When the Comparison Collapses
Judah was scared because Assyria was marching, and the biggest army in the ancient world was on their doorstep. In their fear, they made a decision that broke God’s heart. Instead of running to Him, they ran to Egypt.
Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”
The word “woe” is a funeral cry. God is holding a funeral over this decision before it even fully plays out. He sees the death coming before Judah does. And notice why Judah trusted Egypt. Not because Egypt loved them or had a covenant with them. They trusted Egypt “because they are many” and “because they are very strong.” Judah was measuring safety by numbers of chariots.
The sin was not just running to the wrong helper. The sin was measuring safety by size instead of by God. Once we start counting chariots instead of counting on God, we are already in trouble, no matter how big the count.
The Great Irony
God had already destroyed the Egyptian army once, when Israel was the weaker side.
Exodus 14:27-28 “And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.”
Not one of them survived. The same chariots and horsemen that Judah was now running to for help had once been at the bottom of the Red Sea because God’s might and power. And Israel had not lifted a single sword to do it.
Exodus 14:14 “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
Israel should have known that numbers and power have nothing to do with God, because God is greater and stronger than all. When Israel was weak and outnumbered and when Israel was surrounded by Pharaoh’s army with the sea in front of them, God won. He did not need a bigger army. God is the army.
And yet a few hundred years later, Judah forgot. They ran back to the very nation whose horses had drowned in the Red Sea, hoping those same horses would now save them.
Isaiah 31:3 “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down together, and they all shall fail together.”
In one verse, God settles the whole argument. Egypt’s army looked strong until you set it next to the God who parted the sea. Egypt’s chariots looked mighty until you remembered they were only flesh next to the Spirit of God.
The whole book of Isaiah could be summed up in one line. The moment a Christian counts on the arm of flesh, that arm withers. God will not share His glory with horses.
What This Means for Us
Every Christian has an Egypt they are tempted to run to. A relationship, a paycheck, a political leader, a friend with connections, a backup plan, or a backup to the backup. Fear whispers that we need more chariots.
Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
Remembering is the whole battle. The moment we remember who God is, our Egypt shrinks.
Isaiah 31:1 closes with two things Judah stopped doing. They did not look unto the Holy One of Israel, and they did not seek the LORD. Those are our two protections. Eyes on Him, and feet moving toward Him. When both are in place, no Egypt on earth can shake us, because the comparison already collapsed at the Red Sea.
