Isaiah 30: 1- 11

This chapter shows the possibility of making plans without reference to God, and of trusting in that which is not God. Leaders in particular should take good note. But there is a warning sign erected for all believers. Let’s be wary about where we place our confidence. There came a time when the leaders of Jerusalem, under King Hezekiah, sought to make an alliance with Egypt, in order to defend their territory against Assyria (2 Kings 18:19-21). Isaiah foresaw the disastrous consequences of such a move and gave fair warning. In (4), he indicates that Egyptian envoys were already in the cities of ‘’Zoan’’ and ‘’Hanes’’ (in northern Egypt), waiting to meet with their counterparts from Judah. The repeated call of God through Isaiah (and through all Scripture) is to trust in Him; no-one else and nothing else. ‘’Going off to Egypt without so much as asking me…Well, some protection Pharaoh will be! Some hideout, Egypt!…Anyone stupid enough to trust them will end up looking stupid – All show, no substance, an embarrassing farce.’’ The Message. It is imperative that leaders of God’s people should seek the Lord to know His mind, and not just go off at their own whim. When we get any sense that something is not of God, let’s not be ‘’obstinate’’ (1; see also 8-11). If a warning light shows on the ‘dashboard’ don’t ignore it or you will pay a heavy bill. We do well to spend much time in heaven’s ‘consulting rooms’ (2a, 3). Let’s get our advice; our counsel from on high. Today, we can be like the people of Judah were back then (8-11), ignoring the ‘hard teachings of the Bible; cherry-picking God’s promises and largely ignoring His commands. ‘’Tell us what makes us feel better.’’ The Message.

(Compare verses 2 and 3 with chapter 25:4. The Lord would always be to them what they were looking for elsewhere, if only they would run to Him.)

Already envoys from Judah were carrying gifts to the Egyptians in order to buy their protection (6). It seems they were travelling secretly through the Negev, a barren desert wasteland to the south of Judah. But again Isaiah states that there will be no help found in Egypt. When will the church realise that the help of ‘Egypt’ is ‘’utterly useless’’? God uses the nickname: ‘’Rahab the Do-Nothing.’’ (7). Rahab was a mythical sea monster. It was also a symbolic name for Egypt. ‘’Thinking you can buy protection from that hollow farce of a nation? Egypt is all show, no substance, My name for her is Toothless Dragon.’’ The Message.

‘’Egypt was as helpful as a shadow (30:1-5), a wall about to fall down (30:12-13), or a broken clay vessel (30:14). The Egyptians were only men, not God (31:1-3). Are you trusting things that cannot help you while the Lord waits for you to come to Him for help (30:15, 18)? Those who wait on the Lord for help will experience blessings, such as answered prayer (30:18-19), God’s guidance (30:20-21), cleansing (30:22), fruitfulness (30:23-26), victory (30:27-33; 31:4-9) and a song (30:29). The horses of Egypt can never take the place of the chariots of God (Ps.20:7-8).Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, pp.469, 470

Prayer: Lord it is my sincere ambition to hear your voice and do your will. I never want to fight You or be trusting in anyone else. Help me Lord God for I know I need you. Thank you for hearing me.