Isaiah 31

Isaiah 31


Isaiah 31 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

God had willed captivity for His people. He also willed restoration. When we must go through a season of captivity in order to receive restoration, we tend to resist. We want to take the easy way out. In my experience as a Christian, the Lord’s way is rarely easy. I can recall many times in my spiritual journey when I’ve had to go through the valley of consequences in order to experience the mountaintop of grace. But even after those experiences, it still isn’t easy.

The people who fled to Egypt wanted an easy way out. What I find so intriguing about this chapter is that it’s mostly about the restoration of God’s people. God will eventually fight like a lion against Assyria. But for the time being, Assyria was coming to conquer, and the people wanted out. They thought if they could just get to Egypt, they could dodge the consequences they had earned through their own actions.

Within the choice of pride, Jesus becomes a frightening adversary. Within the choice of humility, Jesus becomes our saving grace. I realize there are a lot of different stages and factors within the black and white of that statement, however, it’s the truth of Scripture.

The most glaring and significant truth in this chapter is that God’s restoration comes to those who submit to His grace. Those who fled to Egypt did so in an attempt to save themselves. They really believed their future was better off in their own hands (or behind Egypt’s walls) than in God’s hands. The reality was, in order to really receive God’s redemption, they had to own up to their sin. They refused.

This is a problem today. When we don’t humbly own our sin (and pridefully try and save ourselves), we create a stumbling block for spiritual growth. We rob ourselves of grace as God intended and miss out on the powerful transformation that can come from seeking Him in our mess. Those fleeing to Egypt did not have an advocate! They didn’t have someone to make a path to God and His kingdom. We do! We have Jesus. So, in light of this, let us humbly come before Him instead of running to hide behind city walls.

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