Do not go down to Egypt

The Cost of Seeking Help from the World

Bible Passage: Isaiah 30:1-7

Summary: In Isaiah 30:1-7, God rebukes His people for their reliance on Egypt rather than turning to Him for help. This passage illustrates God’s lament over Israel’s decision to seek military aid from an oppressive nation instead of relying on the strength and wisdom of the Almighty. It highlights the futility of turning to worldly sources of support when only God's intervention can provide true comfort and deliverance.

Application: This sermon encourages believers to reflect on their own lives and consider where they seek help in times of trouble. It prompts them to identify potential 'Egypts' in their lives—places where they might seek support that distracts from their faith in God. Recognizing these patterns can lead Christians to deeper reliance on God and His word for guidance and solace.

Teaching: The sermon teaches that while the world may offer temporary solutions, true help comes from a relationship with God. It emphasizes the importance of seeking divine guidance rather than human counsel, urging believers to prioritize their reliance on God in every circumstance.

How this passage could point to Christ: In the context of scripture, Christ is the ultimate source of salvation and guidance. He fulfills the longing for true help and deliverance that God offers, showing that all worldly help pales in comparison to the strength found in a relationship with Him. Jesus embodies the truth that all who come to Him will find rest and refuge.

Big Idea: When we turn to the world for solutions, we forfeit the peace and strength that comes from trusting in God alone.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon with your Logos library, delve into the historical significance of the relationship between Israel and Egypt during Isaiah's time. Investigating commentary on the significance of alliances in ancient Near Eastern contexts can yield fruitful insights. Additionally, look into how this motif of reliance on God as opposed to worldly powers is developed throughout scripture, especially in the Psalms and prophetic literature.

1. Starting With Sinful Schemes

Isaiah 30:1-2

Perhaps you could highlight how the Israelites' decision to seek counsel and protection from Egypt, without consulting God, reflects a lack of faith and understanding of His provision. Emphasize that in moments of crisis, believers might be tempted to default to worldly solutions out of anxiety or impatience. Remind everyone of the importance of beginning with God in prayer, seeking His wisdom and guidance, rather than rushing into decisions that align with worldly logic. Judah had entered into a secret alliance, graphically described by the prophet as weaving a web and toasting a libation of diplomatic relationships that openly defies the counsel and the Spirit of God (v. 1). Consequently, Judah’s pride in this alliance only adds sin to the sin of their rebellion. By trusting in the strength of Egypt for their protection and hovering under the shadow of Egypt for their identity, the people of Judah exposed themselves to the coming shame and humiliation of an empire in decline.

David McKenna and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Isaiah 1–39, vol. 17, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1993), 288.

2. Shameful and Shaky Shelters

Isaiah 30:3-5

You could point out the ironic outcome of Israel’s actions: their alliance with Egypt results in shame and disgrace rather than safety and security. This portion serves as a caution against the false promises of worldly alliances, illustrating that dependency on the world often ends with disappointment. Encourage the congregation to examine their lives for any misplaced trust in worldly systems and to find their security in God’s faithful promises instead.Isaiah’s word must have come just at the time when Hezekiah’s delegation from Judah had reached the Egyptian cities of Zoan and Hanes (v. 4). Bowing before these minor powers and paying tribute to their puppet kings, rather than Pharaoh himself, served as an example of the level to which God’s people had stooped.Sin has a way of compounding itself. Once a person embarks on the path of rebellion against God, one sin adds to another. Cheaters, for instance, must lie to cover their tracks and liars must cheat to avoid detection. King David is an example. After adultery with Bathsheba, he compounded his sin by scheming for the murder of Uzziah, her husband. The rebellious children of Israel did the same thing by adding “sin to sin” (v. 1b). Having denied their heritage and rejected the love of God, they wove unholy alliances with a pagan power and toasted the fatal covenant with drunken libation. God disclaimed any part of the process because He knew that Egypt had neither the strength to resist Assyria nor the will to save Israel. Shame rather than salvation would be the outcome (v. 5).

Isaiah 30:6-7

Maybe you can draw attention to the vivid imagery used by Isaiah to describe the burden and futility of this alliance. The resources and efforts invested by Israel become as empty and ineffective as the creatures in the Negev. Urge listeners to consider the 'heavy loads' they might be carrying as a result of trusting in worldly wisdom. Redirect them towards Christ, who invites all to cast their burdens upon Him and find rest, illustrating the ultimate futility of worldly dependencies.An elaborate description of the negotiating team that Hezekiah sent to Egypt shows how desperate the king had become. To woo Egypt into the protective alliance, he sent his choice princes and senior ambassadors as leaders of the delegation. On the backs of donkeys and camels in the caravan Hezekiah loaded “riches” and “treasures” from Judah and Jerusalem, a pittance compared to the wealth of Egypt. Worst of all, he gambled the lives of the delegates and the value of the tribute against the hazards of the desert and wilderness of Sinai. In addition to the violent forces of nature that gave the Sinai its reputation as a “land of trouble and anguish,” wild animals such as “the lioness and lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent,” threatened the safety of the caravan. Edward Young suggests “Here is one of the saddest pictures in all of Scripture” because Hezekiah’s party represented a reversal of the Exodus from Egypt. Isaiah is quoting one of the celebrated texts of Israel’s history that every child would know as he or she praised the God “who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the rock of flint” (Deut. 8:15). So, forgetting God, risking lives, wasting treasures, and flaunting history, Hezekiah chose to put his trust in an empire that Isaiah mocks as “Rahab-Hem-Shebeth” (v. 7).Many meanings are attached to Rahab, the sea monster of ancient lore who is variously identified with chaos, confusion, noise, powerlessness, and immobility. Literally, the name means “Rahab who sits still.” Leupold ventures a modern interpretation that sums up several meanings in the phrase, “A Big-Mouth that is a Do-Nothing.” The point is that Rahab represents the folly and futility of trusting in Egypt. At the most elemental level of faith, Israel knows that God does what He says He will do.