”On that day Egypt will be like women. She will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the Lord of Hosts when He raises it against her. The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the Lord of Hosts has planned against it. On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the Lord of Hosts. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun. On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord near her border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them. The Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the Lord on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will return to the Lord and He will hear their prayers and heal them. On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria. On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing within the land. The Lord of Hosts will bless them, saying, “Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance are blessed.”“ (Isaiah 19:16-25 HCSB)
Simple Outline:
1. Egypt’s judgment anticipated (19:1-15): social, economic and political judgment.
2. Egypt’s salvation promised (19:16-25): fear, one Lord, healing and worship, unity
3. Egypt’s judgment exemplified (20:1-6): stripped, humiliated and defeated
Key verse: ”It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.“ (Isaiah 19:20 HCSB)
As a parent and grandparent, I’ve learned that the best way to achieve a change in a child’s (or even an adult’s) behavior is not through constant belittling, badgering and punishment but to balance those things with positive, encouraging words and examples. Yes, we need correction and negative reinforcement (punishment) of how our wrong actions, bad attitudes and poor life choices are leading us down the wrong path and destroying our lives.
But we also need encouragement and positive reinforcement (praise) when we do the right thing, have a good attitude and make positive life choices. In essence, our children believe what we say about them. Whether it is good or bad. If all we say are negative things, belittling words, cut downs and criticisms then they will begin to believe those things about themselves. However, when we balance correction with encouragement then we begin to see them correcting their actions, making good choices while seeing and pursuing their potential.
In much the same way, God gives a word of harsh judgment against Egypt to Isaiah but He also gives a message of hope, salvation and restoration to them. As I’ve stated before, God’s judgment always, ALWAYS has the intent of drawing us into repentance, trust, redemption and restoration and Egypt is included. Now to be honest, I’m sure this probably didn’t sit well with those who initially heard Isaiah’s prophetic message. Egypt was not exactly Judah’s best childhood friend. Judah may have despised Egypt for past enslavement, but she feared the impending onslaught of Assyria more than her hatred of Egypt.
As I mentioned last week, the historic power of Egypt had been eclipsed and she was now ruled by a Pharaoh from Cush. These Cushite warriors were tall, fierce, ruthless and powerful and Judah was considering an alliance with them to help protect it from Assyria. But here God warns Judah that Egypt will not be able to save them, only He can do that. Egypt is facing its own social, religious and political crisis as God pronounces judgment upon it.
First, God says that He is coming to Egypt on a “swift cloud” and that all of Egypt’s idols will tremble before Him and that their heart will melt within them. God’s judgment will come in the form of an Egyptian civil war as He provokes them to begin fighting amongst themselves. So, this first wave of God’s judgment is against Egypt’s idolatry and their worship of the dead. God’s fiercest judgment is always against false religion and false religious leaders. Why? Because false religion and religious leadership doesn’t guide people into the truth and worship of the One, true God.
But isn’t that intolerant and bigoted? Only from a human perspective. Our pride demands that we be allowed to worship God in the way that best suits us, satisfies our needs or meets our expectations. But that isn’t worship of God, that’s worship of ourselves. When the creature demands that worship conform to his expectations and demands, he’s not being spiritually creative he’s being rebellious and subject to God’s judgment. That’s what we find with God’s judgment against Egypt. While we may be historically fascinated by the pyramids, temples, pantheon of gods, cultic death rituals and their obsession with the afterlife, Egypt is not worshiping God but themselves, their institutions and their achievements and God is going to judge them for it.
Next, God’s judgment turns to Egypt’s economic stability and source of financial success, the Nile river. The Nile is, in many respects, the lifeblood of Egypt. Without it, they would be quickly consumed by the ever encroaching desert. But the flowing waters of the Nile continuously provide life to the region. Not only with the water needed to sustain life, but also the fertile soil that covers the land when annual flood waters recede. A quick glance at a satellite image of that area reveals the impact that the Nile has on the region. The green vegetation visible is along either side of that great river and in the delta region where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
God’s judgment extends to those things upon which they rely and trust, their source of income and commerce. The water in their irrigation canals and the reeds, rushes, flax and fish are all sources of health, wealth and prosperity for the Egyptians. God strikes at our sources of national and personal security and strength to expose our weakness and lack of trust in Him. When we succeed in this life then we tend to believe our success is based in our ability and is deserved. Look at me, I must be very, very good at what I do and I deserve the success I’ve achieved. As our pride grows, our dependence upon and trust in God shrivels up and dies. Again, we no longer worship God but our own abilities and achievements.
