**The Folly of Trusting in Egypt and the Promise of God’s Deliverance**
In the days when the kingdom of Judah was besieged by the mighty Assyrian empire, fear gripped the hearts of the people. The Assyrian armies, led by their ruthless king Sennacherib, had already conquered many nations, leaving a trail of destruction and despair. Their reputation was fearsome, their armies vast, and their cruelty unmatched. The people of Judah trembled as they heard the reports of cities falling, their inhabitants slaughtered or carried away into captivity.
In Jerusalem, King Hezekiah sat upon his throne, his brow furrowed with worry. His advisors surrounded him, their voices clamoring with conflicting counsel. Some urged him to seek help from Egypt, the ancient kingdom to the south, known for its chariots and horsemen. “Surely,” they argued, “Egypt’s strength will be our salvation. Their armies are mighty, their resources vast. If we form an alliance with them, we can withstand the Assyrian onslaught.”
Hezekiah, though a godly king, was torn. The pressure was immense, and the threat of annihilation loomed large. He sent envoys laden with gold and silver to Pharaoh, seeking his aid. The people of Judah, too, began to place their hope in Egypt’s military might, whispering among themselves, “Surely, Egypt will save us. Their horses are swift, their chariots like the wind. With their help, we will prevail.”
But the Lord, who sees all and knows all, was displeased. He had not been consulted, nor had His power been trusted. Through His prophet Isaiah, the Lord spoke to His people, His voice like thunder echoing through the hills of Judah.
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,” declared Isaiah, his voice filled with both sorrow and authority. “They rely on horses, they trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!”
Isaiah stood in the courts of the temple, his robes flowing in the breeze, his eyes burning with divine fire. The people gathered around him, their faces a mixture of fear and curiosity. He continued, his words piercing their hearts like a sharp sword.
“Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster; He does not call back His words, but will arise against the house of evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.”
The prophet’s words were a stark reminder of the futility of trusting in human strength. Egypt, for all its grandeur and military prowess, was but a shadow compared to the Almighty God. Their horses and chariots, though impressive, were powerless against the will of the Lord.
Isaiah’s voice softened, yet it carried a promise that stirred hope in the hearts of those who listened. “For thus says the Lord to me: ‘As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.'”
The imagery was vivid and powerful. Just as a lion would not be frightened away from its prey by the shouts of shepherds, so the Lord would not be deterred from defending His people. He would descend like a mighty warrior, His presence alone enough to scatter the enemy.
Isaiah raised his hands, his voice rising in a crescendo of divine assurance. “Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem; He will protect and deliver it; He will spare and rescue it.”
The people listened, their hearts stirred by the promise of God’s protection. The Lord would not abandon His city, His chosen dwelling place. Though the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem like a swarm of locusts, though their spears glinted in the sun and their siege engines loomed large, the Lord would intervene.
Isaiah’s final words were a call to repentance and faith. “Return to Him against whom you have deeply revolted, O people of Israel. For in that day every one of you will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.”
The people bowed their heads, convicted by the prophet’s words. They had trusted in Egypt, in their own strategies, and even in their idols, but they had forgotten the One who had brought them out of Egypt, who had parted the Red Sea and led them through the wilderness. They had turned away from the Lord, but now He was calling them back.
In the days that followed, King Hezekiah took Isaiah’s words to heart. He tore down the idols, sought the Lord in prayer, and trusted in His promises. And true to His word, the Lord delivered Jerusalem. In a single night, the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib, the proud king of Assyria, fled in disgrace, only to be assassinated by his own sons.
The people of Judah marveled at the power of their God. They had seen the futility of trusting in Egypt, in horses and chariots, in the strength of men. But they had also witnessed the faithfulness of the Lord, who fights for His people and delivers them from their enemies.
And so, the words of Isaiah echoed through the generations, a timeless reminder: “The Lord is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Trust not in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”
