30 “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [a]make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who proceed down to Egypt
Without consulting [b]Me,
To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 “For their princes are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”
Foreign armies were coming to conquer Judah, and though they once escaped from Egypt (though long ago), it seems they were looking to Egypt for help and rescue. Now, as God rebukes the people of Judah, we see a couple mistakes they made. The first is that they were following a plan that didn’t come from God. Second, they were allying with a people who did not serve God either.
We may not have armies coming to attack us so that we look to other countries for rescue, though in this day, some do, and have. Yet we can fall into the same trap, which is to make our own plans instead of following what God has planned for us. Solomon told us clearly, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”
And maybe we say, “my plan is more fun” or “my plan is easier”, or any of a number of things. It may be getting ahead of ourselves a little, but God would later say (through Isaiah in chapter 55), “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Whatever we might think of our own plans, no matter how awesome we might think they are, God’s ways are higher and better. Our ways might seem better in the short term, but God knows what is coming, and how best to prepare us for everything that is in store for us–good, bad, easy, or hard.
So before we go off half-cocked, like Judah sending ambassadors to Egypt, look first to God. And don’t get sidetracked by joining up with those who don’t share your faith. You’ve likely heard it said, “don’t be unequally yoked” and we often apply it to marriage, as we should. But it applies in all areas of our lives, and is something to be cautious of.
Not that we can’t work for unbelievers, or make friends (we should), or any other thing. But to be so tightly bound to them that we are “yoked” with them, that’s too much and too far. And we certainly shouldn’t look to them for hope or salvation like Judah was doing.
Keep your eyes fixed on God, look to Him for direction in your life, and above all, listen for His voice. We cannot know His plans if we haven’t taken the time to just plain listen. Do it now, later today, early and often, as you grow your relationship with Him. God probably won’t send you a prophet to lead the way, but as you listen, you will learn to know His voice.