SOARING LIKE AN EAGLEIsa 40:25-31

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tee

Isaiah 40:31 is one of those • famous, • favorite

verse that iscontinuously preached

Why is this so?

Most encouraging God promise to the Israelites

Always preached out of CONTEXT

The immediate context is Isaiah 40:27-30.Isaiah 40:25-30 gives the understanding

of the context of this passageV25 God Himself asks a rhetorical question.

Why? Israel questioned God’ power because they were in captivity.

They think that the gentile God is greater.

If you are so great how come we are in captivity.

Verse 26 – God says, hay, lift your eyes• there is no one like Him! • God identifies Himself as the Holy One, • He is indescribably superior to all so called gods

• None is His equal!

God has just testified to His might and power in v25 and v26 to convince Israel that there is no God like Him

V27 Now Isaiah is addressing Jacob and...Israel

Why Jacob and Israel?

This prophecy possibly uttered prior to the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom (722BC) and certainly before Babylonian conquest of the Southern Kingdom (586BC)

Jacob and...Israel could be directed at both the Northern and Southern kingdoms who werein captivity in Babylon.

V28 Isaiah reminded the Israelites of who their God is by asking some questions.

Have you not known and heard of the Lord?1. Through Moses

Don’t you know that God does not:- faint

2. Through Joshua

grow weary

Because of the exile, the Israelites was despondent and dis-spirited.

Why Is this necessary?

does not lack understanding

Israel felt God has abandoned them.Isaiah comforted them that God is not ignorant of their condition.

V28 God declares that He is the: Creator and Sustainer

of everything by virtue of His great might and power

The heavenly host exists and moves, not simply by natural laws. He knows the name of each star in the universe

The Son of God is Himself the sustaining: • Center,• Upholder • and Controller

All things that exists

Because of their long exile, the Israelites were: disillusioned discouraged downcast dis-spirited despondence

They doubted God’s ability and power.

They thought God has abandoned them.Hence God moved Isaiah to prophesy words ofencouragement and comfort in v28-31

God of Gentile Greater than their God.

Believers too when pressured with:

great adversities disappointments discouragement disillusion

V28 Isaiah asked two rhetorical questions.Purpose - stirred the Israelites to remembrance God's character.

• Creator• Does not faint

• Does not grow weary• Omniscience

Isa 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Faint also means:

weary exhausted

especially emotionallyand spiritually

When one is in this condition, we need power.

The Israelites after a prolonged exile were in this condition.

Isaiah reminded the Israelites Not to: Focus inward (themselves), Focus outward (others) Focus upward (Godward)

Power - 381 (koah/koach) means:

• strength• ability• capacity

speaks of power to act and ability

perform some function.

Isa 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

“youth and young men”

Waiter of God

“youth and young men”

Live in their natural strength

Contrast

Waiter of God

Lives in God's: untiring, unwearying.

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Promise Not for everyone

Only to those who wait upon the Lord

Wait – 6960 (qavah) means:

• to hope for• to look eagerly for • linger for

Basic idea is to wait

for or look for with eager

expectation.  

Wait (qavah) includes:-

hope patience

“wait” does not suggest that we:• sit around

This involves meditation:

1. On His character2. His promises,3. Praying.

resting (trusting)

• and do nothing

Everything comes to the believer who can wait.

Waiting is the key to possession of all God’s promises.

Greatest challenger to believers is waiting.

Many believers failed to possess their promise.because they lack patience.

Example life of Abraham: Heb 6:12 Heb 12:35-36

Wait upon (qavah) is: imperative mood – not a suggestion but a command. present imperative – lifestyle or continual habit/practiceOne of the most difficult aspects of the Christian life is waiting on God. It is especially difficult in the midst of trials because believers expect instant deliverance

4 Promises1. Renew strength2. Mount up as eagles

3. Run and not be weary4. Walk and not faint

Exchanging Natural Strength For Supernatural Strength

Wait upon who? Not men But the Lord

The result or effects – Renew their strength

Renew – (2498) chalap. Meaning:

• to substitute• to exchange (taking off old clothes putting on new clothes."taking off" our weakness and exchanging them for God’s strength.

• to change for the better

Strength - koah

• strength

SUPERNATURAL FLYING

• capacity • ability

They will mount up with wings like eagles:

Mount up (5927) – ‘alah. Meaning:

to ascend to rise

Describe life moving from a lower to a higher plane.

Wings (803) - (eber) means:

1. pinions (the terminal section of a bird’s wing including the carpus, metacarpus,and phalanges)2. put forth fresh feathers (Jamieson)

To mount up with wings as eagles to rise above:

• difficulties,• challenges

• trials• adversities,

• infirmities• circumstances

Presents a beautiful picture of an eagle spreading its magnificent wings that it might take advantage of the updraft and glide almost effortlessly through the sky

In the figurative sense, a believer is uplifted physically, emotionally and/or spiritually.

By God’s strength Or power Eph 3:20

Why did God choose an Eagles (5404) (nesher) and not a chicken to represent a believers life.

Nature of eagles, it is noted for their:• size• grace• strength,

• speed, • long feathers, • powers of flight

• keenness of vision,• majestic

Eagle: mounts to a lofty height, untired and undazzled soaring even above the fogs and mists of the lower regions of the air, soaring above the very clouds, undeterred by the lightning, wind turbulence and floating in the pure azure above!

That is what believers are.Do we believe?

They shall run (rus) means:• to hasten, • move very quickly

Metaphor of an Athlete in Scripture

Isaiah is referring to running in a figurative sense using a metaphor taken from runners in a race, who exert themselves, who strive hard and who spend their strength performing or attaining some goal

• to make haste by running

Their goal was returning to Jerusalem through the valleys and up the mountain. Needed strength.

Note : not be weary

Not (3803) - lo’ describes factual negation.

Meaning those who walk in God's power, they shall absolutely not get weary.

Get tired (3021) (yaga') means: to labor or toil and then to be weary, grow tired or be in need of rest

because of either physical

or emotional needs.

Note that this pair of Hebrew verbs (faint..weary) are used three times (Is 40:28,30,31) clearly indicating a relationship.

Isaiah describes the vigor (strength) of youths and young men cannot compare with God's: untiring strength unwearying strength

God...does not become weary or tired. God strength will not fail in the

storms and demands of life.

(Isa 40:28)

They will walk and not become weary: walk (1980) (halak) is the common Hebrew verb: for walk or travel from one place to another.

Clearly in context, Isaiah uses halak as a metaphor because walking pictures our daily: conduct or behavior or response

Not faint (3289) - ya'aph.

Means to grow: tired or faint.

walk (present imperative) meaning: not a suggestion but a command

to make this our continual or habitual practice

Again referring to Israel arduous andtiring return to Jerusalem from Babylon

When one is at the lowest, burden by seemly impossible situation bewildered by the darkness.

God uses the dark experiences of our lifeto develop our spiritual dependency on Him.

Paul understood this secret.

God’s strength is manifested in our weakness.

confounded by obstacles,

The Lord will sometimes takes us to Babylon, where we feel: oppressed,

This is how He is forming us into the man or woman he wants us to be.

In the darkness of circumstances, He transforms believers from chicken to eagle.

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