God is Never Shaken

                              

After other Muslim conquests had come and gone, the Turkish Ottomans conquered and ruled over Jerusalem and what was then Palestine for 400 years. The building of churches and synagogues was outlawed. But most catastrophically of all, in 1915 the call had gone out to get rid of Armenian people and every Christian in the Empire-the Armenian Genocide (1915-16). One and a half million were murdered, and many more suffered horrifically before making their escape.

Perhaps God decided that enough was enough. As the Turks were allied with Germany in the First World War, the British found themselves fighting against the fading Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. General Allenby was charged with liberating Jerusalem and had expressed concern to his superiors about the magnitude and sensitivity of the task before him. He had been ordered to take the city without firing on the people or the city.

How on earth was it to be done? “Pray”, the answer came from above, which perhaps did not seem to be very helpful at the time. But Allenby did pray. He came across the work of Bible scholar, Dr H. Aldersmith, who had been studying the prophecies regarding Israel. In his book “The Fullness of the Nations,1898”, Dr. Aldersmith wrote that he believed Jerusalem would be delivered by Great Britain in 1917.

He had become convinced from Isaiah 31:4-5 that the UK would have a part to play in the restoration of Jerusalem, and that it would be accomplished by some kind of flying machine. Aldersmith had arrived at this idea even before air planes had been invented. In 1917 airplanes were used but not commonly and most people had never seen one. Aldersmith’s conviction about Isaiah 31 was Allenby’s inspiration.

He would fly planes over Jerusalem and drop notes written in Arabic saying, “Surrender the city! Allenby”. There was an Arab saying that, “The Turks will not leave Jerusalem until the river Nile flows in Palestine and the prophet expels them from the city”. Remarkably enough, events conspired to bring these two highly unlikely things to pass. British troops were stationed in Egypt in the years leading up to these events. 

Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Murray gained authorization to build a pipeline to pump fresh Nile water and a railway to supply their troops. By 1917, the water had arrived, along with the troops, in Palestine. The River Nile was, bizarrely, flowing in Palestine. Allenby’s signature on the airdropped note when written in Arabic looked like“Al Nabi” which means “The Prophet”. So to the locals the note read: “Surrender the city! The Prophet”.

Many of the Turks left at that time, after the mysterious flying objects sent messages from “Al Nabi”. From the evening of December 8, 1917 and all through the night, Turkish troops were leaving Jerusalem. By early the following morning all had gone. The Mayor of Jerusalem with a small party came under a white flag to surrender the keys of the city. The atmosphere was electric as General Allenby dismounted his horse in humility.

He removed his hat in reverence and entered the walls of the Old City through the Jaffa Gate. 973 years of Muslim rule were over. Jerusalem was delivered and not a shot was fired. Rather remarkably, the motto on the airplanes used in Allenby’s operation to deliver Jerusalem was a quote from the Quran which said, “I spread my wings and keep my promise” (Events in Jerusalem 1917 as foretold in the Bible; 2017).

Isaiah 31 was written when Hezekiah’s was king in Judah. The Assyrian Empire, led by Sennacherib, was conquering the Near East. The nation of Judah was facing the inevitable invasion from the mighty Assyrian army. Judah’s leaders were terrified of Assyria. Panic-stricken, the leaders planned to seek help from Egypt, a powerful nation which was known for its military strength and resources.

The word of God came to them through the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 31:1-8 says, “woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers. But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit.

When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together. This is what the Lord says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. 

Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it. Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. “Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them”.

Egypt had once enslaved Israel; returning there for aid showed spiritual amnesia. Going down to Egypt for help revealed a lack of trust in the God who had long ago proved His sovereignty over Egypt. He had brought the Israelites “out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders” (Deut 26:8). Rather than this misplaced trust, the people should have simply looked to the Lord in obedience and simple trust.

In the previous chapter God had said “woe…to those who carry out plans that are not mine,  forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit... who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,  to Egypt’s shade for refuge. But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace” …This is what the Sovereign Lord... says:

In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift! Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion ... How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you” (Isaiah 30:1-19). 

