STIRRING OF THE NEST!

Moses composed and spoke a hymn about the God who showers His people with His love, grace, mercy, protection and loving care! It was truly a worship song that glorified God! ALL worship songs should be about GOD, His majesty, love, goodness and His glory; NOT about us, our feelings or our needs. Moses wrote this hymn just after 40 years of wilderness wanderings and just prior to his death. The hymn highlights the life and faith of Jacob as the representative of ALL the Israelites. Moses used the illustration of an eagle to teach truths about God's dealings in the lives of His people, including you and me. Let us learn from this object lesson.

So, we begin with some significant observations about this hymn. First, it begins with God and ends with God! Second, it is found in Deuteronomy, Chapter 32. In verses 1-14, we find the exaltation of God. He is great, He is steadfast like a rock, He is faithful and just, and His work is perfect. In verses 15-35, we read of the sin and rebellion of the Israelites and God's judgment on them. We see how the Israelites "grew fat" in their sin, they neglected God, even sacrificed to demons, and we view their history and how everything went to pieces as a result of their sinful choices and lifestyle. We also see the "fire kindled in God's anger" because of their indulgence in wickedness. From verses 36 through 44, the hymn again exalts God who is gracious in love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. We are reminded that satan, through people, opposes the counsels and purposes of God. We can afford to view the complete failure and ruin of mankind in every way, because we know and are assured that GOD IS INDEED GOD IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING! Third, God always has the Upper Hand - God in the end will be all in all, and there shall be neither enemy nor evil dominions assuming power or influence throughout the vast universe which God Himself has flooded with His holiness and righteousness! Fourth, in this hymn, all heaven and earth are indeed summoned to harken to this magnificent outpouring of praise to God. "Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth" (Deuteronomy 32:1). "For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God"! (Deuteronomy 32:3). Thus, heaven and earth are appealed to as permanent witnesses of His holiness, greatness and glory!

In particular reference to Jacob's descendants, Moses said, "For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob (as the representative of the Israelites) is the allotment of His inheritance. God found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers (broods) over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. The LORD alone guided him, And there was no foreign god with him" (Deuteronomy 32:9-12).

Notice what God did: He found Jacob, He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him, He caught him, He carried him, and He guided him! As another old gospel song says, "It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you." And believe me, He'll do the same, as Moses' song says, for you and me!

I love the illustration of an eagle in this passage of Scripture. The Eagle's Nest is very unique. It is usually built very high up in a huge tree; it's very strong and weighs hundreds of pounds. The eagle gathers sticks, briers, thorns, branches and even barbed wire and weaves them all together, cementing it with mud to mold and shape this large nest. The eagle lines the inside of the nest with much softer material such as rags, grass, moss, feathers, and pieces of linen.

Eggs are laid in the constructed nest and the process of development begins and progresses until the eggs hatch and new life emerges; the eaglets are alive! Now then, the maturation process starts. The eaglets grow and develop under the care and protection of the mother eagle. This all bears a beautiful resemblance of the care and nurture that God provides for us and we, in turn, should provide for newer followers of Jesus!

The eaglets are provided everything they need for the 10 to 12 weeks of maturation. Then, things change drastically for the eaglets. The young ones have now developed their flight-ready feathers, practiced wing flapping and have participated in "branching" which involves jumping onto near-by branches and back to their nest. Now, IT'S TIME TO FLY! Eaglets were never designed or intended to remain in the nest! They need to leave the nest and learn to fly, to soar high in the sky and care for themselves. It's time for them to stop being baby eaglets! So, the mother eagle knows just what to do to make this happen. She "stirs up the nest." She begins removing the nice, soft, materials inside the nest; it's more and more uncomfortable now.

I am going to digress here to say that God often stirs up the spiritual "nest" of our faith, as we follow Jesus! Don't be surprized or shocked when He does this. "So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel. . . ." (Haggai 1:14). "I remind you to kindle afresh (or stir up) the gift of God. . . ."

(II Timothy 1:6-7). "I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up. . . ."

(II Peter 1:13). We must be open, receptive and submissive to the "stirring up" that God employs, even through other people, so that we learn to "fly" in victory over all that is contrary to God's will, plan and purpose for us! If we resist God's stirring up of our nest of faith and trust in Him, we place ourselves in the area where satan will stir us up - to things that are not good! Note this as examples:

"A hot-tempered man stirs up strife. . . ." (Proverbs 15:18). "Hatred stirs up strife. But love covers all transgressions" (Proverbs 10:12).

So God stirs up our love for Him and for other people, our surrender to his Lordship, our total submission to His will, our desire for His Word and obedience to it, and our prayer life. His stirring up may include things that make us uncomfortable or challenged, etc. It can involve convicting us of our laziness in Kingdom concerns (work), our complacency and indifference, our wrong attitudes and actions, and many other short-comings.

Now, back to the mother eagle. She now "flutters (hovers, broods) over the young" with her very strong, powerful wings in the air. She thus excites the eaglets to fly.

This reminds me that God too broods/hovers over, or moves over His people to excite them to spiritual growth, maturity and to strength. He utilizes divine resources to encourage us to full life in Jesus, a life that manifests the Fruit of the Spirit - "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).

The eagle spreads its wings to further show the eaglets how to fly. They are shown there is power and strength, stability and security in their wings. Again, here we are reminded that God is the Master-Teacher; the Holy Spirit is God's agent in teaching us all the dynamics of spiritual life we need - He teaches us the WHAT and the HOW. Some of His teachings are HOW to pray, WHAT to say when persecuted, WHAT to do when we are tempted, HOW to obey God, HOW to make a complete surrender to His Lordship, HOW to use our faith every day, and the importance of his Word in our lives, etc. You might be saying, "I am not sure that I am learning those things." Well, let's ask ourselves some challenging questions about that kind of situation.

1) Am I reading God's Word consistently every day?

2) Am I asking God for practical insights as I read His Word?

3) Am I communicating with God consistently through daily prayer?

4) Am I purposefully seeking to live and to walk in the Spirit of God all the time? (See Galatians 5:25, which says, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.")

We can only learn by exposing ourselves to the resources we have that foster learning!

As Mother Eagle "boots" her eaglets out of the nest of comfort, convenience and familiarity, they now fly. But they are young and they do get weary and tired as they are learning to fly longer distances. So, when she perceives her offspring are tired, she will swoop down underneath them so they can land on top of her wings. She then carries them back to safety. Just like God does for you and me! The Scripture says, "The eternal God is our dwelling place, And underneath are His everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27). "God is our refuge and our strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains fall into the depths of the sea" (Psalm 46:1-2). Again, the Prophet Isaiah quoted God who said, "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will UPHOLD you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).

God does as the mother eagle does. He definitely "stirs up our nest" of faith and daily living, hovers over us, bears us up so that He makes us "ride on the high places. . .in spiritual victory, joy, peace and confidence, all because HE LOVES US! What an awesome God HE IS!