When we did our study of the kings we learned that Judah did call upon Pharaoh for help against Assyria, which was a common enemy of both nations, and that Pharaoh did make an attempt to be of help in pushing the Assyrian forces back. But Pharaoh was met with a major defeat and he was obliged to retreat back to his own land where he submitted himself to the king of Assyria and agreed to pay him tribute.
Because the Lord reveals to Isaiah that the people of Judah will turn to Egypt for help, Isaiah foresees the gifts the king of Judah will send to Pharaoh. Isaiah feels sorry for the beasts of burden that will have to transport these goods, for the alliance with Egypt will prove to be of no benefit to Judah.
The prophet says, "A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys' backs, their treasure on the humps of camels, to that unprofitable nation, to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless. Therefore I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing." (Isaiah 30:6-7)
In my background study I learned that although "Rahab" is a proper name (you will recall that the woman of Jericho who hid the Israelite spies was named Rahab), it is a word that means "pride" in Hebrew. There are several occasions in the Bible where Egypt is referred to as "Rahab", for it was a prideful nation whose people lived in idolatry and excess and all sorts of immorality. Egypt is on the decline in Isaiah's day, bearing little resemblance to its glory days of the time of Moses, but the attitude of its people is the same as when Egypt was at its zenith of power and wealth. The people of Judah have apparently bought into the idea of Egypt being powerful and wealthy even though its heydey is long past now.
Earlier in our study the Lord already predicted that the people of Judah would become ashamed of having trusted in Egypt. He now tells Isaiah to write the following words regarding Judah's attitude of rebellion against the God who has commanded them to trust in Him alone: "Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness. For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction. They say to the seers, 'See no more visions!' and to the prophets, 'Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!'" (Isaiah 30:8-11)
The Lord tells Isaiah to write these things on a scroll before they happen. The people have not yet called upon Egypt for help. The people have not yet rejected all the messages of the true prophets in favor of believing false prophets (as they will in the book of Jeremiah). But when these things happen, the scroll will be proof that the Lord is God, that He knows all things, and that He predicted their actions before they occurred. The scroll will give witness to the Lord's omniscience and it will give witness to the rebellious nature of the people. The scroll should serve to help them acknowledge their sin and to repent over it, though the majority will not do this. But still, it proves the Lord right and it proves the people to be wrong.
We close today's study by reminding ourselves that the word of God will always prove the Lord to be right. If our attitudes are not in alignment with His word, then we are in the wrong.
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