Key Passage: Isaiah 31: 1 - 3

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, and will not call back His words, but will arise against the house of evildoers, and against the help of those who work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down.

It is a foolish thing for people to rely on fellow human beings for help at times of need rather than trusting in God. God is the Almighty. He made all things and there is nothing hard for Him to do. He also loves and cares for man who He created in His image. He is faithful and does not disappoint those who trust in Him. Is it then not foolhardy for people to forsake Him and trust ordinary human beings?

Israel was threatened in war by Assyria, a great world power. Rather than turn to God and seek His help, the King of Israel sought the help of Egypt because Egypt had fleets of horses and chariots and a strong army. He forgot that Egypt was not the Almighty and that there is a limit to her power to save or deliver. He also closed his eyes to the fact that Egypt was a wicked idolatrous nation who God had already reserved for judgment (Ez 30: 16). He went after vanity and reaped a curse from the Lord.

There are many people, including believers, who place their hope and confidence in men because they are rich or are highly placed. They go after these men without regards that their riches are the riches of Sodom, the fruits of evil, wickedness, immorality, corruption, bloodshed and oppression. Some go as far as compromise their Christian standard of morality to obtain favors contrary to the will of God. They must know that they are not smarter than God; their foolishness will be their very undoing. Our help should only be from the Lord and not from men (Ps 121: 1-2). When we place our hope and confidence on men we make them gods over us. That brings us into bondage and opens the door of demonic infestation on our lives and destinies.

The help of Egypt is vain (Is 30: 7), and so is the help of man (Jer 17: 5). Egypt was soon to be conquered and taken into captivity (Ex 30: 3-8) and so also was Israel who trusted in her.

Pray – Lord, open my eyes to the foolishness of trusting in man rather than in God. Teach me to lean on You, the Rock of Ages, and not on the broken reed of Egypt.

Written by – Evangelist Oguazi Onyemobi