Are we willing to pay the price of looking to God and repenting of our sinful ways?
Woe—A Strong Warning to Those Who Ignore God and Place Their Trust in
Egypt (the World): A Message to All Who Foolishly Misplace Their Trusts. Isaiah
31:1–9 TLB
Woe to those who run to Egypt (the
World) for help, trusting their mighty cavalry and chariots instead of
looking to the Holy One of Israel and consulting him. 2In his
wisdom, he will send great evil on his people and will not change his mind. He
will rise against them for the evil they have done and crush their allies too. 3For
these Egyptians are mere men, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty
spirits! When the Lord clenches his fist against them, they will stumble and
fall among those they are trying to help. All will fail together.
4-5But the Lord has
told me this: When a lion, even a young one, kills a sheep, he pays no
attention to the shepherd’s shouts and noise. He goes right on and eats. In
such a manner, the Lord will come and fight upon Mount Zion. He will not be
frightened away! He, the Lord Almighty, will hover over Jerusalem as birds
hover around their nests, and he will defend the city and deliver it.
6Therefore, O my
people, though you are such wicked rebels, come, return to God. 7I
know the glorious day will come when every one of you will throw away his gold
idols and silver images—which in your sinfulness you have made.
8The Assyrians will be
destroyed, but not by swords of men. The “sword of God” will smite them. They
will panic and flee, and the strong young Assyrians will be taken away as
slaves. 9Even their generals will quake with terror and flee when
they see the battle flags of Israel, says the Lord. For the flame of God burns
brightly in Jerusalem.[1]
D. Woe—A Strong Warning to Those Who Ignore God and Place Their Trust in
Egypt (the World): A Message to All Who Foolishly Misplace Their Trusts,
31:1–32:20
(31:1–32:20) Introduction: misplacing our
trust—whether in an individual, a religion, technology, a machine, or even
directions—can have disastrous consequences. It is every person’s
responsibility to find out who is or is not trustworthy before taking any major
step or making an important decision. Why? Because failure to do so can
result in any number of problems:
⇒ being
shamed or embarrassed
⇒ failing
a test
⇒ getting
fired
⇒ going
bankrupt
⇒ losing
your home
⇒ hurting
your family
⇒ getting
sick or injured
⇒ being
conned or deceived
⇒ losing
your life or causing the death of someone else
The list could go on. But simply
put, the object of our trust must be
trustworthy for our efforts to achieve something or to be successful.
True believers know that only the
Lord can meet the permanent longing and needs of the human heart. Thus it is
the Lord who should be trusted, not men. And because the Lord is totally
trustworthy, He is the One who should be honored and respected, trusted and
obeyed.
The present Scripture is a strong
warning to both the leaders and people of Isaiah’s day. They all professed to
know the Lord, but they ignored Him and His Word. They refused to do what He
said. Instead of trusting God, they placed their trust in Egypt (the world).
But sadly, the world will eventually fail all who put their trust in it.
This present warning is the
fourth woe issued by the Lord to His people.
Like the previous warning, this woe
is also directed at the pro-Egyptian group within Judah. Remember that some of
the leaders were seeking to form an alliance with Egypt in order to withstand
the Assyrian threat that lay just over the horizon. But the Lord had warned the
leaders against forming a partnership with the unbelieving, wicked Egyptians.
Nevertheless, in defiance of God these leaders disregarded the Lord and His
warning. They formed the alliance and placed their trust in Egypt, that is, the
world. This is, Woe—A Strong Warning to
Those Who Ignore God and Place Their Trust in Egypt (the World): A Message to
All Who Foolishly Misplace Their Trust, 31:1–32:20.
Of concern here is point 1 (31:1–5).
1.
God’s warning to those who ignore Him and
trust the military power of Egypt (a symbol of the world): a picture of
trusting men instead of God (31:1–5).
2.
God’s invitation to those who ignore and
rebel against Him: a call to repent, turn back to Him (31:6–9).
3.
God’s promise of triumph: a coming king,
Jesus Christ (32:1–20).
Ø
Distrust,
in God, Trusting Men Instead—
Ø
Trust, in
Men, Instead of God—
Ø
Power,
Trust in, Instead of God—
Ø
Military,
Trust in, Instead of God—
Ø
Judah,
Trust of, in Egypt Instead of God—
Ø
Egypt,
Trust in, Instead of God—
Ø
World,
Trust in, Instead of God—
Ø
Man,
Trust in, Instead of God—
Ø
Humankind,
Trust in, Instead of God—
§
Warning,
Against Ignoring God—
§
Warning,
Against Trusting Men Instead of God—
God gave a strong warning—a woe—to those who ignored Him and trusted
the military power of Egypt. Remember that Egypt is a symbol of the world, of
ungodly and wicked societies who totally ignore the only living and true God.
