Why is the Eagle Associated with God?
Have you ever taken the time to admire the beauty and majesty of the eagle? This beautiful bird is our national symbol. They chose the eagle because he represents freedom and loyalty. He is powerful, determined and majestic as well as independent. They are survivors. An eagle has a long life span and commands respect. An eagle is very protective of its young. An eagle finds its mate and stays monogamous until its death. Both the mother and father are attentive parents, they stand guard over them, never leaving their side. Initially, they feed their young, shredding the food, as the babies grow the parents teach them survival skills. The parents leave the eaglets alone for short periods of time and let them try and find their own food. They make a comfortable nest for their young and nurture them. When the young eaglets are ready to fly, the parents make the nest uncomfortable for them. They encourage them to fly, first helping them strengthen their wings and then disrupting their environment do the eagle has to leave the nest. The mother does not leave the eaglets side. When it first learns to fly the mother will stay near and when it tires she swoops under it, allowing the baby to sit on her back. The mother then returns the baby to the nest. Eventually, the baby becomes independent, and the parents give the baby its freedom.
The Native American Indians highly revere the eagle. They see the eagle as appointed by the Creator to be the leader of all birds. He flies higher and has better eyesight than any of the other birds. As the eagle flies in the sky, the Indians believe he has a special connection to God and giving him a different perspective than all the other birds. He can be a messenger to God taking their people’s prayers to the Creator. The eagle signifies honesty, courage, strength, truth, wisdom, majesty power and freedom. The Indians believe the wings of the eagle are representative of men and women being dependent on each other. Each one having strengths and abilities that compliment each other and make them dependent on one another.
An eagle’s feather is the highest award an Indian can receive. When given it, it must be kept in a place of honor, protected, appropriately displayed and revered. The receiver must make sure that anything that can alter his state of mind does not come in contact with this feather.
Isn’t it fitting that the Bible associates God with an eagle? God is our strength. He is majestic and powerful and very protective. Our God is loyal, and although we may wander, He never leaves us and always welcomes us back into His arms. God nurtures us and meets all our needs when we are new Christians. We are spoon fed the Word. As we mature, God gives us more freedom. He places obstacles in front of us, causing us to have to fight, grow and become independent. As we grow, God hovers over us, protecting us and swooping in to keep us from falling. If He never challenged us, we would never learn to venture out on our own. We would never develop our faith or be a witness to others to bring them to Christ. Like the young eaglets, we do not often understand why God makes our nest uncomfortable. We may never completely understand this until we meet Him face to face and stand in awe of all His glory and wonder.
We, like the Indians who revere the eagle, need to respect our God. He is our Creator. Our God has provided for us, giving us food and shelter. He loves each one of us and has proven His love by giving us His only Son so that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Our bodies are temples that house the Holy Spirit and connect us to our God. Therefore, we need to care for them. We should not mistreat them. Our God should have a place of honor in our lives. We should display our loyalty to Him proudly drawing others to Him.
Bible verses referencing eagles: Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 28:49, Deuteronomy 32:9-10, Psalm 91:4, Jeremiah 4:13, Jeremiah 49:22, Obadiah 1:4, Lamentations 1:8, Lamentations 4:19
