What other biblical instances show God's people relying on foreign nations? From Tools to Trust—1 Samuel 13:21 “The price for sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, mattocks, three-pronged forks, and axes, and for setting the points of goads.” Israel had to visit Philistine smiths just to sharpen iron. This dependence on an enemy power previews a pattern that runs through Scripture: when God’s people lean on outside nations, trouble follows. Foreign Reliance in the Patriarchal Era • Genesis 12:10–20 —Famine pushes Abram into Egypt; Pharaoh’s house is plagued before Abram is sent away. • Genesis 26:1–2 —Isaac considers the same move, but God stops him: “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.” • Genesis 47:1–6 —Jacob’s family settles in Goshen under Pharaoh’s protection. What began as relief became 400 years of bondage. Egypt—Israel’s Long-Term Crutch • Deuteronomy 17:16 —Future kings warned: “He must not acquire great numbers of horses or make the people return to Egypt.” • Isaiah 30:1-3 —“Woe… who set out to go down to Egypt without asking My counsel… therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame.” • Isaiah 31:1 —“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help… but do not look to the Holy One of Israel.” • Hosea 7:11 —“Ephraim has called to Egypt, turned to Assyria.” Kings Who Bought Quick Fixes • Asa hires Ben-hadad of Aram (2 Chronicles 16:2-9). Hanani rebukes: “You have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God.” • Ahaz appeals to Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 16:7-9; 2 Chronicles 28:20-21). The Assyrian “help” strips Judah’s treasury. • Hoshea courts So king of Egypt (2 Kings 17:4). Assyria responds by destroying the northern kingdom. • Zedekiah covenants with Egypt against Babylon (Jeremiah 37:5-10; Ezekiel 17:15-18). Both prophets declare the alliance will fail. • Jehoshaphat’s fleet partnership with Ahaziah of Israel (2 Chronicles 20:35-37) ends in shipwreck: “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” Prophets Expose the Futility • Psalm 20:7 —“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” • Micah 5:10 —God promises to “cut off your horses from among you and destroy your chariots.” • Zechariah 4:6 —“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.” Takeaway Truths • Foreign aid often looks easier than faith, yet Scripture shows it brings bondage, shame, or judgment. • God repeatedly distinguishes human strength from divine deliverance; every alliance that sidelines Him collapses. • The pattern that began with sharpening tools in Philistine shops ends with exiles learning that only God’s arm saves. |
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