ISAIAH

Isaiah 19:1-15

quote:

"The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud, and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. 2 "So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; And they will each fight against his brother, and each against his neighbor, City against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3 "Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead, And to mediums and spiritists. 4 "Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master, And a mighty king will rule over them," declares the Lord God of hosts. 5 And the waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry. 6 And the canals will emit a stench, The streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; The reeds and rushes will rot away. 7 The bulrushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile And all the sown fields by the Nile Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more. 8 And the fishermen will lament, And all those who cast a line into the Nile will mourn, And those who spread nets on the waters will pine away. 9 Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax And the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected. 10 And the pillars of Egypt will be crushed; All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul. 11 The princes of Zoan are mere fools; The advice of Pharaoh's wisest advisers has become stupid. How can you men say to Pharaoh, "I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings "? 12 Well then, where are your wise men? Please let them tell you, And let them understand what the LORD of hosts Has purposed against Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan have acted foolishly, The princes of Memphis are deluded; Those who are the cornerstone of her tribes Have led Egypt astray. 14 The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of distortion; They have led Egypt astray in all that it does, As a drunken man staggers in his vomit. 15 And there will be no work for Egypt Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do."

After Joseph's death the Israelites were oppressed by the Egyptians and burdened with slavery. God showed Egypt that He was the True God through Moses and the plagues, by judging all of their idols and showing how helpless they were. However, throughout history, Israel still turned to Egypt when they found themselves in need. Isaiah reminds them again of how foolish it was to trust in their enemy when God alone is sovereign.

The Lord is depicted coming as a judge, riding upon a cloud. Isaiah then describes the consequences of His coming – the idols of Egypt will shake; the hearts of the Egyptians will melt; brothers and neighbors will fight against one another. The cities will also turn against each other. Whatever unity the Egyptians had will be destroyed.

Not only will others rule over them, but whatever they needed for sustenance would fail. The waters of the Nile and its tributaries would dry up and have a great effect upon their economy as their agricultural crops of flax, barley and cotton would fail. Every "pillar" that Egypt rested upon for its foundation would be crushed.

Rather than turning to the True God, they resorted to finding counsel in mediums. Egypt had been known for her wisdom and so Isaiah asks, where are the wise men now? To ask the question is to answer it. Having been involved in polytheism and idolatry, the Egyptians proved they had no true wise men. God alone is the source of wisdom and Egypt had been given the opportunity to learn wisdom. When they spoke of Joseph, they asked "Whence hath this man this wisdom?" and "What wisdom is this which is given unto him?"" Also, the plagues surely left an impression that wise men should have noted. The Egyptian wise men should have known the God of Israel by virtue of the fact that He had all the power.

What a lesson for today! For many our Bibles have only become another book on the shelf of our libraries. Though wisdom is written within the pages of the divinely inspired Scripture, we sometimes look elsewhere than God for counsel. And when the nations' leaders try to solve the problems of the world apart from the wisdom of God, they show themselves to be fools, following a path that leads to destruction. Our present world situation should bring us to our knees to pray for those in power that they will seek true wisdom that is found in God alone. And that God would arise and scatter the enemies of His people.

The picture of the Lord coming on the clouds to bring judgment is a foreshadow of the final judgment. Let us be reminded that the Lord our God is a great God, who holds our lives in His hands. We are safe when we take refuge in the shadow of His wings.

Psalm 46:2-3
"Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah."

Psalm 46:11
"The LORD of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah."