Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for October 11, 2020

The Non-Egyptian Protection Plan

Isaiah 31:1-9

1. Background

• fifth in a series of woes
• consideration of the extent of God’s power and control
• Judah in the midst of its Assyrian Crisis

2. The disaster of depending on Egypt 1-3

• warning against an existing dependence (Psa. 20:7)
• reliance rooted in settled attitudes
• the God who does not “take it back”
• the folly of trusting Egypt rather than the LORD (John 4:24)

3. The defense of dependence on the LORD 4-5

• growling lion of conquering sovereignty
• hovering bird of gentle protection (1 Cor. 1:25)
• sufficient and surrounding help

4. The invitation to depend on the LORD 6-9

• from revolt to repentance
• the ditching of idols
• the LORD “passes over” and the Assyrians “pass off” (2 Kings 19:35)

5. So What?

• Because only God can help you, look to Him.
• connection to Christ: A King will reign in righteousness (see Isa. 32!)
• “The blood of the lamb might have seemed ineffectual and irrelevant to a people under sentence of death but it was enough! So, against the unwisdom of Judah, the pretenses of Egypt and the threats of Assyria, the hovering God will prove His sovereign strength.” (Motyer)
• “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men…”