Isaiah the prophet warned Judah concerning her response to the Assyrian threat in chapter 31:1,3, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, {And} rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! … Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand….”

It’s amazing that the people of Judah would turn to Egypt for help instead of the One who had freed them from Egyptian slavery and by Whose power “the horse and rider was thrown into the sea.”

In the face of a new Assyrian threat we can imagine how the leaders of Judah were rationalizing all this: “It had been several hundred years since the Jews were slaves to the Egyptians. It was a new day. Egypt was as kinder, gentler nation now. And Egypt was certainly less threatening than the Assyrians. So what could be so wrong with an Egyptian-Judean military alliance?”

But the way God saw it, trusting in Egypt showed that Judah no longer trusted in Him. It’s clear from Isaiah’s rebuke that Judah regarded Egypt as more than just a potential ally—Egypt was like a savior. That’s why Isaiah rebuked Judah with the words, “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God. And their horses are flesh and not spirit?”

Who should we rely on?

One of the reasons the people of Judah turned to Egypt rather than the Lord was that they thought Egypt could be relied on. In verse one Isaiah says, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, {And} rely on horses.” The verb “rely on” is the Hebrew word “sha’an” which literally means to lean on something or someone, as one might lean on a staff. The verb is used more figuratively of an attitude of trust. In fact it’s the same verb is used in Prov.3:5 where we are told to “lean not” on our own understanding, but trust the Lord.

But could Judah really lean on Egypt when the going got tough? Not likely. Isaiah would later warn Judah in Isaiah 36:6, “Behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed, {even} on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.”

I’m sure most of us have been pierced by a “crushed reed” of one kind or another. We’ve put our trust in someone, only to find they were an unreliable and dangerous reed. You may still lick the wounds of an abusive father, or a husband who abandoned you and the children, or a business partner who took advantage of your trust.

Let’s be honest, most of us can’t trust ourselves, let alone anyone else. When it comes right down to it, there is only One who is 100% reliable and trustworthy—and that’s our God.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, theycomfort me” the Psalmist declares. Whether it be the staff of Egypt, or the staff of anyone else upon which you lean you can never be sure that they will be at your side when trials come. But there is still one staff upon which you can trust and take comfort.—the staff of the Lord our Shepherd.

Elizabeth Elliot said, “Every experience of trial puts us to this test: Do you trust God or don’t you?” Are you experiencing a trial right now? It could be that God is testing you to see whether you will turn to Egypt or to Him.”

Don’t go down to Egypt and lean on a “crushed reed”—-Go to the Lord and trust in Him. He’s more reliable than any psychiatrist—doctor—lawyer—or professor. Lean on the Holy One of Israel.

Who should be our strength?

We can see another reason why Judah turned to Egypt. It was because of Egypt’s apparent strength.

Isaiah 31:1 says, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, {And} rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong.”

Ever since the introduction of the horse into the Middle East in the Middle Bronze Age (around 1800 B.C.), warfare was revolutionized. The horse’s speed, stamina, and maneuverability gave an army a shock effect many times its numerical size. Although horses were not ideal for the hills of Judah they could still have a kind of magical effect in intimidating the enemy.

Egypt was also noted for chariotry. One ancient historian numbered the Egyptian chariots at twenty-seven thousand. And we know from the Bible itself that Egypt exported chariots to neighboring countries. (1 Kings x. 29), and was at this time the only power which could furnish a chariot-force capable of coming close to Assyria’s military power.

No wonder Judah went to Egypt for her horses and chariots. They were the latest wizbang high-tech weapon no nation worth its salt could do without. Isn’t that the way it is with many ministries and movements these days. We believe success can only be achieved if you’ve got the latest and greatest technology or the latest innovative ideas.

Every new approach promises to be the breakthrough we need. But as the years pass, and ideas and gadgets go the way of the Edsel, we discover that we need more than the power of human ingenuity to win the battle. These are but Egyptian horses. Let’s face it, when all is said and done it is only God who can bring us success.

If we’re involved in any work and we hope to see it grow and make an impact for God’s kingdom, we need to spend more time seeking God and his strength than man’s latest methods. The battle for the minds of people today cannot be won with weapons of flesh and blood, but only with spiritual weapons. Moving out with anything less than the power of God’s Spirit is like using a peashooter against a tank brigade.

The real challenge of Isaiah’s prophecy is this: Who will we put our trust in? Men or God?

The end of the story of Judah against the Assyrian lion turns out to be a happy one. It seems that Isaiah’s warnings were taken seriously; King Hezekiah and the people of Judah decided to put their trust in God alone. Rather than go down to Egypt, Hezekiah went down to his knees in prayer.

We read in Isa. 37:21, 35, 36, “Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent {word} to Hezekiah, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria… 35 “For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’ 36 Then the angel of the LORD went out, and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians…”

Are you in an impossible situation? Put your trust in God!