Egypt’s Judgment Results in Egypt’s Salvation

Isaiah 19–20

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. (Isa 19:20-21)

Main Idea: God judges Egypt, completely stripping her of pride in every area—militarily, economically, politically, religiously—so that he can save some Egyptians by Christ.

1. Egypt’s Comprehensive Judgment (19:1-16)
   1. The Lord’s wrath against Egypt (19:1)
   2. The Lord’s judgments on Egypt in all areas (19:2-15)
   3. Egypt’s strength sapped completely (19:16)
2. The Shame of Relying on Egypt (20:1-6)
   1. Judah’s temptation to run to Egypt (30:1-7)
   2. Isaiah’s strange mission (20:1-4)
   3. The shame of all who rely on Egypt and not on God (20:5-6)
3. The Glorious Future of Egypt and the World (19:17-25)
   1. A reminder: God’s saving intention toward all nations (Gen 12:3)
   2. The transformer: a savior from God to Egypt (19:20-22)
   3. Transformed fear: the fear of the Lord, the beginning of wisdom (19:17)
   4. Transformed cities: swearing allegiance to the Lord Almighty (19:18)
   5. Transformed religion: an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt (19:19)
   6. Transformed hearts: a new life in Christ (19:21)
   7. Transformed relationships: worshiping as one people on the earth (19:23-25)

Egypt’s Comprehensive Judgment

Isaiah 19:1-16

There was a time when Egypt was the most powerful nation on earth. Now she is a third-world country, ranked 102nd in the world in terms of per capita economic strength. There was a time when Egypt’s pyramids represented the towering achievement of human technology. Now they stand as ancient reminders of how far Egypt has fallen. There was a time when Egypt’s armies were the most feared on earth, when she could project her power anywhere she chose in that region of the world. Now Egypt isn’t even ranked among the top fifteen most powerful militaries in the world. How the mighty have fallen!

Egypt, however, shouldn’t feel singled out in this matter; the same is true of Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Hungary, Mongolia, Spain, France, England, and Germany—all of whom had the opportunity to dominate the world for a brief time but who now are humbled by the judgments of God. In the historical relay race of the “Rise and Fall of the Nations,” no one nation has the dominant position for long. Egypt’s fall as depicted in Isaiah 19–20 is a lesson and a warning to any nation with aspirations to rule the earth.

But the ultimate message of Isaiah 19–20 is not God’s judgment on Egypt; rather, it is the glorious future that some Egyptians will have in sweet fellowship with some Assyrians and some Israelites in eternal fellowship in the kingdom of Christ! God’s judgments in these two chapters merely clear the way for God’s mercies on his elect people. The humbled and elect remnant of Egypt are in God’s view when he says, “Egypt my people . . . are blessed” (Isa 19:25). Astonishing! God calls Egypt “my people”! Only the new covenant of Christ can bring this miracle about. And that is the final result of the story in these two chapters.

Still, before the blood of the Lamb can redeem any sinner or any nation, first they must be humbled. Isaiah 19:1-16 shows the comprehensive humbling of Egypt under the judgments of God. A consistent message of Isaiah is how much God hates human pride. Egypt was proud of every area of her society, so God systematically judges Egypt in all areas, leveling her completely. God is pictured as riding on a swift cloud and coming to Egypt in judgment, making her idols tremble before him (v. 1). Then God unleashes comprehensive judgments: on Egypt’s politics, resulting in civil war (vv. 2,4); on Egypt’s religion, showing the emptiness of seeking counsel from idols and from the dead (v. 3); on Egypt’s economy, by drying up the Nile River, resulting in agricultural failure and economic collapse (vv. 5-10); on Egypt’s supposed wisdom, exposing her counselors as the fools they are (vv. 11-15); and on Egypt’s military, causing her might to be stripped and her people to tremble “like women” (v. 16).

The Shame of Relying on Egypt

Isaiah 20:1-6

While the strongest pronouncement of these judgments is to Egypt herself, God is also sending a message to Judah and to any small nation that, threatened by the vicious Assyrian Empire, is tempted to rely on Egypt for help. Judah should know better, but Isaiah 30:1-7 clearly reveals emissaries traveling across the desert with money to buy an alliance with Egypt. We will speak more in due time about that sinful unbelief on Judah’s part. But other small nations in that region were also tempted to turn trembling to Egypt’s might for aid from the Assyrians. Isaiah 20, one of the strangest chapters in the whole book, shows God’s command to his prophet, Isaiah, to act out Egypt’s humiliation by going around naked and barefoot for three years as a sign against Egypt and Cush. The message was clear: Egypt is no refuge against the terror of the Assyrian Empire and its expansionist ambitions. Assyria will defeat Egypt and humiliate her completely. Then all the people will realize how foolish it is to rely on the strength of man and not on God.

