Stop Leaning on the Broken Staff of Egypt

No Plan B in the Life of Faith

Introduction:

Egypt was the perennial “Plan B” for Israel in time of trouble since they represented military strength, wealth, abundant food and water, and prosperity; however, to those that feared the LORD, Egypt represented the bondage of sin and sight. Egypt was a nearby safeguard of sight in case the LORD did not follow through on His Word. The pagan Rabshakeh discerned and criticized Hezekiah’s confederacy with Egypt in Isaiah 36:6, “Lo, thou trustiest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.” 

Certainly, the life of sight is a broken staff that will pierce the hand whereas, the life of faith rewards those that diligently seek the LORD (Heb.11:6). Hebrews 11 reminds the believer that the life of faith has always been the challenged by sight for all servants of the LORD. Paul echoed Habakkuk in Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: As it is written, the just shall live by faith.” 

American Christianity in 2021, greatly influenced by Fundamentalism, is not the pinnacle of Biblical Baptist churches in the last two-thousand years; many Gospel preaching churches cling to the dying model of American Christianity and shy away from the model taught by Christ and paved by the trail of blood of Baptists that drew a biblical line in the sand. American Christianity is Egypt – it is the other option when the way of Truth is too narrow.  How often have we Biblicists pierced our hand on the broken staff that is American Christianity? How often have we resorted to the pragmatic American model of church that is based on sight, numbers, size, and community congeniality despite its stripe (fundamentalism or emerging church)? Let us look at the persistent temptation Egypt was to Judah and learn to stop leaning on the broken staff! 

Biblical Examples:

Abram and his family walked by faith when they left Ur of the Chaldees to the land of Canaan; however, upon their arrival there was a “Famine in the land” (Gen.12:10). Did the LORD really know what He was doing? The life of faith was immediately challenged and Abram “Went down into Egypt to sojourn there.” Outside of the life of faith and the LORD’s will, Abram lied about Sarai; nevertheless, the LORD brought great plagues upon Pharaoh. The LORD graciously intervened to push Abram back to Canaan. Unfortunately, this account recorded in the Torah would not thwart latter generations from seeking help from Egypt in times of trouble. 

The LORD anticipated Israel’s desire for a human king and made provisions for those kings to follow. The LORD instructed in the Torah the future provision for the kings of Israel “Nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, ye shall henceforth return no more that way” (Deut.17:16). The LORD explicitly warned kings from leading the nation back to Egypt, the land of bondage the LORD miraculously delivered them from. 

The prophet Hosea rebuked the Northern Kingdom in Hosea 7:11-16 for resorting to Egypt for help. Hosea declared in Hosea 7:11, 16, “Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria…They return, but not to the most High.” Israel was likened to a mindless dove that was easily flustered to run to Egypt instead of the LORD. King Hoshea refused Hosea’s warning; he was the last king of the Northern Kingdom that confederated with Egypt under the threat of Assyria. Subsequently, Shalmaneser of Assyria bound Hoshea and carried the Northern Kingdom captive in 722 BC (II Kgs.17:4). 

Hezekiah, king of Judah, considered alliance with Egypt under the threat of Sennacherib in 701 BC (Is.36:3-6). Rabshakeh criticized his trust in the weakening reign of Egypt, and indicated his plan would backfire. The LORD raised up the Prophet Isaiah to deliver the Woe judgment to those that trust in Egypt instead of the LORD (Is.30-31). Isaiah 30:1-2 states, “WOE to the rebellious children, that take counsel, but not of me…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!”

Isaiah exhorted Hezekiah that trusting in the LORD would deliver Judah from Assyria; Isaiah 31:4-5 states, “…So shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.” Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD regarding the Assyrian threat and “The angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” When Hezekiah walked by faith and turned to the LORD, the LORD took care of Hezekiah’s big problem in one night (Is.37:36)! 

The prophet Jeremiah warned the Southern Kingdom of Judah to learn from the failures of the Northern Kingdom. Jeremiah 3:6-6 reveals, “Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, turn thou unto me, but she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” 

Judah feared not and continued in the sins of Ephraim, which led to the very same pattern. Babylon had already completed two deportations (605, 597 BC) and Zedekiah served as the last vassal king of Judah. Zedekiah confederated with Egypt against Babylon’s dominance, which led to Nebuchadnezzar wrathful destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC (Ezk.17:15-21; II Chron.36:13-20). Soon after the destruction of Jerusalem and exile of Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar placed Gedaliah as Governor, who was assassinated shortly after his installment. Once again, a group of “Proud men” chose to flee to Egypt (Jer.42:14;43:2)! They refused Jeremiah’s continual warning from the LORD to not return (Jer.42-44). The LORD leveled several scathing rebukes; summarily, Jeremiah 44:27 states, “Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.” The LORD declared that the place they ran to in sight would be the very thing that consumed them in death. 

Application:

    The LORD did not build a “Plan B” into the life of faith for the church that He built; however, American Christianity has provided an alternative route for Gospel preaching churches to mitigate the sting of Truth as a whole. Egypt represented the life of sight, which is a life of sin and bondage. In many cases, returning to Egypt is the safe, pragmatic, popular, and common-sense thing to do that will bring encouragement from the spiritually undiscerning (Jer.43:2). Sometimes, we return to Egypt just because everyone else returns. 

We (self-proclaiming Biblical Baptists) have pierced our own hands by perpetuating the reliance on an American version and model of church (Egypt - life of sight). There are a vast number of applications; however, a few examples include: grossly underpaying pastors in the name of building projects (a.k.a. the Angel & Dignity of the assembly – II Pt.2:10; Rev.2:1; I Tim.5:17), profound unforgiveness after repentance for external spiritual failure (Jms.4:1-12), no church accountability over inconsistent attendance in the place of the LORD’s name (Mt.18:15-20), no hearts of faith behind tithing on gross income (Mt.23:23), a focus on being “sugar” instead of “salt” to our communities (Lk.14:25-35; Acts 19:23-25). 

The American model has yielded to the intimidation of and submission to Pharaoh by not assembling and singing, which is unlike the Hebrew handmaids he demanded to do things contrary to the Lord's will like killing sons (Ex. 1:16-17 – “…But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but save the men children alive.”). The American model has called for churches to render unto Caesar the things that are Gods; Mark 12:17 supersedes Rom. 13:1-7! Those following the American model find themselves looking like king Ahaz; II Chronicles 28:22, 24 reveals, “And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz…and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD.” 

The “Shadow of Egypt” (Is.30:2 - Life of sight - American Christianity) has permeated so many aspects of the pursuit of faith towards a Biblical model of church. How many pastors have been discouraged over the size of their assembly that does not meet the American standard; meanwhile, our Savior pastored a small flock and taught churches to practice accountability that often drives people away (Lk.12:32; Jn.6:66)? How many churches and pastors whitewash the reality of their sin and the great grace of God in their life under the guise of “Spirituality;” meanwhile, the Apostle Paul bemoaned his wretched self that struggled to walk in the Spirit (Rom.7:24)?                                             

Man-made doctrines and traditions often insidiously usurp faithful obedience to scripture. What scriptural doctrines are we hesitant to implement by faith in our personal lives or church because of uncertainty that the LORD will bless obedience to His Word (Church assembling, attendance, tithing, church discipline, etc.). Turning to man-made solutions of sight in our personal lives and churches is like trusting the broken staff of Egypt that pierces the hand. The LORD challenged those who knowingly disregarded His word, “the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs” (Jer.44:28).