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  THE EAGLE
  by Harriet N. Cook
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Summary: The sermon explores the symbolism of the eagle in relation to
God's care, swiftness, vision, and the renewal of strength in the
Christian faith.

Topics: "Gods Protection", "Spiritual Renewal"
Scripture References: Job 39:27

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DESCRIPTION
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Harriet N. Cook uses the majestic eagle as a symbol to illustrate God's
care and protection over His people, drawing parallels between the
eagle's characteristics and God's attributes. The eagle's swift flight
is compared to the speed at which God can bring nations against His
people as mentioned in Deuteronomy and Job. The eagle's keen eyesight
and ability to soar high above represent God's omniscience and ability
to see far beyond what we can perceive. Just like the eagle sheds its
feathers and renews its youth, believers who wait upon the Lord can also
renew their strength and soar on wings like eagles, as stated in Psalms
and Isaiah.

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CONTENT
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Did you ever see an eagle? There were once a great many among the rocks
and mountains of our own country, but they will not stay where there are
many people; so they are seldom seen here now. They like to make their
nests in high and rocky places, where nobody can find them; as a verse
in the Bible says, "Though thou shouldest make thy nest on high as the
eagle, yet will I bring thee down from thence." Their nests are not
usually made in trees like those of many other birds, neither are they
shaped in the same way: they are nothing but a layer of sticks spread
flat upon the rock, and covered with some hay or straw. The care of the
eagle for her young is spoken of in Deut. 32:11. "As an eagle stirreth
up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings,
taketh them, beareth them on her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him."
This beautifully describes God's care over the children of Israel while
they were passing through the wilderness; does it not also well express
his kindness to us?

These birds fly very swiftly, and you will find verses in the Bible that
speak of this. One is the forty-ninth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter
of Deuteronomy. "The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, as
swift as the eagle flieth." In another place it is said, "His horses are
swifter than eagles." Job says, "My days are swifter than a post, (or
post-rider;) they are passed away as the swift ships, as an eagle that
hasteth to the prey."

The eye of the eagle is very curious. It has something like an inner
eyelid, only it is very thin; and the eagle can draw this over its eye,
like a curtain, whenever there is too much light. You have heard perhaps
that it can look directly at the bright sun; and this is the reason. It
can see a great deal farther than we can; and when it is very high in
the air, so that it would look to you but little larger than a speck, it
often sees some small animal on the ground and flies down to catch it.

See how well this bird was described a great many years ago: these are
the last verses of the thirty-ninth chapter of Job: "Doth the eagle
mount up at thy command and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and
abideth upon the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her
young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is she."

The eagle lives a great many years; sometimes more than seventy, I
believe. It sheds its feathers every spring, and new ones come out; then
it looks like a young bird. This is why David says in the Psalms, "Who
satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed, (or
comes again,) like the eagle's." There is this beautiful verse in
Isaiah, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they
shall walk and not faint." How blessed and happy a thing it is to be a
christian indeed! to "wait upon the Lord" every day for the strength we
need; and to be always preparing for that world where the inhabitants
are for ever young, for ever active, for ever holy, for ever happy.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/harriet-n-cook/the-eagle/
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