Isaiah Chapter 31 - God is Able

Isaiah chapter 31 is a continuation of the Lord calling on Judah not to run to Egypt for help, but to trust the Lord for their deliverance. I find it a little sad that God is having to repeat this same advice over and over! It’s like the Israelites needed a good reason to trust God, and so He keeps giving them more and more reasons! And verse three gives them the best reason yet...

Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.  (Isaiah 31:3a)

While on the surface this might seem obvious - of course the Egyptians aren’t God - I believe it’s an encouragement that all of us need to hear - over and over! 

Perhaps it's because our minds, being temporal, tend to look for practical help when we’re in a tough spot. We automatically try to think of people, places, and things that could help us get out of the jam we’re in. 

The only problem with that solution is that people are only human, they’re flesh and blood, and they can only do so much, for so long. And eventually their strength, or their willingness will falter. Then where are we? Right back where we started.

But the Lord is always present, He’s always strong, and He always has resources that He can bring to bear on our situation. He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

When the Apostle Paul went to the city of Corinth to preach, he faced stiff opposition from the Jews, but the Lord encouraged him:

“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10)

How did it turn out for Judah?

“Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, and a sword not of mankind shall devour him. But he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become forced labor. He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the banner,” says the LORD, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 31:8-9)

This was fulfilled exactly. The Assyrian army devastated almost the entire land of Judah, then camped out on the outskirts of Jerusalem, ready to lay siege to the city. But 2 Kings 19:35 describes how God simply sent ONE angel of the LORD, who killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. When the people woke up, there were 185,000 dead Assyrian soldiers. It was a victory that had nothing to do with the sword . . . of man. 

God was more than able to protect Judah and Jerusalem, and friend, God is more than able to protect you!

Pastor Clay