31. Isaiah Chapter Thirty-One

Isaiah Chapter 31

Again Isaiah denounced the evil of seeking help from Egypt instead of seeking the Lord. The scheme is wise in the eyes of apostate Israel; yet Jehovah is wise (Isaiah 31:2), and will vindicate His wisdom in His judgment both upon the Egyptians and upon those who have sought their assistance (Isaiah 31:3). "He will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the help of them that work iniquity" (that is, the help afforded by the Egyptians to the evildoers of Israel). In Isaiah 31:3 the prophet speaks of the Egyptians as creatures of dust, in contrast to God, and their horses as mere flesh in contrast to spiritual power. A message of the assurance of deliverance is given in Isaiah 31:4-9. The comparison of his interposition is that of lions roaring on their prey, a comparison of attack. In Isaiah 31:5 it is that of hovering or fluttering birds, a comparison of protection and deliverance. Hence there is a call in Isaiah 31:6 to turn in repentance to God, for the day is coming when never again will Israel be guilty of idolatry. Let the repentant therefore anticipate this. The Assyrian is to be utterly defeated (Isaiah 31:8), for God’s fire is in Zion and His furnace in Jerusalem, again an anticipation of the destruction of the Antichrist.