No reliance on Egypt

ISAIAH CHAPTER 31

Destruction, says the Lord, is certain for those who look to Egypt for help instead of looking to the Lord. God will send a great disaster and he will not change his mind. He will rise against those who are wicked and crush their allies, too.

But the Lord told Isaiah, that when a lion, even a young one, kills a sheep, it pays no attention to the shepherd's shouts and noise. It goes right on eating. In the same way, the Lord will come and fight on Mount Zion. He will not be frightened away!

Therefore, says Isaiah, come my people and return to the Lord. The glorious day will come when every one of you will throw away the golden idols and silver images that your sinful hands have made. The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by the swords of men. The sword of God will strike them and they will panic and flee. The strong, young Assyrians will be taken as captives. Even their generals will quake with terror and flee when they see the battle flags.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Why was it wrong of Judah to look to other nations for military help? 1. They were trusting in human beings instead of God. 2. They were serving their own interests instead of God's and did not consult him. 3. They did not want to pay the price of looking to God and repenting of their sinful ways.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Over and over the Bible stresses to us the importance of not relying on idols such as money, fame, success or other man-made objects. Instead of contributing to our spiritual development, they rob us of our energy and devotion. Devotion that should be directed at God. In the end, if we do not learn from our mistakes, we will be slaves to our idols. Even in today's world, can you recognize and open your eyes to the worthlessness of such idols? Do so as soon as possible, so that you are not robbed of your freedom by them.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Pray for Gabe. Pray for Logan during her difficult pregnancy.
Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and for her sister Wanda’s soul which went to heaven.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.