The politicians in Jerusalem who advocated alliance with Egypt undoubtedly considered their policy wise. Alliances with stronger kings at the time were common and strategic. But, they were criticized from a spiritual perspective when they involved compromising with pagan nations or relying on foreign power rather than God. Israel was reaching out to Egypt and not to their God. They were ignoring God and putting their faith in Egypt.

Horses were a symbol of power and might. Chariots were advanced military technology. The multitude of horsemen emphasized on numbers. It was customary for kings to put their trust in these military resources. For example, King Solomon bolstered his strength by amassing “chariots and horses (1Kings 10:26). Pharaoh of Egypt and King Sennacherib of Assyria ruled with large armies. These two kings are especially significant as God showcased His supremacy over their military powers (Exodus 14; 2Kings 19).

Proverbs 21:31 says” the horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord”. Psalm 20:7 demonstrates King David’s unwavering trust in God; He wrote “some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”During David’s era and beyond, chariots and horses were a measure of military strength. Though a courageous warrior himself, David relied on the Lord to give him victory.

Psalm 33:16-20 says “No king is saved by the size of his army. No warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all of its great strength, it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him and those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord he is our help and our shield”

The great pyramid of Giza was the number one wonder of the world and the only surviving member of the original seven. The Egyptians were wise, yet God too is wise. The Egyptians built the pyramid, but God built the earth it sits on (Prov. 3:19). He created their great brains too. Great and infinitely vast is the wisdom of God (Ps. 104:24). Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit (Ps. 147:5; Rom.11:33).

The politicians were confident in the multitude of the chariots and the strength of the horsemen. They forgot that the Egyptians were men and not God; and their horses flesh and not spirit. In their calculations, they failed to factor God into the equation. They forgot God’s sovereignty and his activity in all human affairs. All the LORD needed to do to make Egypt crumble, along with those who trusted in it’s might, was to stretch out His hand. Men promise but sometimes fail to keep the promise. But when God promises to do something, He keeps His word.

God will defend Jerusalem with the ferocity of a lion, and also with the tender care of a bird. The combination of the two images is powerful. He will be strong as the lion that growls over his prey, undismayed by the multitude of shepherds that shout at him. A shepherd is no match for a lion if it chooses to stand its ground! The lion won’t release its paw from the prey! And so, God will never let go of His own! The lion isn't scared of the shepherds; God is not scared of the Assyrians.

God compares Himself to a bird hovering over its nest; a flying bird which come from above and cannot be kept off.  It flies swiftly and engages itself valiantly and resolutely, when it perceives that its young ones are in eminent danger. Always remember that Jesus stands between you and what you dread. The sense of God’s presence and power are as two wings, beneath which the believer nestles until calamities are past.

King Hezekiah’s reaction and the deliverance of Jerusalem is recorded in 2 Chronicles 32:1-22; Isaiah 37:18-19 and 2 Kings 19:32-37. Hezekiah  did not go to Egypt for help ,gave his people encouragement, saying, "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were strengthened by his words (2 Chron.32:7-8).

Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: “Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it.

Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.  Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God .It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.  Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.”

The Lord said: “because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria… He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city...I will defend this city and save it. Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. Interesting the secondary fulfillment took place in 1917 when the Turks held Jerusalem during World War1.

Although modern nations don’t depend on chariots and horses the metaphorical implication of this verse holds true. It is still possible to fall into the trap of relying solely on human strength, material possessions, and intelligence. The key question is, “when you're in crisis, what's your first reaction”? When we find ourselves in a crisis, God wants our first reaction to be to go to Him. Going to him should be instantaneous so he can help us calmly take the next step. He will help us to process the situation and take the best possible choice.

In challenging times when others might tap into their limited human resources, we have a heavenly Father to turn to for assistance (Ps.18; 46). His abounding love is everlasting, his resources are limitless and his wisdom is infinite. He is willing to grant us wisdom guide us through our troubles (Isa. 41:10; 43:2, Ps. 23:4). The great preacher Charles Spurgeon said “he that builds his nest on a divine promise shall find that it abides and remains until he shall fly away to the land where promises are lost in fulfillments”.