This particular proverb was written by Agur, the son of Jakeh. Other than this we know nothing else about him. I find it interesting that the four things he finds amazing and cannot understand are a bird, a snake, a ship, and a man and woman. Of all the things to be amazed by he chooses these four. Why? What exactly does this mean? Is it symbolic of something else? I believe it is—something that when really pondered is beyond wonderful and amazing and truly unfathomable!
Let’s look at “the way of an eagle in the sky” today.
To understand the meaning we have to study the creature known as the eagle and how it flies. An interesting fact about baby eagles is after they are born they will attach to whatever gives them attention.
This is called imprinting. (this has nothing to do with Twilight…just sayin)
The eagle will mimic its mother and of course when it is time to fly the mother has a way of teaching that no other animal or human can; in fact if an eagle is born in captivity it will attach or imprint to the human caregiver. This can be dangerous for the baby eagle when it does come time to fly.
When we are born again it is important to attach to the right Caregiver, Jesus! Just like the mama eagle gave life to the baby eagle, our Savior gives us new life. If we mimic or imprint to other things it can be just as disastrous and dangerous for us. Ephesians 5:1 says to be imitators of God as dearly loved children.
When we think of eagles in flight we automatically see them soaring. It also reminds us of the famous verse in Isaiah 40:31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings as eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
The reason we picture eagles soaring is because that is exactly what they do.
They were CREATED for it!
The wing span of an eagle is about five feet in length and even though their bones are hollow inside the wings, the multi layers of feathers cause a severe heaviness which makes continual flapping very WEARY for the eagle. You may think feathers are light, but 7,000 of them accumulate some weight, especially when about 7 feathers are the equal weight of a penny!
So how do eagles keep from flapping those wings and becoming tired? How exactly can they soar? How do they fly miles and miles without ever flapping a wing?
Would God make a creature so wonderfully just to see them fail at what they were made to do?
Of course not! He made a way for them to soar!
They find something called thermals to fly in. Thermals are currents of warm air and updrafts generated by terrain, such as valley edges or mountain slopes.
Catch this! Not only do the mountains generate updrafts for the eagle to keep going, but even in the valleys they are there to lift the eagle up and out. Soaring IS possible even in the valleys!
When we stretch out our “wings” in surrender to God and place our hope in Him, His grace and mercy become our thermals or updrafts for us to soar out of valleys. It is because of His grace and mercy that we don’t have to try and flap our own way out.
He made a way for us to soar in this broken world. He made a way through Jesus Christ! He wants us to fly and to be free! Whether on the mountains or in the valleys of our life He sustains us!