Finally, God judges the wisdom and understanding of Egypt. He says the “princes of Zoan are complete fools” and “Pharaoh’s wisest advisors give stupid advice!” Instead of giving her leadership good advice, Egypt’s advisors are causing her to be confused and to stagger about like a drunkard. Instead of exhibiting the legendary wisdom of Egypt, she is being led astray by her leaders. Instead of striding confidently into her future, she stumbles and staggers. Nothing can save her, not her religion, not her economic prowess, not even the counsel of her legendary advisors. She is destined for God’s judgment and total collapse.
But God is doing more, so much more than just judging Egypt…
On that day, the day of God’s judgment, Egypt will be like a woman cowering in fear. But, ”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.“ (Proverbs 9:10 HCSB https://bible.com/bible/72/pro.9.10.HCSB) Pride causes us to stand in haughty defiance before the judgment of God, but godly fear causes us to fall in humble repentance and understanding before Him, seeking His mercy and grace.
On that day, five cities will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the LORD of Hosts, even the one known as the “City of the Sun” or Heliopolis. This reference to Heliopolis, the center of Egypt’s religious life at the time, is linked back to the reference that Egypt will be judged for her idolatry, spiritism, and cult of the dead.
On that day, an altar to the LORD will be constructed in the center of the land and a pillar to the LORD at her border(s). God’s judgment will cause Egypt to cry out and He will send a Savior and a leader who will rescue them. Isaiah goes on, “the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will return to the LORD and He will hear their prayers and heal them.” Two things stand out to me in this prophetic utterance: 1) “they will return” is a clear indication that the Egyptian people (and all people) were created by Him and for Him; 2) the “Savior and leader who will rescue them” IS Jesus Christ and the leader may reference the evangelistic work of St. Mark in the first century to proclaim the gospel message to them. As I mentioned last week, God’s Spirit brought many Egyptians to faith in Jesus.
Lastly, “on that day” there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria and the people will move back and forth and the LORD of Hosts will bless them – Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance are blessed. While it is possible that we’ve seen some of this promise fulfilled, I think this is what we will see when God’s kingdom comes to complete fruition. This is like the earlier statement in Isaiah (2:4) where the people will turn “their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives.” This seems to be clearly referencing a time when the nations will live in peace and will be united in their worship to the LORD.
Finally, go and read Isaiah 20. The prophet is commanded by God to remove his sackcloth and his sandals and to go naked before the people for three years “as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush.” This was God’s pronouncement that, like His naked prophet, the king of Assyria will lead the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush around in the same shameful way, with bared buttocks. Judah had placed their continued existence and hope for a future in this alliance with Egypt and Cush. But God wanted them to see that their hope in Egypt and Cush was a false hope, an empty promise and it would only bring shame upon the people of God.
That’s what happens when God’s people act on their own and forsake their trust in Him. That’s also what will happen to us when we do the same thing. Today, we have a real tendency to attempt great things for God but without any real dependence upon God. We think we can apply human ingenuity, resources and power to address problems that only God can address. We seem to think that big budgets that produce extravagant shows and draw large and boisterous crowds are indicators of God’s power and presence. That’s simply not true and is clearly reflective of the same human pride we see God condemning and judging in this passage.
Just in case you’ve missed it, God’s word is filled with story after story of God using the weakest and most unlikely men, women and methods to achieve His will and fulfill His plans. He always makes certain that His actions are clearly not the result of or attributed to human wisdom, power or ability. When His servants become pride filled or arrogant, He humbles them. When they start relying upon their own abilities, resources or power then He withdraws His strength and their plans and efforts soon fail. The power of God is never displayed in our success, our independence and our pride but in our humility, our dependence on Him and our service to Him and to His will.
The power of God in our life is never displayed in human success but in holiness.
Unfortunately, the church often forgets these bedrock, biblical principles. We tend to think the achievement of God’s plan is dependent upon our planning, our abilities, our resources, our spirit and our power but it isn’t. Redemption is only and always dependent upon His plan, His ability, His resources, His Spirit and His power.
Let’s be honest, we would NEVER have chosen to save man the way God did. We would not have chosen to save man through the suffering, the rejection, the death and the cross of Christ. We would never have chosen the path of suffering for discipleship. We would have judged Egypt but we would never have offered her redemption and inclusion in God’s purpose and plan.
We all have an “Egypt” in our lives, someone who has mistreated us, used us and abused us. In our minds, some are simply not worth saving. In God’s mind, we all deserve condemnation, we are all worthy of judgment but He doesn’t want anyone to reject His offer of redemption, His salvation. He doesn’t want any to perish but for all to find redemption, life in Him (see Rom. 3:23, 6:23 and 2 Peter 3:9).
If we want to experience the fulfillment of God’s promises, we must trust Him to bring them to fulfillment in His way. We’ve tried our way and we see the results all around us. If we want to know the peace and unity He promises in this passage, we must trust Him to bring it
His way instead of trying to achieve it ourselves.
His ways are not our ways and His paths are not our paths, thank goodness.
Hilltop Baptist Church - Shawnee, OK 
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