Isaiah 31:1-3 and 32:8

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.

Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster;

He does not take back his words.

He will rise up against the house of the wicked,

Against those who help evil doers.

But the Egyptians are men and not God;

Their horses are flesh and not spirit.

When the Lord stretches out his hand, he who helps will stumble,

He who is helped will fall;

Both will perish together. Isaiah 31:3

Once again, Isaiah 31:1-3 is stating to Judah that trusting in others, and the strength of Egypt in this case, was foolishness. Maybe Egypt could save them, but it would be only temporary. Egypt too would fall and perish, and all those who fell under her protection would meet her same fate. So why bother?

Egypt’s army was well known for the charioteers and mounted cavalry. Indeed horses revolutionized warfare during the Bronze Age (1800 BC). Having a strong force of charioteers, and mounted soldiers gave a country an advantage. Therefore, Judah is looking to Egypt because they have what they believed was a more advanced military force than their own. However, God makes clear in these verses that Egypt’s army may be strong, but He is stronger. The destiny of a country doesn’t rest on either horses or other military weaponry, and when people depend on these things to keep them safe, they are actually headed towards destruction.[1] Verse 2 says, “He too is wise and can bring disaster.” Not only can God bring disaster, but He has in the past.

In this case seeking out Egypt’s help is a direct rejection of God’s help, and past deliverance from the Egyptians (the Exodus). So asking Egypt for help is not just a bad decision, but a complete rejection of the good that has always been offered.[2] Going this route means that Judah will suffer the consequences of rejecting God. During the Exodus the people rejected God when Moses was gone for too long on the mountain top by making an idol of a golden calf (Exodus 32). The consequence for this act was that many people died in a plague (Exodus 32:35), but also that those who participated in the sin that were blotted out of the Lord’s book (Exodus 32:33). Read that again: blotted out of the book of life. When we reject God, we don’t just embrace worldly sin, but also eternal damnation.

                                                

Isaiah is setting up a contrast here with Isaiah 32:8 (actually these verses contrast the entire section beginning in chapter 7 about the foolishness on relying on other countries for help):

The noble man makes noble plans,

And by noble deeds he stands.

The first seven verses of chapter 32 state that when righteousness rules the land, things will be made right. Those who were hailed as wise, yet gave bad advice (like turning to Egypt for help) would be shown as they truly are: faithless fools. “Fool” is one of the strongest negative words in the Old Testament because it refers to a person who has constantly rejected the ways of the Lord. The ways of God lead to life, but the fool choses the path to death. Furthermore, in the short term the way of the fool appears more desirable because they receive temporary rewards.[3] God cautions us against this because these rewards and gains will not survive the fires of the Day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:15).

Thus, the noble man, is one who trusts in God’s promises even when thing are going badly in this world. They make their plans based on God’s promises even if it seems foolish to do so. The fool does not depend on God to supply his needs, whereas the noble man does. This faith in God’s promises, both for this life and the next, allows the noble to live with peace in his heart, and to share and take care of others because he knows all his needs are supplied.

It is hard to hold onto the intangible promises of God when there are tangible and physical safety measures we can take.[4] We are physical and spiritual beings, and often times we depend on the physical too much, rather than trusting that the One whose spirit indwells us will provide and protect. The advisors of Judah were trying to protect their country, but ended up leading them into trouble with God. A bad decision is still a bad decision regardless of the intentions.

Today, we live in a post 9/11 world that is fraught with evil doers abroad, and in our own neighborhoods. Do we trust in the military and police force to protect us from others? Do we trust in the number of guns and ammo we have stored to keep us safe? Do we trust in our treaties with other countries, the UN, and NATO to give us more strength as we work to avert those who threaten our national peace? Or do we trust and believe that God is in control of every situation and that our names are written in the book of Life regardless of what happens to us on Earth? When we value our physical safety more than our eternal salvation we will find ourselves in more trouble than we started with.

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[1] John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-39, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986), 571.

[2] Ibid., 570.

[3] Ibid., 581.

[4] Ibid., 572.