Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.
Once upon a time there were 3 little pigs. One built his home out of straw. The second built his home out of sticks, while the third built his out of bricks. The wolf comes upon each of the pigs in their homes with the result that straw and sticks are no match for his ‘huffing and puffing’. Their houses get blown down and they suffer the consequences. But the wolf was no match for the third little pig with the brick home. Not only did it withstand his ‘huffing and puffing’, but this little pig outwits the wolf resulting in the end of the wolf. He also wasn’t shaking with fear at the wolf at the door. He actively countered whatever the wolf tried.
Right now there is a whole lot of ‘huffing and puffing’ going on all around us. So many things seem to be taking on a threatening nature. How are we responding to it? Is our ‘house’ beginning to shake and come apart? Do we find ourselves awake at night consumed with fear – because of the ‘wolf’ at the door? Where do we turn for help and assurance? Where do we place our trust?
The Israelites were tempted to go down to Egypt for help because they had horses and chariots and horsemen for hire – in spite of God’s warning not to. With the threat of enemy armies approaching, it seems reasonable to want something that can be seen versus trusting what isn’t seen. But it’s where do we place our faith? It’s tempting to succumb to the worldly wisdom that faith is nice but we need something that we can get our hands on. If we’re going to be in a ‘war’, we need an army; we need to be able to defend ourselves.
Fortunately, God is calling us, if we only have ears to hear and eyes to see. We are to look to Him, the Holy One of Israel, to seek help from the LORD. Even if we’ve built our lives out of ‘straw’ or ‘sticks’, it is never too late to turn to Him. He not only will be there for us, He will likely lead us to those who have built their lives with ‘bricks’ so that we might learn of His ways from them. He will use them to help us to stand securely in the circumstances we face. God loves to overcome the ‘wolves’ in our lives when we truly turn to Him.
Tomorrow we will talk about the relationship of the bricks and the Rock.