King Hezekiah of Judah and his
people were facing a terrible crisis. The Assyrians, the most powerful nation
on earth at that time, were cruel people who sought world domination. Their war
machine was unstoppable, and Judah lay right in its path. Isaiah warned
Hezekiah and the leadership against forming alliances with surrounding nations
to withstand the Assyrian forces. Instead of trusting the arm of the flesh, the power of other nations, they needed to trust
the Lord. But a strong pro-Egyptian party in Judah wanted to form an alliance
with Egypt, and they were successful. They formed an alliance with Egypt in an
attempt to discourage the Assyrians from attacking either nation. What follows
is a clear picture of people placing a far greater value in the wisdom and
power of men instead of in the Lord, the only living and true God.
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OUTLINE
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SCRIPTURE
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1. God’s warning to those who ignore Him &
trust the military power of Egypt (a symbol of the world): A picture of
trusting men instead of God
a. God’s
indictment
1) They did not
trust Him, the Holy One
2) They did not
seek His help
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Woe to them that go down to Egypt for
help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but
they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!
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b. God’s
strong warning
1) He is the
One who is truly wise & should be trusted
2) He keeps His
Word: All evildoers will be judged
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2 Yet he
also is wise, and will bring evil,
and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the
evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.
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3) He will
destroy both Egypt those who trust Egypt (the world)
• They are mere
men, not God: They are helpless before God & will perish
• The Lord is
as a great lion that is able to consume its prey: He is unafraid of the
shepherds who oppose Him
4) He will
return to Mount Zion to fight against those who oppose Him &
His people
5) He will
shield &
deliver Jerusalem: He will save a remnant of believers in the city
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3 Now the
Egyptians are men, and not God; and
their horses’ flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his
hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down,
and they all shall fail together.
4 For thus
hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on
his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice,
nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down
to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
5 As birds
flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will
deliver it; passing over he will
preserve it.
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a. God issued a twofold
indictment against the people of Judah, in particular against King Hezekiah and
the pro-Egyptian party (v. 1). First, they did not trust Him,
the Holy One. He alone is holy, set apart
and above His creation, and He alone is righteous. Sitting above the
universe, He knows exactly what should be done, and He has the power to deliver
those who trust Him through the
crises of life. Judah’s only hope of deliverance from the Assyrian threat was
the Lord, but the Jews totally ignored Him.
Second, the people of
Judah did not seek the Lord’s help. Instead, they looked to Egypt and relied on
its military power to help them. Although Egypt was a fading power on the world
scene, it apparently still had a large, well-equipped army, with a large cavalry
and a huge number of chariots (1 K. 10:28–29). Based solely on human
observation, an alliance with Egypt seemed to be the only possible way to
secure Judah against the Assyrian threat. But this was in direct violation of
the Lord’s Word. God’s people were not to place their trust in horses or in
Egypt, that is, in military power or in the wicked, godless nations of the
world. But sadly, this was exactly what King Hezekiah and the people of Judah
did. Ignoring the Lord, they sought the help of Egypt. Instead of placing their
confidence in the Lord, they trusted the armies and weapons of unbelievers and
the swiftness of their own horses.
b. God issued a strong
warning to Judah, in particular to the pro-Egyptian politicians who ignored the
Lord and sought the help of Egypt (vs. 2–5). His warning was
fivefold.
1)
The Lord would prove that His wisdom far
exceeds the wisdom of politicians. The Lord is the One who is truly wise and
therefore should be trusted (v. 2). The leaders of Judah felt that the only
wise course was to seek an alliance with Egypt, but in His wisdom, the Lord
knew better. And through His prophet Isaiah, God warned the leaders not to seek
the help of Egypt (30:1–14). Just as Isaiah predicted, if they sought an
alliance with Egypt, disaster would come. The Lord’s wise prediction would be
fulfilled.
2)
The Lord would keep His Word: all evildoers
would be judged (v. 2). As He had warned centuries earlier
through Moses, so it would now be: all who disobeyed His Holy Word would face
His judgment.
3)
The Lord would destroy the wicked in Judah
and all their allies (vs. 2–4). The armies of both Judah and Egypt
were mere men. Their horses were mere flesh, and their chariots mere machines.
When the Lord stretched out His hand of judgment, He would utterly destroy both
men and their weapons. Like a great lion, the Lord is able to consume the prey
(v.
4). Even though a band of shepherds opposes the lion, shouting and making
as much noise as possible, they cannot frighten the lion.
4)
The Lord would return to Mount Zion
(Jerusalem) to fight His enemies when they gathered to destroy His people (v. 4b).
All who opposed the Lord, and His people would face the Lord Himself and His
hand of judgment. This is a direct reference to the Assyrian army, which would
soon set up a siege against Jerusalem (Is. 36:1–37:38).
5)
Like birds who hover overhead, the Lord
would shield and deliver Jerusalem (v. 5). He would save a remnant
of believers through whom he would fulfill all His promises. It was necessary
to save a remnant through whom He could send the Savior and His Word to the
world.
Thought 1. As we carry out our tasks throughout the day, how many
of us ignore God, trusting only human power—our own abilities, wisdom, and
technology—to accomplish the tasks? Think about these questions for a moment:
Ø How
many CEO’s fail to
base their business practices on the principles laid down in God’s Word?
