8. Eyes Wide Open: Fly Like an Eagle
- Eyes Wide Open: Fly Like an Eagle.
“Does the eagle mount up and take flight at your command, or build its nest in the towering heights? On jutting cliffs it lives and keeps the night; on rocky crags it builds its mountain stronghold. From there it spies its prey; the eagle’s keen eyes discover its victims still far off, beholding it from far away.” (Job 39:27-29).
Birds are mentioned over 300 times in Scripture, are used as examples of beauty and powerful symbols in countless pieces of the visual arts, and are singled out in more songs than one could imagine. Birds have been used as visual aids to represent qualities of God, to illustrate aspects of our relationship to Him, and to teach us spiritual truths. Birds are ready-made symbols for God’s protective care and divine provision. Every circumstance known to mankind could easily find a suitable symbol in one bird or another.
Eagles in particular have been a practically mythological creature forever, it seems, highlighted all through history and Scripture as an exceptional bird. They have been a reference point in almost 30 biblical passages, and have been the chosen symbol and representative for countless nations, royalties, schools, athletic teams, etc. The eagle is the ‘king of the birds” and described as noble, majestic, swift, courageous, fierce, beautiful, swift, powerful, and even for their faithfulness as life-long parents and their amazing responsibility in caring for their young. It is difficult to untangle fact from fiction regarding eagles, but Scripture remains a wonderful resource on the qualities of the eagle:
FLIGHT. “Though you soar aloft like an eagle…” (Obadiah 1:4); “There are three mysteries that are too amazing and wonderful for me; no, make it four that are beyond my understanding, including the way an eagle flies through the sky…” (Proverbs 30:18-19).
Eagle Fact: The majestic soaring of an eagle incredibly high in the sky has amazed human beings all through history. Eagles are equipped to discern air currents, then lock its wings as it waits for the right breeze for their purposes, and then simply rides the wind as they steer themselves in their desired direction. So technically, eagles don’t fly as much as they soar. Eagles have always been accepted as the “king of all the birds: because they are able to soar the highest of any bird above the clouds. They literally ride out any storms by simply soaring above the storm. Eagles have been even worshipped by some cultures because they are seemingly able to more closely approach the gods in the heavens.
VISION. “Does the eagle mount up and take flight at your command, or build its nest in the towering heights? On jutting cliffs it lives and keeps the night; on rocky crags it builds its mountain stronghold. From there it spies its prey; the eagle’s keen eyes discover its victims still far off, beholding it from far away.” (Job 39:27-29).
Eagle Fact: The phenomenal eyesight of the eagle is legendary. It can observe something five times farther than a human with perfect eyesight. An eagle can spot prey as small as a rabbit three miles away. Instead of the human’s comparatively meager 180-degree vision, the eagle has a 340-degree field of vision. Not only that, but the eagle enjoys the ability to operate each eye individually or together, depending on what the eagle wants to look at. Somehow, the eagle is the only creature that can stare directly at the sun with no ill effects, and uses that skill to avoid natural enemies who cannot do so. To say that someone has “eagle eyes” doesn’t know the half of it.
“At the Last Judgment, it is our eyes that will be judged first. For in Matt. 25:44, the accused reply, ‘When did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked or sick?’ The first commandment of brotherly love is eye control.” (Rev. Helmut Thielicke).
Head on a Swivel. “Cmon, Larson, you’ve got to keep your head on a swivel!” I heard those words from every basketball coach I had, because that was my job as the point guard… to be aware of where everybody was on the court, teammates as well as opponents, at all times. My eyes had to remain wide open at a high level of mental alertness, with constant awareness of how best to run the offense or read the defense. I was expected to have eyes in the back of my head. And so goes the life of all Christ-followers.
Learn to See. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us, one of His first orders of business is to transform our eyes, our vision, how to truly see. As believers acquiring the mind of Christ, the Spirit is intent on giving us the eyes of Jesus, who didn’t miss a thing. He had what trained trackers call wide-angle view, or the “relaxed vision,” and literally saw the big picture of what was around Him at all times. He also was able to zero in and focus on the individuals and their needs. Nothing escaped the notice of the Messiah during His ministry, or now, for that matter, as He sits at the right hand of the Father. And the Son shares the same eyesight as the Father, who doesn’t miss a thing either. God has His head on a swivel every second of the day and night. Our God is a God who sees. And we can learn from Him as we like to keep an eye on things walking through our life.
