Deuteronomy. 32:7-14

“Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 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, and there was no strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape."

   This passage uses the way of an eagle to illustrate GOD's protection and care for the young nation of Israel. Eagles constantly watch over their young, care for them, and train them. Before Israel left the nest GOD spent much time preparing His people for the future. Verse 10

   You may think that GOD is a long distance from you at times. If you are saved you can be sure that He will never let you out of His sight, for you are the apple of His eye. When He sees you in trouble, He can fly quicker than an eagle to your rescue.

I. THE STRONG, WARM, AND COZY NEST

   Eagles usually make their nest on a high over hanging cliff rock. Job 39:27,28 "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place." Eagles build a warm and comfortable nest on a high strong place to provide protection for the young eagles. While those eaglets are in the nest they have very few enemies.

    After the main part of the nest is built the mother eagle places branches with thorns in the nest. Then she lines the nest with fur and feathers. This layer of fur is thick enough to keep the thorns from pricking the baby eagles.

    GOD places His children in a high, well protected, and comfortable nest. A young Christian needs extra special care and protection. God spends much time and effort in training His children for life.

    When famine came to the land of Canaan, Jacob and his twelve sons found a soft nesting place in the land of Egypt. This small tribe of people needed extra special care if they were going to multiply and become a great nation of people. For years GOD protected them in the land of Egypt where they found favor with Pharaoh. They were well provided for until they grew into a large nation that was too big for the nest. In Exodus 19:4 "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle's wings, and brought you unto myself." God knows how to bring His people to Himself.

II. THE STIRRING OF THE NEST

     GOD never intended for His people, Israel, to stay in the nest. They had out grown the nest but they were comfortable there. Be careful about seeking a church and a place in GOD's service where you are comfortable. If you do, GOD may stir your little nest. "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion..." The time came for the Israelites to leave Egypt yet they lingered.GOD never intended for His people, Israel, to stay in the nest. They had out grown the nest but they were comfortable there. Be careful about seeking a church and a place in GOD's service where you are comfortable. If you do, GOD may stir your little nest. "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion..." The time came for the Israelites to leave Egypt yet they lingered.

    Young eagles usually will not leave the nest on their own. So the mother eagle will beat her wings over the nest and the air from her wings will make the fur fly. After the fur is gone from the nest there is nothing left but the thorns. Now the young overgrown eagles are ready to do just about anything in order to get out of that thorny nest.

    A Pharaoh occupied the throne who did not know Joseph. He placed the Hebrews under bondage and made their work unbearable. Then he had the male babies killed. God allowed Pharaoh to stir the nest. Finally, the Israelites had enough and they were ready to leave the nest at any cost.

    The church at Jerusalem was to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But the membership found a comfortable nesting place in Jerusalem. Jesus had told them to stay in the nest until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. But after the day of Pentecost they kept staying in the nest. GOD allowed persecutors to stir up the nest. As a result the gospel was carried to other parts of the world. It never has been God's will for His people to stay huddled up in one little bunch.

    Is this the reason we fail in reaching the lost world? Some say we are failing because we do not use gimmicks or high pressure tactics. If we are failing, it is not because we reject these types of methods, but it is because we refuse to leave the soft and cozy nest we have found among Christian friends.

    There is a trend to build a little comfortable cozy world among Baptists. Instead of feathering the nest we ought to be leaving it. Hebrews 13:12,13 "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach." Jesus left the protection, the splendor, the glory, and the comfort of heaven to come into this sinful world to suffer reproach and die outside the camp of Israel on a cruel Roman cross. No one has to suffer this much but we are to get out of the nest and carry the gospel to others. People live in their own little worlds. So do most Baptists! If we are to reach the lost we must move out of our little world and into their world.

III. THE HEIGHT OF THE NEST

    Why does the eagle build its nest so high and then force the young ones out before they have tried their wings? All the flying the eaglet has done, is to raise two or three feet above the nest and then fall back into it. It is hard to get the eaglet out of the nest because all it can do is jump out and be killed as it hits the ground. But nevertheless the mother eagle keeps stirring the nest until they leave.

    GOD does the same thing to His children. He did it to Israel when they were in Egypt. It was impossible for them to make it across the burning desert to the promised land. But God kept stirring the nest until He forced them out. Why would GOD do such a thing to His children.? To teach them to obey Him and trust Him. While they were nestled in the land of Egypt they did not know how to depend on GOD. They did not have to.

    There are some things that others cannot teach you. You can go to church all of your life, you can study your Bible every day and still never learn to trust God. There are some things that you can only learn by experience. The richest truths in the Bible are only theories until you have actually experienced them.

    How the hearts of Christian parents must bleed when they see that well protected and hovered over apple of their eye leave the nest for the first time. How helpless they must feel as they see him fall from the heights and try to fly for the first time on his own. But there is nothing they can do except sit back and watch him struggle as he tries to spread his wings and fly for the first time. As they fall they have little or no control. They begin to tumble and spin. As they get closer and closer to the ground its seems as if their lives are going to be wrecked. But they need to get out of the nest if they are to mature.

IV. THE SOARING SPIRIT

    There are many blessings in store for the child of God out of the nest. David said, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” He did not say that the table land was in the presence of his parents, his family, his friends. But higher ground was in the presence of His enemies. It was on the high mountain tops!

    When all hope for the young eagle is gone, it cries out to its mother. Just before it reaches the ground and is destroyed the mother eagle, who has never taken her eye off of her pride and joy, will swoop down under that young eagle and catch it on her back. Then she will carry it for the ride of its life.

    I shall never forget the time when I thought that my life and ministry were going to be wrecked. I seemed to be in an endless destructive fall. But the Lord caught me and carried me from one mountain top to another. He fed me with butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat. He made me drink the pure blood of the grape. Deuteronomy. 32:14

    Will you trust God with your life before He kicks you out of your warm, soft, cozy spot? Get out of the box! Get out of your little circle! TRUST GOD AND RIDE THE HIGH PLACES OF THE UNIVERSE!!!