Crisis came to the Hebrew nation of Judah during the ministry of the prophet Isaiah. The Assyrians, the overwhelming military power in the Middle East of the day (late 700’s A.D.), were threatening little Judah and Jerusalem. In one of the weaker moments of his otherwise godly kingship, Hezekiah turned to the Egyptians for help, seeking a military alliance against Assyria with the Jewish people’s ancient foe. However, the Lord reminded Hezekiah, through the prophet Isaiah, that the king was not to trust in human help but rather in the Lord alone. As recorded in Isaiah 31, God warned Hezekiah that the Egyptians and their horses were mere flesh, whereas he is the Ruler of the universe. The Egyptians would completely fail Judah as an ally, but the Lord would come himself to fight on behalf of the Jews. The miraculous story of what God did to keep this promise is told in Isaiah 37.
How does Isaiah 31 apply to our lives? If we are sick, we do well to seek out doctors to treat us in whom we are able to repose the utmost trust. However, no matter how gifted our physicians may be, our ultimate trust should be in the Lord. Even the most eminent surgeon is utterly incapable of helping us, absent the Lord’s empowerment. No medicine can work to heal our bodies unless God gives that medicine the power to cure us. Indeed, whenever we find ourselves in a difficult situation, Isaiah 31 reminds us to trust ultimately in the Lord and never supremely in other people, no matter how talented or powerful those other human beings may be.
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