering what an eagle can do. And the image of protection and power--so encouraging.
Thank you Sandra! So many analogies in this for me. I’m recovering from a lifetime of trauma and trying to integrate what happened to me when was born again in my mid twenties (45 years ago).
Thank you for this insight and sweet reminder Sandra... it came at just the right time for me.... making some pivotal changes in my career and life path and have been hesitant, but I feel God's push!! 💖
Ah, the "push." Praying that you will soar!
Thank you for this! I have not been able to find any specifics about carrying eagles either, so I'm grateful for this report. Some commentators think that it is not an eagle, but rather a Griffin vulture. What do you think of this possibility?
Glad to help out! The Griffin are local, but there are no reports regarding them behaving in this fashion that I know of. The problem with so much of biblical studies is that the scholars are so siloed. The same thing happened with Hezekiahs Tunnel, the assumption was that Hezekiah’s team was incompetent until they got a real geologist involved. The Golden Eagle is a Sinai native, as you know “eagle” and “vulture” are both covered under the Hebrew term nesher, this is by evidence the best call. You can cite the “Holy” article if you need this before Epic emerges!
Wonderful. This is so helpful!! I'm all for tearing down the silos!
How coincidental, I have in my hands the original copy, I am just about to re-read 😃. I Have been looking forward to the 2nd edition. Great news 👏
Thanks, Paul. So great to hear. And when the 2nd edition finally arrives, you’ll have to let me know if I manage to improve it!
I enjoyed the 'Eagle' extract, it made me smile as I have seen so many times over the years, the world, scientific discovery etc. eventually catching up with the Word of God 😁. Roll on November 👍
I loved you’re first epic of Eden and can’t wait for the next. That was beautiful❣️
Precioso!
I love your tenacity, and the fact that you dug into a resource from 1918 to verify this! It's a powerful illustration of the God's care for his people. And the last line about a "well-executed-shove" was well taken.
Love your work. Your lecture on Isaiah in Genesis 2 was incredibly helpful and informative
The idea that being carried and being pushed are not opposites but part of the same care feels very true to the Exodus story and to faith more broadly. That image of the fledgling falling only to be caught underneath captures something powerful about trust, growth, and the kind of love that doesn’t remove risk but remains present through it. I’ve been writing recently about love and faith in a similar way — how moments that feel like falling often become the places where we realize we were being carried all along — and if you’d ever like to read it, I’d be grateful to share it here: https://theeternalnowmm.substack.com/p/eternal-love?r=71z4jh