Outsourcing Stability: Why Egypt Keeps Showing Up
Today I read Isaiah 28 through 30, and what caught my attention most was how often the people of Israel turned to Egypt for help. In chapter 30, it's especially clear: rather than seeking guidance or support from within their own traditions or institutions, they look outward to a powerful neighbor, hoping Egypt will protect them. The text portrays this as a mistake. Egypt is described as a place of empty promises and unreliable strength.
Old Mistake, New Packaging
I don’t come to this passage as someone who assumes the ancient writers always got things right. But I do find it interesting that this recurring pattern—putting faith in a seemingly strong outside force—is something we still see today. It's not difficult to swap out "Egypt" for any number of things: political alliances, financial systems, technology, even personal relationships. There’s a familiar instinct to look for stability in something that appears strong or established, even if it's disconnected from our own values or long-term wellbeing.
What's going on when people—then or now—decide to trust in a distant power rather than in their own foundations? Is it fear? Desperation? Or maybe just the lure of a quick fix? The text doesn’t spell it out, but it does suggest that this kind of dependence leads to disappointment. Egypt is called a "Rahab who sits still" (Isaiah 30:7) — a poetic way of saying, perhaps, that it looks formidable but won’t actually act when the time comes.
Smooth Talk and Selective Hearing
There's also an undercurrent of resistance in these chapters. The people don’t want to hear messages that challenge them. In Isaiah 30:10, they ask their prophets to speak smooth things, not hard truths. That feels relevant, too. Maybe it's not just about who or what we trust, but also about what kinds of truths we’re willing to face. Do we sometimes lean on external solutions because they let us avoid the discomfort of self-examination?
What would it look like to genuinely assess the sources of strength we rely on? Are they dependable? Are they aligned with our deeper goals? Or are they just the best-looking options in a moment of uncertainty?
The Real Takeaway Isn’t About Egypt
Isaiah 30 isn’t just a warning about one nation turning to another. It opens up broader questions about dependence, avoidance, and how people respond to instability. Whether or not we share the worldview of the text, there's something worth sitting with here: the temptation to seek safety in all the wrong places, and the challenge of choosing something more difficult but maybe more lasting.