GOD IS STIRRING THE NEST

In Deuteronomy 31, Israel is on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, about to enter the Promised Land. The Lord has told Moses that he will soon die. The Lord has also told Moses that He won’t let him cross the Jordan River into Canaan.

In verse 14 God tells Moses to call Joshua and present themselves at the Tent of Meeting, “so that I may give him his charge.” The Lord tells Moses that after he dies, “…this people will rise up and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them; and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.”

The Lord has placed in the heart of man, and in nature itself, a means to glorify Himself – music. What better way to commit something important to memory than to put the words to music? So the Lord says in verse 19: “And now write this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the Israelites.” My memory is like my hair – it doesn't stay with me, so I am amazed when I watch videos of concerts, and everybody is singing the words right along with the musicians. The song that the Lord gave Moses to write was more of a challenge and a lot more difficult to commit to memory than today’s songs. It was 52 verses long.

When I was a lot younger, we used to sing songs from hymnals. If you were alive back then you more than likely had a song leader [today called Music Ministers/Worship Leaders] who, when the song had 4 verses would tell us we would sing verses 1, 2, and 4. You remember that? If they were leading this song back then, I wonder which verses they would’ve chosen?

I’m only choosing one verse of this song to sing (write about). “As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, He spread abroad His wings and He took them, He bore them on His pinions.” Let me share the beautiful and powerful imagery of how God prepared Israel to leave Egypt by mentioning an eagle stirring up their nest.

Before baring their young, eagles build a large, warm, safe, and comfortable nest for their nestlings. I say a large nest because at the time nestlings approach fledging stage their wings are about six feet across at the top, which could take up most of the nest. The average bald eagle clutch size is just under 2 eggs/clutch (1.9). Sometimes there are 3 nestlings, and they are more than likely highly motivated to leave the nest. There is record of one nest found in Florida that was 22 feet deep. There comes a time though, when the nestlings have grown large enough and strong enough, that their parents know it’s time for them to leave the nest. There’s a problem though. The fledglings have it made. They get three square meals a day and life is great in the nest. Sometimes they need an incentive to leave the nest, so their parents provide them with one.

It’s so wonderful, for those of you who know that there is no such thing as evolution, how God planned for the eagles to get their young to leave the nest. When the eagles build their nest, it’s always near water. They build it high up in a tree (typically 50-125 feet high), or maybe on the ledge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, where their young are safe from predators. For the sake of my story, let’s say it’s built on the side of a cliff. The birds stack and interweave sticks, branches, and sometimes even thorny branches, to create a nest. They then line its center with soft material

like animal skins, feathers, moss, grass, etc.

When they have reached fledgling stage (becoming capable of flight) their parent will flutter over them, calling to them to take a leap of faith and spread their wings. They have already started their flight training by watching how their parents spread their wings and catch the updraft from the ocean below, allowing the wind to carry them. Usually, no coaxing is necessary, and the fledglings are all too anxious to test their wings. The adults may even withhold food and encourage them to fly to a nearby perch to get their meal. But it can still be a very scary proposition. It’s a long way down to the ocean, their nest is so comfortable, and their bellies are full. That brings us to the point mentioned above, sometimes they need an incentive. So what do the parents do to incentivize them? They wreck their house. They remove the soft lining from the nest and make life very uncomfortable for their fledglings.

If you can, picture in your mind’s eye a fledgling on the edge of a nest. The ocean is 100 plus feet below. His dad is flying a little ways off from the nest, encouraging him to try. He finally gathers up his courage and jumps off of the nest. In a panic, he starts flapping his wings, but he doesn’t have much strength yet, and he starts to plummet toward the ocean waves below. He sees his short life flash before his eyes (my imagination is working rather well), when suddenly his father swoops underneath him, catches him on his back (he bore him on his pinions), and carries him back to the nest. After regaining his strength he tries again and again, confident that his father will catch him before crashing into the waves below. He learns more each time, gaining more confidence as well as strength. Over time he discovers that with just a few beats of his wings he finds an updraft from the ocean floor, spreads his wings, and lets the wind carry him higher and higher. His eyes are beholding vistas that he has never seen or imagined before from the view he had from the nest. His eagle heart is bursting with joy, and he is experiencing a freedom that he has never known before. He will never return to the nest.

