Judah and Egypt
Much of the
next two chapters focus on the Hebrew people’s relationship with Egypt as
Assyria comes closer. Naturally, it is
human to grasp at any straw – especially when facing sheer and utter
destruction. It is difficult to turn to
God; but it is easy to turn to other human beings. Reread that last sentence and make sure you
understand how that sentence makes absolute sense from a worldly perspective
and yet it is absolutely ridiculous from a spiritual perspective. We as human beings can easily put faith in
the tangible (which would never have existed without God) while so easily
ignoring the intangible (which created the tangible). It makes no spiritual sense, but it is how we
live much of our lives!
As we go
into these chapters, understand at least two levels about why this idea of
looking to Egypt for help is so apprehensible to God. First of all, it is clearly evidence of the
desire for the Hebrew people to choose man’s ways over God. They don’t want to see God. They don’t want to obey God. They want to live according to their own
understanding. Second, remember what
Egypt represents in the history of the Hebrew people. Egypt is bondage. Egypt is false gods. Egypt is slavery. To turn to Egypt for help instead of the Lord
is a symbolic gesture that the Hebrew people would rather choose bondage of
freedom. They would rather serve other
men than be obedient to God.
That last
sentence cuts pretty deep today. How
many of us aren’t guilty of that? How
many of us haven’t had a point in our life where we voluntarily became a slave
to something in this world instead of being obedient to God? These chapters about Egypt are more than just
a snippet of history. These chapters are
about the human condition. These
chapters are about the human psyche and our ability to make good decisions.
The True Reflection of Humanity
Look at
verses 8-11 as proof of this concept.
Let’s read some of God’s Word through His mouthpiece Isaiah. “Unwilling to bear the instructions of the
Lord.” “Say to the seers, ‘Do not
see.’” “Say to the prophets, ‘Do not
prophesy to us what is right.’” “Speak
to us smooth things.” “Prophesy
illusions.” “Leave the way, turn aside
from the path.” “Let us hear no more
about the Holy One of Israel.”
Do these
words not say it all? We are a
rebellious people. Our nature is to
reject God. How great it is to know that
God has made it possible to overcome our nature through Him!
Wait
I was
stunned by a simple word in verse 18.
“Wait.” The Lord waits to be
gracious. He desires grace. He comes in judgment because we deserve it
and we shun His righteous overtures of grace.
But judgment is not His true desire.
Grace is His true desire. He
waits for the opportunity to demonstrate grace.
How patient is God! If it were
me, I would have punished long ago and started over. But not God.
God punishes in an attempt to get people to understand and love His
grace. That’s worth believing in!
I also love
the imagery of verse 22. The day will
come when we scatter our idols before us and say, “Begone!” There will come a day when we see them and
recognize them as the unclean things that they are. Oh, what a blessed day that will be.
The imagery
of light in verse 26 is also striking.
In the day of the Lord’s greatness the light of the sun will be
sevenfold. As a person who suffers from
SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, this verse brings me much joy! The number seven is symbolic for
completion. In the day of the Lord’s
healing, the light of the Lord will be complete. It will be unmistakable. It will be absolutely magnificent.
As we end
this chapter, we have a reminder of the warning of God. On one hand we have His promise of light,
reassurance, and deliverance. On the
other hand we have the pain and shame that will come at the hands of the
Assyrians for those who will not listen.
What an interesting choice.
Believe and obey God and find salvation.
Believe and obey the natural world and find pain and suffering. Sound familiar?
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