Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Isaiah Chapter 31
Metaphysically Interpreting Isaiah 31:1-9
31:1Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Jehovah! 31:2Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evil-doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. 31:3Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when Jehovah shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
31:4For thus saith Jehovah unto me, As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds be called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so will Jehovah of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof. 31:5As birds hovering, so will Jehovah of hosts protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it, he will pass over and preserve it.
31:6Turn ye unto him from whom ye have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 31:7For in that day they shall cast away every man his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. 31:8And the Assyrian shall fall by the sword, not of man; and the sword, not of men, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become subject to taskwork. 31:9And his rock shall pass away by reason of terror, and his princes shall be dismayed at the ensign, saith Jehovah, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
September 23, 1934: Isaiah 31:1-9
What expectation of success in their undertakings have those who trust in numbers rather than in the Holy One of Israel? None whatever of an enduring kind. Isaiah prophesies woe to the material-minded whose trust is in the many instead of the Holy One.
Why is it better to trust in the One than in the many, if the many are sons of the One? Because concentration of the thought on the one power unifies all man's forces, and opens his mind and heart to the inflow of universal energy.
What does Egypt represent, and what the horses and chariots? The material consciousness is represented by Egypt, man's physical vitality by horses, and the body activities by chariots.
Have materiality and spirituality any common bond? No, they are exact opposites. “The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit.”
Who is qualified to point out the right path for man to follow? He whose inner eye can discern good, who loves the good and leaves evil to disappear from consciousness through lack of attention.
Define Zion and Jerusalem as used in the text of this lesson. Zion (“landmark,” “monument,” “fortress”) represents the spiritual consciousness, and Jerusalem means “habitation of peace.” Those who seek the things of God have peace in themselves. “Great peace have they that love thy law.”
Of what are the Assyrians a symbol? Sennacherib? Of the unspiritual realm of thought, of which Sennacherib (“bramble of destruction”) is the ruling motive. The tendency towards destructive thinking, if allowed to become a permanent state of mind, destroys all spiritual growth.
Must we fight to retain spiritual consciousness? We do not need to fight, but we need to work faithfully to develop the habit of constructive thinking and to uproot the bramble of negation.
Explain the clause “Jehovah, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.” The fire in Zion is the living enthusiasm of a high spiritual ideal conceived by the I AM. The furnace in Jerusalem is the active purpose toward peace that should be kept a burning issue in mind.
What idols of silver and gold do men now make with their own hands? Modern idols are not graven images but fortunes, which men amass by years of material thought and labor and in which they put their trust and reliance. God is the one source of power and influence.
May 20, 1951: Isaiah 31:1-3
Does faith in materiality (Egypt) ever bring good in its train? No, on the contrary, it brings evil. “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong.”
Where should we look for help that will not fail us? To the spiritual source of all life, “unto the holy One of Israel.” As we develop God consciousness we find support and sustenance at all times, for we rest in God, and all things are added to us. We have nothing to fear.
What do horses represent? They represent physical vitality only. Many persons rely on this false support.
Is there a common bond between materiality and spirituality? No, the two cannot coexist in the mind. When one enters the mind the other is lost to sight. “The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit.”
Is it wise to invite evil by ignoring the laws of life and our well-being? No, it is wiser to observe the law always and have our life in divine order. We are then fearless and positive, ready to carry out the behests of Divine Mind.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-20-2014
