TRUST AND OBEY
Opening Prayer
You, Father, are the great lover of my soul, the One who provides everything I need for faith and for life. Help me, that my gratitude would overflow in ways others might see your goodness.
Read ISAIAH 31
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt
31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.
2 Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster;
he does not take back his words.
He will rise up against that wicked nation,
against those who help evildoers.
3 But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God;
their horses are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
those who help will stumble,
those who are helped will fall;
all will perish together.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“As a lion growls,
a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds
is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamor—
so the Lord Almighty will come down
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering overhead,
the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver it,
he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
6 Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. 7 For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.
8 “Assyria will fall by no human sword;
a sword, not of mortals, will devour them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.
9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror;
at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,”
declares the Lord,
whose fire is in Zion,
whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Today’s reading speaks of God hovering like a bird over Jerusalem, shielding it with his wings. Picture yourself sheltered under the wings of the Lord Almighty, protected from all harm. Let him quiet your fears.A small, beleaguered nation faced a far stronger enemy and turned to a neighbor for help. Egypt had a multitude of chariots, horses, and muscle-bound horsemen. An alliance would give the Israelites a fighting chance of survival. Horses, chariots, and strong men seemed like a safe bet. They could be experienced through the five senses. They seemed a good match for the scale of the threat. What could be wrong with that?
What is wrong was that Israel was choosing Egypt over God (vv. 1, 6). In trusting Egypt, they were explicitly disbelieving that divine power could defeat the strength of ‘mere mortals’ (v. 3) and disobeying God’s clear and very specific instruction that they never return to Egypt for horses (Deuteronomy 17:16).
The lesson from this historical episode is not that we must choose between taking out an insurance policy and trusting God. Or that nations shouldn’t form alliances as they did in the First and Second World Wars. Trusting God means obeying him on those things he has made clear to us, including discarding idolatry (v. 7), regardless of whether we want to or understand his reasoning.
Apply
Where in your life are you knowingly disregarding God’s commands because you think there is a better way to handle things? What would it look like to really trust him?
Closing prayer
Lord God, over and over again, you have proved your faithfulness. Where I have neglected your direction, forgive me; help me to walk in your ways and know your blessing.
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