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. [Isaiah 31:1 (NLT)]
Look! Don’t be deceived by appearances – men and things are not what they seem. All who are not on the rock are in the sea! [William Booth]
Built by her husband’s grandfather in the 1920s, my friend’s house was filled with much of the original furniture. Many pieces (like the restored grand piano) were valuable antiques but decades of use had taken their toll on others. Although the beautiful little mahogany side chair looked solid, a note saying “Broken—do not use” rested on it. Pretty as it was, the chair was useless and an invitation to disaster. Should the warning go unnoticed, some unknowing person could end up sprawled on the floor surrounded by splintered wood.
Some people depend on things as fragile as that broken chair—things like wealth, career, appearance, possessions, power, contacts, or fame. While at first glance, they may look solid and dependable, such things can’t be trusted and, like that chair, can shatter and collapse when most needed. Our circumstances can change in an instant and what we depended on yesterday may not be there tomorrow.
The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with stories showing the danger of putting our faith in the wrong things. Rather than relying on the truth of God’s word, Adam and Eve depended on Satan’s lies; after eating the forbidden fruit, they were evicted from Eden. Abraham and Sarah depended on their plan instead of God’s promise to give them a son. Sadly, the Middle East continues to suffer from their foolishness. Having placed faith in his own wisdom, riches, and power rather than the Lord, Solomon’s kingdom was divided after his death.
When Israel’s King Hoshea formed an alliance with Egypt instead of trusting God, he ended up imprisoned, his people in exile, and Samaria in ruins. When Judah trusted Assyria instead of God, they ended up paying tribute to them for 35 years. Slow learners, when they finally rebelled, rather than trusting in God, they appealed to Egypt for military aid. Today’s verse is Isaiah’s warning that Pharaoh was weak and undependable. In the end, it was God, not Egypt, who came to Judah’s rescue. Both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah suffered for their dependence on idols, other nations, and themselves rather than God; we will, too.
Putting our confidence in the weakness of man and the fragility of things rather than the power of God is like trusting a rickety antique chair; as attractive as it appears, it will collapse eventually and we’ll be left to pick up the shattered pieces. As for me, I’d rather depend on a God who is strong, steadfast, and indestructible than on anything or anyone else! Ours is a rock-solid God who won’t fail us, no matter how much weight we place on Him.
On whom or what do you rely? Is it reliable…as reliable as God?
When we dare to depend entirely upon God and do not doubt, the humblest and feeblest agencies will become mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds. [A.B. Simpson]
Devotions of the Heart 