Isaiah 31

Isaiah 31:1

This is the fifth woe. It is pronounced on those who go down to Egypt for help. This has a message for you and me. Woe to you and woe to me when we turn away from God and turn to some materialistic or human help. Don’t misunderstand meHe doesn’t intend that you launch out into space and hang there. God expects you to be reasonable. But in the final analysis God wants top priority as far as giving help is concerned. My friend, where do you go for help?

To your banker? To your preacher? Every now and then I receive a letter from someone who asks me what he should do in a given situation. Well, I don’t know what to do with many problems that arise in my own life! Although it is nice to ask others for advice, in the final analysis we must go to God for help. The psalmist wrote: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God (Psa_20:7). Materialistic philosophy says that it is smart to trust in the stock market or your investments, that it is smart to look to “Egypt.” Most of us have some “Egypt” upon which we depend for help. The real source of Israel’s difficulty was that they did not look to God, nor did they seek Him. Since they did not trust Him, they turned frantically to some outside, physical display of power.

Isaiah 31:5

The Lord will defend and preserve Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah, as we shall see. God assures them that it is a sure thing that the Assyrians will not take the city of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 31:8

“Not of a mighty man"God says it is not because you are going to be strong enough to drive them away. You won’t. God will deal with the Assyrians. Jerusalem’s confidence should be in the Lord. This is a great chapter to read for our own help and strength.