Isaiah 19:1-15

A strong  faction in Judah advised the king to get help from Egypt (chapter 31). Isaiah warned that Egypt could not help them. The mighty land of Egypt, and its economy, was about to fall under the judgment of God. There would be no help for them there.

God hates idolatry in all its forms (1). The first commandment says: ”You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex.20:3) He is a jealous God, and rightly so. What husband wants his wife to give herself to another man? That is what we do when we worship idols. We commit spiritual adultery. There is a strong link between occultism and idolatry (3b). The devil has a vested interest in getting people to worship him (in the veiled form of idols). He wants to steal the worship that rightly belongs to the Lord. He wants to prise human hearts away from God.

One of the ways God brings judgment on the enemies of His people is to cause confusion in their camp (2; see 2 Chron.20:23). An army divided against itself cannot stand. What God did to the Egyptians in the past He can still do to any nation in the world, for He is the Sovereign Lord of history (2-4). Egypt was conquered by the king of Cush in Isaiah’s lifetime, and later by the king of Assyria shortly after Isaiah’s death. Isaiah could have been referring to either of these kings (4). You may notice a similarity to the ten plagues of Moses’ time in (1-15). There is a strong resonance with that era.

God’s judgment will also be worked out in nature. The River Nile, the nation’s liquid lifeline, its watery main artery, will ”dry up” (5) bringing destruction to  fields and fisheries and other industries (4-10). We should not forget, and our leaders especially should remember, that God is able to work out purposes in nature that cripple economies. Many Christians believe that the U.K. has received a number of dire warnings in recent years. These surely are a wake up call? God has done it before and He can do it again. ”Fishermen will complain that the fishing’s been ruined. Textile workers will be out of work, all weavers and workers in linen and cotton wool Dispirited, depressed in their forced idleness – everyone who works for a living, jobless.” The Message.

But of course, if a nation’s leaders are themselves ”deceived” (13) they will prove to be blind leaders of the blind, and they will all fall into the same ditch together. So it was in Egypt (11-15). ”Zoan” and ”Memphis” were two important administrative centres. The leaders of the people did not have eyes in their heads in order to truly see. This was another way in which heaven’s judgment was implemented, in giving to the Egyptians such leaders. ”The honored pillars of your society have led Egypt into detours and dead ends. God has scrambled their brains, Egypt’s become a falling-down-in-his-own-vomit drunk. Egypt’s hopeless, past helping, a senile, doddering old fool.” The Message. ”Who but the Lord Almighty can bring such judgments on a people! Who but the Lord can bring a nation to its knees!” Tom Hale: The Applied Old Testament Commentary, p.1018.

In the Bible, Egypt symbolises the world. We too can be tempted to look to ‘Egypt’ for help, but we will find none there. The world’s wisdom is folly, but we know where we can find true wisdom (James 1:5).

Prayer: Thank you for your most gracious promise Lord to give wisdom to those who ask you for it I know you mean what you say, and so I ask for eyes to look at life in the way you do. Please give me true understanding.