Scripture

What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers, and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

Observation

Those who look to Egypt to protect Judah from Assyria are doomed. They depend on human armies instead of the Lord. The Lord will come against Egypt, and they will fall.

The Lord is like a lion growling over a sheep it has killed. It is not frightened by the shouts of the shepherds. In the same way, the Lord will hover over Jerusalem. He will protect and save the city.

Application

Judah was threatened by the rising power of Assyria to the north. To balance the odds against them, they sought the assistance of Egypt which was far more powerful.

The Lord says they are wrong to do this. The Egyptian soldiers are just humans. Rather, Judah should return to the Lord and put their trust in Him alone.

Whether it is geopolitics or personal safety, we can get things wrong. We tend to put our trust in other people or in our own ability.

The problem is, of course, that to put our trust in the Lord means that we rely on someone who cannot be seen. Even worse, there is an implication that to “return to the Lord”, we might have to give up our favourite idols and change our lifestyle.

It seems much more straightforward to make our own arrangements for our security. It is easier to trust ourselves then the Creator of the universe.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for my self- protectiveness and my inflated belief in my own abilities. Please help me to trust you in all things and at all times. Amen.