The Glorious Future of Egypt and the World

Isaiah 19:17-25

The glowing center of these chapters, however, is not a word of judgment but rather a word of salvation. Isaiah 19:17-25 are some of the most delightfully clear prophecies in the Old Testament of God’s saving intentions for the whole world. God chose Abraham and called him out of Ur of the Chaldees, promising that through him all peoples on earth would be blessed (Gen 12:3). God has never forgotten that intention to save a remnant from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Rev 7:9). In these magnificent verses God goes so far as to bless Egypt by calling her “my people” (Isa 19:25). How that must have shocked any narrow-minded, Gentile-hating Jews throughout history as they read the bold words of this visionary prophet!

Having leveled Egypt’s pride by his comprehensive judgments, God speaks clearly of his intention to send a Savior to Egypt (vv. 20-22):

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 turn to the Lord and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them.

This is such an amazing passage! God’s judgments on Egypt have the ultimate purpose of calling his chosen people among the Egyptians to saving faith in him. God promises to send the humbled Egyptians “a Savior and Leader.” By capitalizing these words, I show my interpretation: it must be Jesus Christ. Perhaps these words may be fulfilled by some human king who will later deliver them from the bondage of Assyria. But the vision here is so sweeping—including a perfect harmony between Egypt, Assyria, and Israel (vv. 23-25)—that only salvation in Christ can work it. There is no record in history of these verses being fulfilled by any human governmental leader. Isaiah 19:17-25 pictures a transformation so spectacular, reaching to the core of people’s hearts, that only Jesus by the Holy Spirit can bring it about. He alone is the “radiance of God’s glory” (Heb 1:3) who will perfectly make God known to the peoples of the world, including Egyptians (Isa 19:21). Jesus is the Transformer!

And what are the transformations? Isaiah 19:17 pictures a fear of the God of Israel, a “fear of the Lord [that] is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10). Isaiah 19:18 pictures transformed cities that will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to Yahweh. Verses 19-20 speak of a transformed religion, with an altar built to the Lord in the heart of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord erected near her border. Verses 20-21 speak of the transformed hearts of the Egyptians, calling on the name of the Lord for salvation, making vows and offering sacrifices to the true God.

Ultimately these transformations (which are also going on in Israel and Assyria) will end the terror of one nation moving out militarily to conquer another. Isaiah 2:4 predicts the day when nations will forge their swords into plows and will never again attack other nations. Isaiah 19:23-25 predicts the same thing, with a highway uniting Egypt and Assyria so they can worship together with Israel, all worshiping the one true and living God. Some commentators think these words will be fulfilled in the millennial reign of Christ on earth, while others simply extend them into eternity in the new heaven and new earth. In either case, they stand as a magnificent answer to the problems of this present age of national arrogance, idolatry, and empire-building militarism. And they show that God’s adopted people include Gentiles, as the apostle Paul makes plain in Romans 9:25: “I will call Not My People, My People, and she who is Unloved, Beloved.” Egypt was at one time excluded, but God will call the elect from that nation and every nation “my people” for all eternity.

Application

This chapter teaches us again God’s power to judge even the mightiest nations comprehensively. God can touch any nation’s economic lifeline (the Nile River, in Egypt’s case) and render her a pauper nation. God can level any nation’s politics and send her into civil war. God can strip any nation of military power and render her totally weak. God can humble any nation’s wise counselors and reveal them to be fools. Thus it is vital for the people of God not to trust in any human power but in God alone. This is a warning to all arrogant empire-builders on earth to fear the Lord alone and humble themselves before him.

This chapter also teaches the redemptive purposes of God’s judgments, how God strikes in order to heal (19:22), to cause previously independent people to cry out to him for deliverance. It shows that God’s saving intention through Christ extends to all Gentile nations on earth.

Therefore, Christians in every nation should learn to look on their nation’s political enemies differently than unbelieving policy makers do. God will put an end to the strife of all nations by slaughtering his unbelieving enemies all over the world and by redeeming his elect to become one people. Thus we should pray for the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth and show how, in Christ, ancient foes can become brothers and sisters.

Reflect and Discuss

1. How does this chapter display the awesome power of God to destroy any nation on earth? What image does 19:1 give of the power of God?
2. What are the aspects of God’s comprehensive judgments on Egypt in 19:2-16?
3. What is the redemptive purpose of these judgments according to 19:22?
4. How can we also learn to see God’s redemptive purposes in the judgments he may bring into our lives?
5. How should a deep reflection on 19:23-25 destroy nationalism among Christians and cause us to think more like global Christians than as citizens of this or that country?
6. Why would a nationalistic, Gentile-hating Jewish person (1 Thess 2:14-16) find Isaiah 19:25 so troubling? How should it cause such a person to repent and delight in the salvation of Gentiles?
7. How does 19:20-22 predict the coming of Jesus Christ?
8. What do you think of God’s strange mission for Isaiah in 20:1-4? Why would God command Isaiah to do such a difficult thing? Do you think he would be arrested and locked up as a crazy man in our time if he obeyed such a command? How is it a display of the variety of ways God spoke through the prophets (Heb 1:1)?
9. Why do you think God hates it when his people trust in Egypt or anything on earth rather than in him alone? What do you think modern Christians may be trusting in rather than God?
10. What do these chapters teach you about the future unity of the people of God in heaven (Rev 7:9)?