Isaiah 30:1-3 "Oh, rebellious children, says the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine..."

"Oh, rebellious children, says the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine; who make an alliance, but against my will, adding sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my counsel, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt; therefore the protection of Pharaoh shall become your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt your humiliation” (Isaiah 30:1-3).

Comment:

At the time of Isaiah the prophet, the nation of Israel was severely threatened by the armies of Assyria to its north and east. It was a time of great political ferment, and the leaders of the nation were trying to solve their Assyrian problem by forming an alliance with the power of Egypt to their south and west. Isaiah insisted—in passages such as this—that their political plans would not work.   It is the role of the prophet to speak the spiritual truth—to point out that choices have consequences, and fear-based choices could only have fear-based consequences. His message was constant and clear: Egypt is not the source of our salvation. God is the only Source.   The challenges are similar, and the message equally clear, for us today. We try to solve our problems by figuring out solutions ourselves. But God is our only true Source. It's only by surrendering to the Power and Love of God in our lives that we will find security, love, abundance and all good. Our efforts to solve things ourselves only succeed in turning simple problems into increasingly complex knots of fear and limitation. The only alliance we need is with the Presence of God.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed