Even to Isaiah’s first hearers this oracle must have sounded very strange. Certainly it seems like an astonishingly impractical idea for us today: “Alas for those who go down to Egypt for help and who rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!” (Isaiah 31:1).

Let’s consider this. It’s a dangerous world we live in, and we have many enemies. Doesn’t it just make sense that we would want to form an alliance with a powerful neighbor? Of course we would look to build up military might, in order to make ourselves safe from those who want to cause us harm. And we do know that there are those who want to cause us harm, right? So wouldn’t it be hopelessly naïve to just “trust in God” – don’t we have to be politically and militarily astute in preparing to defend ourselves?

Isaiah didn’t think so. He thought that would be rebellious and sinful, rather than wise. “Oh, rebellious children, says the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine; who make an alliance, but against my will, adding sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my counsel, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh” (30:1-2). Rather than trying to resolve our fears via political expediency or military power, Isaiah proposed that what we must do instead is offer up a simple prayer: “O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble” (33:2).

Really? Is it possible to believe that faith in God will be sufficient? Maybe not. Maybe we have to trust in armies and alliances, instead of in the Lord. Certainly these words of Isaiah make many of us uncomfortable. And maybe we can believe them: if we are convinced that “the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king; he will save us” (33:22).

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There are scary forces out there in the world, Lord, and in our fear we are so ready to believe that the only way to be safe is to build up bigger forces of our own. But that’s an illusion, because in truth you are our only safety: for in life and in death we belong to you.