Welcome to this Daily PPJ devotional. Read Numbers 6, Isaiah 31, and Acts 14 today. This devotional is about Isaiah 31. Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel. They do not seek the Lord. Yet he is too wise, and brings disaster. He does not call back his words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked, and against the allies of evildoers. But the Egyptians are men, not God. Their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall. Both will perish together. For this is what the Lord has said to me, Like a lion roaring, or a young lion over its prey, And though a band of shepherds is called out against it, It is not terrified by their shouting, or subdued by their clamor, So the Lord of hosts will come down, To do battle on Mount Zion and its heights. like birds hovering overhead. So the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will shield it and deliver it. He will pass over it and preserve it. Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel, for on that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold that your own hands have sinfully made. Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man. A sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals. They will flee before the sword, and their young men will be put to forced labor. Their rock will pass away for fear, and their princes will panic at the sight of the battle-standard, declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem. This is God's Word. The Assyrian Empire dominated the Middle East 700 years before Christ. They defeated the northern kingdom of Israel and scattered the people in those tribes away from the promised land. That was a direct result of Israel's disobedience to God's law. Although the southern kingdom of Jerusalem remained in the promised land assigned to them, they were oppressed by the Assyrians and fearful that Assyria would defeat them as they had Israel. Hezekiah was a godly king of Judah in many ways, but he also did some foolish things. His advisors urged him to create an alliance with the Egyptians, but Isaiah pronounced a curse, as we saw in verse 1, the word woe is there, And so Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Spirit, pronounced a curse on anyone who was looking to the Egyptians for military strength against the Assyrians. The reason for this curse is stated at the end of verse 1. They seek help from Egypt, but, this is a quote, do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek help from the Lord. Those are the words of the NIV, again in verse 1. As mighty as the Egyptians were, they were not nearly as powerful an ally as the Lord himself was for Judah. If only Judah would trust him. Verse 3 says, But the Egyptians are mere mortals, and not God. Their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, and those who are helped will fall. All will perish together. And again, those are the words of verse 3. from the NIV. God had promised to protect and defend his people and that promise is repeated here in Isaiah 31 in verse 4. But humans naturally seek human solutions to human problems. rather than looking to God for supernatural or providential solutions to human problems. And we do that naturally because we're fallen and our fallen nature seeks human solutions to human problems rather than seeking God's help. And you and I do this too. We go googling for the answer almost immediately when we encounter a problem. But often we forget God altogether or pray as if he won't help us anyway. This passage reminds us to turn to God, to claim his promises, and to call for his help when we face pressures and problems in our lives. And if you found this devotional helpful, let me encourage you to go to my website dailypbj.com slash subscribe and subscribe via email by entering your email address into the subscribe box there. This is completely free and you can quit anytime. 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