EAGLE EYES LIKE THE PSALMISTS: Lift Up Your Eyes! “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to Yahweh our God, until He has mercy on us.” (Psalm 123:1-2). It’s human nature to be led by our eyes. We tend to think about whatever we are looking at. Our eyes determine what gets our attention. If we look often enough at something, it may even determine our life direction, it may become the driving force of our life. Our eyes direct us to our destiny. If ever there was an era in history in which focus is difficult and life-altering, it is now. There are countless alluring distractions that can keep us earthbound and not heavenward: entertainments galore, pornography, selfish ambition and all matters of self-gratification, and about a hundred other temptations directed at our eyes. If we keep our eyes down, then we soon become ignorant of God’s presence, and instead focus on our selfish needs, our changeable circumstances, the approval of others. If we are earthbound regarding where we look for help, we can look with futility at political leadership, military, diplomacy, the government. Throughout Scripture we are instructed to lift our eyes to the Lord, to make Him the center of our focus, the reference point that gives life meaning and purpose. Here again, our focus can shape our very life. If we aren’t careful, it would be far too easy for us to fall into a spiral of spiritual blindness, unaware of life’s emptiness without God. Unlike what the world’s wisdom tells us, the more earthbound one’s gaze is, the narrower our awareness to the important things in life. And the more heavenward one’s gaze, the greater our awareness of that which makes life fruitful and satisfying and fulfilling. A godly vision in life only comes to those who look to God. The gospel fulfillment of the psalmist’s wisdom is the command to “fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2), to focus on Christ at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms, and to His Spirit within us. We naturally look to the written Word when we fix our eyes on the living Word. “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your teachings, the miraculous truths in your Word.” (Ps. 119:18). Raising our vision will actually save our life. “To whom can you compare Me or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look!” (Isaiah 40:25-26). “To you, Lord Yahweh, I turn my eyes; in You I take refuge; Do not leave me unprotected.” (Ps. 141:8). “Fix your eyes on the Lord, and your face will be radiant, and you need not hang your head in shame.” (Ps. 34:5). “Permanently my eyes are upon Yahweh, for He will rescue me from the traps of my enemies.” (Ps. 25:15.). The pilgrim to Jerusalem during a Feast knew where to look: “When I look up to the mountains and hills, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord Yahweh, our Creator who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to stumble. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who is the Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Ps. 121:1-4). This classic song of Ascent is the reflection of a believer looking upon the peaks of Mt. Hermon, and reminding himself as he gazes at the mountains of the solidity, permanence and safety of Lord Yahweh, that God is even more stable and faithful than those ancient mountains. Mt. Hermon was surely a source of many inspirations just like that through its history, a way of picturing the sure mercies of the Lord on their pilgrimage of faith, a way of looking up to the Creator of those mountains. “My eyes look to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from Yahweh the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2). I have an ancient family heirloom, a little wooden plaque, that sums up the wisdom of the ages… Keep Looking Up. Words to the wise.
Behold! When the writers of Scripture wanted the reader to stop everything and see something important, to strain to understand it at all costs, to perceive what is about to be said, the word used most often is “Behold!” The word Behold! is one of those significant words in the Word, an exclamation intended to get our attention. Listen, people, this is something you need to hear! Behold says to the audience… Look at this and take note! This is a time to focus! Pay heed to this! You would be wise to remember these words and think about them! Careful now, don’t be blind to what I am about to say! Stop what you’re doing, listen up and concentrate! As the Eastern Orthodox Christians say before they read the Gospel in the liturgy… Attend!
What If? What would have happened if these biblical heroes hadn’t had their head on a swivel? If they hadn’t had an inspired awareness to look around them, take notice, pay attention, and follow up on what they’d seen? If they hadn’t been observant enough to look aside, turn around, lift their eyes up, go out of their way to witness something God-sent?
EAGLE EYES LIKE ABRAHAM. “Then Abrahm lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son Isaac.” (Genesis 22:13).
EAGLE EYES LIKE MOSES. “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the mist of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said to himself, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight… So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses! Moses! And he said, Here I am.” (Exodus 3:2-4).
EAGLE EYES LIKE JOSHUA. “And it came to pass, when Joshua was near Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand… ‘As Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come….Take your sandals off your feet, for the place you stand is holy!’ And Joshua did so.” (Joshua 5:12-15).
EAGLE EYES LIKE ISAIAH. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and His train filled the Temple. Above Him stood the seraphim; each had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
EAGLE EYES LIKE DANIEL. “As I was by the side of the great river Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain Man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with fine gold! His body was like beryl the flashing gemstone; His face shone like lightning, with eyes like flaming torches; His arms and legs were like the gleam of polished bronze; the sound of His voice was like the roar of a multitude.” (Daniel 10:4-6).
EAGLE EYES LIKE ST. JOHN. “I was worshipping in union with the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice sounding like a trumpet… I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and I fell down at His feet as if I were dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, ‘Fear not! Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I died, but look – I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.’” (Revelation 1: 17-18). John turns and sees the risen Christ, the heavenly Jesus that is fearsome and practically unexplainable… “He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in His right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came forth from His mouth. And His face was like the sun in all its brilliance.” (Rev. 1:13-16). John reacted to his other-worldly vision the same way that Daniel reacted to his… he fainted dead away, flat on his face. Who wouldn’t?