By Eugene Garner

ISAIAH - CHAPTER 19

AN ORACLE CONCERNING EGYPT

    This chapter contains threats of judgment and promises of blessing upon Egypt. To whatever extent the promised blessings may have already been fulfilled, the ultimate submission of Egypt under the yoke of Jehovah, and the impartation of His blessings, await the actual second coming of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom on the earth.

   The burden of Egypt, Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up; the reeds and flags shall wither. The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more. The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded. And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish. Sorely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt. The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, ass a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do. In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it. And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

    1. Jehovah Himself is pictured as coming from heaven - riding upon a swift cloud, and hastening to the judgment of Egypt, (vs. 1.4).
      a. At the presence of the Lord the Egyptians will see how untrustworthy their idols really are (vs. 1; comp. Ex. 12:12; Jer. 43:12; 44:8), and "the heart of Egypt" will be melted - utterly demoralized, (comp. 13:7; Josh. 2:11)!
      b. The Lord will stir up a civil war in Egypt - setting Egypt against Egypt, (vs, 2; comp. Judg. 7:22; I Sam. 14:20; 2 Chron. 20:23).
      c. The "spirit of Egypt", whereby she has been such a powerful people, will be emptied out; lacking counsel, because the Lord has destroyed the wisdom of their wise men (vs. 11-14), they will seek counsel from: idols, charmers, familiar spirits and wizards, (vs. 3; 8:19; I Chron. 10:13).
      d. Jehovah, who rules over all (Psa. 103:19; Dan. 4:17), will deliver Egypt into the hands of a cruel lord, so that they will be ruled by a fierce king - the Assyrian! (vs. 4; 20:4; comp. Jer. 46:26; Ezek. 29:19).
    2. They are also threatened with physical calamity, (vs. 5-10).
      a. Divine judgment is upon the waters of Egypt; the rivers and streams thereof will become dry and foul, (vs. 5-6a; 37:25; 50:2; Ezek. 30:12).
      b. All produce, dependent upon the rivers, will cease, (vs. 6b-7; comp. 15:6).
      c. Lamentation and mourning are heard from the fishermen who depended on the Nile for their livelihood, (vs. 8; comp. Ezek. 47:10).
      d. Those who work with fine flax, and the weavers of white cloth, will be confounded, (vs. 9; Prov. 7:16; Ezek. 27:7).
      e. The very "pillars" and "foundations" (chief leaders, comp. Psalm 11:3) of Egypt shall so crumble that those who work for hire (building dams and ponds for fish) will be grieved in their souls, (vs. 10).
    3. The wretchedness of Egypt is graphically portrayed in verses 11-17.
      a. The wisdom of their wise men is changed into folly, and the courage of her brave warriors is supplanted by cowardice because the Lord has mingled a "spirit of perverseness" in the midst of her, (vs. 11-14; comp. I Kings 4:29-30; Isa. 9:16).
      b. Industry is suspended throughout the land, (vs. 15; comp. 9:14-15).
      c. Egypt is likened unto a trembling woman because the outstretched hand of the Lord is shaking over her, (vs. 16).
      d. The land of Judah (allied with Assyria) will, in that day, become a terror to Egypt because Jehovah is her God and it is evident that His purposes will stand, (vs. 17; 14:24).

   In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, the city of destruction. In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vows vow unto the LORD, and perform it and the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them. In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

    1. In a far-reaching prophecy Isaiah sees Egypt acknowledging the true God because of His marvelous works, (vs. 18-21; see on 11:15-16; 27:12; Mic. 7:15).
      a. An altar and a pillar will be erected in Egypt as a "sign and witness" to the Lord of hosts, (vs. 19-20a). It is possible that "altar" and "pillar" are simply used as symbols of devotion, (cf. Josh. 22:26-27; Lev. 26:1; Deut. 12:5; 16:22).
      b. When they call on the Lord he will send a mighty Savior to deliver them, (vs, 20b; 43:3, 11; 45:15,21; 49:25).
      c. The Lord will, in that day, so reveal Himself to the Egyptians that they may know, worship and serve Him with their whole hearts, (vs. 21; 56:7; 60:7; Zech. 14:16-18; Mal. 1:11).
    2. There is coming a day in which Egypt, Assyria and Israel will be joined in an intimate and joyful union for the service of Jehovah; and they will exult in the glorious blessedness of His favor, (vs. 22-25; 27:13).
      a. The vision of Isaiah is as broad as his loving and caring heart.
      b. The love of the Most High embraces Gentile nations in its broad outreach, (vs. 23-25; 45:22).
      c. Had Israel learned this lesson (and shared the heart-care of the almighty) from the beginning, her history would have been much different (Psalm 81:13-16); her humiliation unnecessary.
      d. For Egypt there is to be a glorious future, but NOT JUST YET! as will appear in the next chapter.

ISAIAH - CHAPTER 20

AN ORACLE CONCERNING EGYPT - Continued

   In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it; At the same time spoke the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia; So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with the buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory. And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?

    1. The prophecy is dated by the year that Tartan (a title, meaning "Commander-in-Chief") led the forces of Assyria against Ashdod and captured it, (vs. 1; 2 Kings 18:17).
      a. Ashdod was a city of Philistia (Josh. 11:22; 15:46; I Sam. 5:1) which was considered the key to Egypt's defense.
      b. Since Ashdod had refused to pay its annual tribute, Sargon (722 - 705 B.C.), king of Assyria, sent his army to end the rebellion.
      c. Egypt had, for some years, been planning a revolt against Assyria.
      d. The Jews, at Jerusalem, were a bit divided as to whom they favored, but Hezekiah, king of Judah, seemed to be leaning toward Egypt.
      e. Isaiah was as fully opposed to such an alliance for protection now as he had been in the days of Ahaz; Why could Judah not trust in her God?
    2. In order to impress upon Judah the folly of trusting in Egypt, God used the prophet to demonstrate what humiliation Egypt was about to face, (vs. 2).
      a. He was commanded to loose the sackcloth from his loins, and to take off his shoes - walking naked and barefoot for three years, (comp. Mic. 1:8).
      b. This was to be "a sign and wonder" concerning Egypt and Ethiopia - a divided kingdom at this time, (vs. 3, comp. 8:18; Lk, 2:34; Isa. 43:3).
      c. The king of Assyria will triumph over Egypt and Ethiopia - leading them captive: young and old, naked, barefoot and reduced to shame - into exile in strange land, (vs. 4; 19:4).
    3. Such as place their trust in Egypt will be dismayed and confounded, (vs. 5; 30:3-5; 31:3; 2 Kings 18:21).
      a. This is the effect that the Lord wants to produce upon Judah by the "sign and wonder" they see in the prophet's nakedness.
      b. Since God has revealed the end of Egypt's rebellion, it would surely be anarchy to reject His warning, (Jer. 17:5)!
    4. If the protector is subdued, what possible hope will the "protected" have (vs. 6; 10:3; 31:3)? This was all the more reason for leaning on the Lord - Who never fails the soul that trusts in Him, (Jer. 9:23-24)!