Ø How
many managers ignore the Lord’s instructions about how to lead people?
Ø How
many doctors, nurses, and medical technicians depend only upon their own
abilities, wisdom, and the latest technology to heal?
Ø How
many politicians and government officials carry out their daily tasks without
seeking God’s will
in the decisions they make?
Ø How
many of us act as if our fate is in
our own hands?
Obviously, we are to use what
wisdom we have and the technology we can develop to lessen the impact of
nature’s catastrophic forces as well as the diseases and the aging process of
the human body. In fact, when God created man and woman, He instructed them to
multiply on the earth and to subdue it, which implies that we are to control
all the disorderly forces of nature as much as possible (Ge. 1:28; Ps.
8:6; He. 2:8).
But as we go about our daily
tasks on earth, we are to acknowledge the Lord and trust Him. Since the Lord
created the universe and gave us the intelligence and abilities we have, we are
to acknowledge Him as the Giver of life and of every good and perfect gift. In
addition, situations arise in life that we cannot handle, no matter how wise we
are or how sophisticated our technology. At such times only the Lord can
deliver us. If we place our trust only in ourselves, we will collapse
when catastrophe strikes. It will crush us. However, if we trust the Lord,
He will give us the strength to walk
through and conquer the crises, even death itself. Listen to what God’s
Holy Word says about the danger of trusting only in the power and ability of
man:
V
“Peter
answered and said unto him, Though all men
shall be offended because of thee, yet
will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That
this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto
him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise, also
said all the disciples” (Mt.
26:33–35).
V
“And the
disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again, and saith
unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into
the kingdom of God!” (Mk. 10:24).
V
“And I
will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take
thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou fool,
this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things
be, which thou hast provided? So is
he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Lu. 12:19–21).
V
“And he
spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the
one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus
with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified rather than
the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Lu.
18:9–14).
V
“Wherefore
let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Co. 10:12).
V
“Charge
them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in
uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to
enjoy” (1 Ti. 6:17).
V
“If I
have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had
gotten much.… This also were an iniquity
to be punished by the judge: for I
should have denied the God that is
above” (Jb. 31:24–25, 28).
V
“Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his
riches, and strengthened himself in
his wickedness” (Ps. 52:7).
V
“The
name of the Lord is a strong tower:
the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall
in his own conceit” (Pr. 18:10–11).
V
“He that
trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be
delivered” (Pr. 28:26).
V
“Cease
ye from man, whose breath is in his
nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” (Is. 2:22).
V
“Woe to
the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and
that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen
themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore, shall the strength of Pharaoh
be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.” (Is. 30:1–3).
V
“Woe to
them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots,
because they are many; and in
horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of
Israel, neither seek the Lord! Yet he also is
wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise
against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work
iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men,
and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his
hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down,
and they all shall fail together”
(Is. 31:1–3).
V
“Therefore
hear now this, thou that art given to
pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not
sit as a widow, neither shall I know
the loss of children: But these two things
shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood:
they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy
sorceries, and for the great
abundance of thine enchantments. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou
hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee;
and thou hast said in thine heart, I am,
and none else beside me. Therefore, shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not
know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not
be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know” (Is. 47:8–11).
V
“Thus,
saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his
arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord” (Je. 17:5).
V
“When
Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw
his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could
he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound” (Ho. 5:13).
V
“Ye have
plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies
because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men” (Ho. 10:13).
V
“The
pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of
the rock, whose habitation is high;
that saith in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou
exalt thyself as the eagle, and
though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith
the Lord” (Ob. 1:3–4).[2]
TLB Life Application
It was wrong for Judah to look to
other nations for military help.
(1) They were trusting in human
beings instead of God. Judah sought protection from those who were powerless
when compared to God. Both Egypt and Judah would fall as a result of their
arrogance.
(2) They were serving their own
interests instead of God’s, and thus they did not even consult him. They
violated God’s stipulation in Deuteronomy 17:16.
(3) They did not want to
pay the price of looking to God and repenting of their sinful ways.
When we have problems, it is good to seek help, but we must never bypass God or
his previous directions to us.
Someday these people would throw
their idols away, recognizing that they were nothing but human-made objects.
Idols such as money, fame, or success are seductive. Instead of contributing to
our spiritual development, they rob us of our time, energy, and devotion that
ought to be directed toward God. At first, our idols seem exciting and promise
to take us places, but in the end, we will find that we have become their
slaves. We need to recognize their worthlessness now before they rob us of our
freedom.[3]
When we do not pay the price
of looking to God and repenting of our sinful ways, the negative results of
which always stem from:
Ø A failure
to base our daily practices on the principles laid down in God’s Word?
Ø Willfully
ignoring the Lord’s instructions about how to follow His will.
Ø Depending
only upon our own abilities, wisdom, and the latest technology to overcome our
trials, temptations, and afflictions.
Ø A
lack of seeking God’s
will in the decisions we make.
Ø A
belief that our fate is in our own hands.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah (Chapters
1–35). Vol. I. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible.
Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
