Woe to Them That Go Down to Egypt
The sermon warns against trusting in human strength and instead encourages the church to seek the Lord and trust in His strength in the face of demonic forces and increasing sin.
David Wilkerson warns against relying on human strength and worldly solutions, as illustrated in Isaiah 31, where the prophet cautions Israel about seeking help from Egypt instead of trusting in God. He emphasizes that just as Israel faced the powerful Assyrian army, believers today confront overwhelming temptations and sins that cannot be defeated through human efforts. Wilkerson draws parallels between the historical context of Isaiah's warning and the current state of the church, highlighting the increasing influence of demonic forces and societal decay. He urges the church to recognize the futility of fighting spiritual battles without divine assistance and to seek the Holy One of Israel for true victory.
Text
"Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!" (Isaiah 31:1).
The prophet Isaiah warned Israel that there was no possibility of victory for them if they attempted to fight their adversary in their own strength. Isaiah 31 paints a perfect picture of the futility of trying to do battle with the enemy in our human ability. I believe this chapter is a type and shadow of the ineffectiveness of our attempts today to defeat lusts, habits and besetting sins by relying on human ideas and aids.
At the time Isaiah wrote this message of warning, King Sennacherib and the Assyrian army had already marched through Judah. They had captured most of the cities in their path, and now they planned to besiege Jerusalem. In Hebrew, the word Sennacherib means "successful" and Assyria means "sin on the increase." Put together, these two words provide an image of an evil enemy who was having great success against God's people.
Indeed, Assyria represents every demonic, lustful spirit that comes against us. And Sennacherib is the devil himself, convinced he will succeed in defeating us and bringing us into despair. I believe God wants to show us through this chapter how the devil and his demonic hordes are bringing waves of temptations against the church, with increasing intensity and much success.
This chapter is also an example of how sin will increase in the last days. Scripture says that society will wax worse and worse (see 2 Timothy 3:13), and the church will be inundated with deceptions and doctrines of demons. I believe we are seeing that happen right now. Demonic hordes have infiltrated all media and every form of technology, flooding our culture with sensuality, nudity, and perversions of all kinds. As prophesied in Revelation 12:15, Satan has "cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman."
Sermon Outline
- I. The Futility of Human Strength
- A. Isaiah 31 warns against trusting in human ability
- B. The prophet's message is a type and shadow of our attempts to defeat sin
- C. Human strength is no match for demonic forces
- II. The Enemy's Success
- A. King Sennacherib and Assyria represent the devil and demonic hordes
- B. They bring waves of temptations against the church
- C. Sin will increase in the last days
- III. The Church's Response
- A. We must not rely on human ideas and aids
- B. We must seek the Lord and trust in His strength
- C. We must be aware of the enemy's tactics and deceptions
Key Quotes
“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!” — David Wilkerson
“Indeed, Assyria represents every demonic, lustful spirit that comes against us. And Sennacherib is the devil himself, convinced he will succeed in defeating us and bringing us into despair.” — David Wilkerson
“Satan has 'cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman.'” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must not rely on human ideas and aids to defeat sin, but instead seek the Lord and trust in His strength.
- We must be aware of the enemy's tactics and deceptions, and be prepared to resist them.
- As the church, we must stand firm in our faith and trust in God's power to overcome the increasing sin and deceptions of the last days.