In Isaiah, chapter thirty, verses one through five, “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore, shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.”
Judah sought an alliance with Egypt to gain protection from Assyria, as in Second Kings eighteen, verse twenty-one, thereby rejecting God’s counsel, refusing to believe His promises, and throwing aside His principles of holy living. They were guilty of despising the Lord and preferring the might of human achievement to the power of the Holy Spirit. In Zechariah four, verse six, applies to all believers and God’s chosen people. “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Military might, political power, or human strength cannot accomplish the work of God; we can only do His work by the Holy Spirit.
Today, people who claim to serve God, yet seek protection from other sources, both physically and spiritually, are disdainful. They have no dependence upon God. “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man,” as in Psalms one hundred and eighteen, verse eight.