This was God’s way in song to describe how He caused Israel to leave Egypt. Israel was in Egypt 430 years prior to God providing them a leader to take them into the promised land. I’m sure you remember the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. He ended up in Egypt and eventually became second in command under Pharaoh. After some time, because of famine in the land, his entire family joined him in Egypt. Pharaoh in Genesis 47:6 says to Joseph, “…the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen…”

What a nest. Life was good. They had it made. There was one problem though. God had something far better for them. In Genesis 15:18, God made a covenant with Abraham concerning the land where he was presently living and said, “To your descendants I give this land…” God had to bring them to a place where they wanted to leave their nest. Hence the stirring begins as recorded in Exodus 1:6-8, 11-14: “Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers, and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt… So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.”

You’ve heard the old saying, “It’s always darkest before the dawn?” In Genesis 5:1-2, Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go…’But Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice…?’” Things go from bad to worse and in verses 20-21it says, “They (foremen) met Moses and Aaron…and they said to them, ‘The Lord look on you and judge, because you made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” It took some time, but the Lord eventually brought them out (of Egypt) that He might bring them in (to the promised land).

This story reminds me of another story in the New Testament, in Acts 2, of the birth of the Church. This is where we have record of the day of Pentecost when those in the upper room in Jerusalem were filled with the Holy Spirit. You talk about exciting! Man was it ever. Near the end of the chapter in verses 42-47 it says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord

added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Things were really going great. The Lord had provided a wonderful nest for them. In the following chapters, 3-7, Luke tells the story of all the great things that were happening in and through the church and the apostles. There was only one problem, and it was a big one. The Lord, before He ascended into heaven, had commanded his disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. In Acts 1:8 He says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” So He commenced another great nest stirring. “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). [It’s interesting to me that in Acts 1:8 He speaks of building the nest (figuratively), and in Acts 8:1 He begins to stir the nest.]

I’ve said all of that to say this: “I believe that in 2020 God almighty began to stir the nest, especially here in America, but also around the world.” For the sake of this narrative I’m glad that our Founding Fathers selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the United States. Our experience, since the pandemic was declared, is dissimilar to that of the fledgling eagle in that we are beginning to lose our freedoms, rather than enjoying freedom like we’ve never experienced before.

In my opinion this nest stirring will be the greatest of all time. My belief will make sense to those who are students of eschatology (study of end-time events). Many of those who have studied Bible prophecy and believe in the inerrant Word of God, believe like never before, that we are living in the last days before the rapture of the Church, the bride of Christ. That discussion is too great a magnitude to delve into in this format.

Here are some resources that I would highly recommend that cover end-time events. Many, if not most of these, can be found on YouTube.

Olive Tree Ministries – Jan Markell (weekly podcast) Favorite

Cornerstone Chapel - Gary Hamrick – lot of YouTube videos. One of my favorites.

Behold Israel – Amir Tsarfati

Faith Bible Church – Dr. Mark Hitchcock

World Watch Daily – Bill Koenig

Reasoning From the Scriptures – Ron Rhodes

Joel Rosenberg – New York Times best selling author (love his books)

The Truth About God Radio Ministries – Barry Stagner

Prophecy Watcher Television – Gary Stearman

Get A Life Ministries - Billy Crone

Curtis Bowers – American politician, filmmaker (Agenda & Agenda 2)

Hope For Our Times - Tom Hughes

Revive Church & Mark Henry Ministries – Mark Henry

Remember the game we used to play when we were kids – Hide & Seek? If you were It, you would close your eyes and count down out loud from a certain number and then you would say – “Ready or not, here I come.” I’m telling everybody who will listen, ready or not, Jesus is coming back. I pray that your eyes are wide open, and you are ready for His return. Jesus said in Luke 21:28, “When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free.”