Saturday, March 19, 2011

Don't Trust in Horses and Chariots




According to Isaiah, not only is it a good idea to trust God, but it's the only way to go!  And you can trust God's prophets, because if anything they said wasn't true, they had to be put to death.  So you can pretty much count on this one: God is the One who should be trusted.
Once you're neck deep in a mess that's beyond your control, trusting Him is easier said than done.  We tend to rely on ourselves, because we figure we can handle it.  The fact is, we can't handle it and we know very little about ourselves if we believe we can.  Sometimes we cling to parents, peers or our pastor for strength, but these people cannot be spiritual enough to face our trials for us.  Each of us must learn to lean on God for ourselves.  Finally, there are those who resort to wordly things for comfort.  Again, wrong choice!  

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!

2

Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.

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, and they all shall fail together.  -Isaiah 31:1-3

The worst thing you can do is "go back to Egypt" when the going gets rough.  Many of us have lived a wordly lifestyle of some degree before salvation, so returning to its ease and comfort seems like the natural thing to do.  Before Jesus rose again, the disciples were so distraught over His death that they went back to their old profession: fishing.  It's easy to slide into the old habit of "trusting in chariots" because they're familiar and visible; who wants to put their trust in Someone you can't even see?
The truth is, all the "horses and chariots" Egypt can give you aren't really that strong.  In the end, he that helpeth (the world) and the holpen (you) will fall.  Isaiah says, Woe to them that look not unto God, neither seek the Lord!  In the words of a great hymn, "I must tell Jesus; Jesus can help me, Jesus alone" (I Must Tell Jesus).  Life is not for the faint at heart.  Don't trust in whatever you left in Egypt; they're no match for God.  Trust in the One that wiped out the entire Egyptian army at the Red Sea Crossing; He will bring you safely through!


Picture: bible-history.com

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