VULTURE FOOD

In scripture there is little distinction in the word for vulture and the word for eagle. There is some distinction but most generally when the word eagle is used it could instead mean vulture. “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4) ‘I bore you on vulture’s wings’ just does not go down well. It is not sentimental and sanctimonious enough.

“This ‘bore you on eagles’ wings’ must not be interpreted to mean that an eagle ever carried anything on its back. It merely means that by strength of powerful wing it could carry quite a load with its feet and frequently was seen doing this. Vultures never carried anything; they feasted and regurgitated what they had eaten to their young.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) So it probably really does refer to an Eagle.

Vultures eat carrion…dead, rotten and putrid stuff. Yum. Here is my concern: If we are dead and lifeless, our marriages are dead and meaningless, our jobs are a dead end streets, if we are involved in dead works, or if we are part of a dead church… vultures may come and get us by thinking we are carrion. We probably should keep moving and changing as best we can.

Like the vulture that walked into an airport with a dead rabbit under each wing and the person at the ticket counter said, “Only one carrion per passenger.”

“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” Jesus