Isaiah 19
COMMENTARY:
:1 “The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Sovereign Yahweh was about to visit Egypt, and when He did, her idols would prove impotent and her people fearful. He had done this at the time of the Exodus (Exod. 12:12), but Egypt was to receive a repeat lesson. How often people need to be reminded of the power and sovereignty of God. We forget that He is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Heb.13:8) He is unchanging and always will be consistent in the way He treats His creation and people.
The Egyptians had been shown His power and jealousy earlier and apparently needed that reminder in order for them to recognize the Lord.
How many times did the Lord Jesus remind his disciples of who he was and what He had been sent to accomplish? How many times has He had to remind me He is capable of meeting the needs and crisis in my life? He is the Lord, trust Him as He proves himself faithful repeatedly.
CHALLENGE: Is there something in your life the Lord is speaking to you about that has been a recurrent theme for you? Maybe it is time to settle that and recognize that the Lord is the same as when He met those needs previously! Go to Him today. (Dr. Brian Miller)
: 12 Where are they? Where are your wise men? and let them tell you now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt. (3289 “purposed” [ya’ats] means counsel, determined, devised, to make or work out a plan for, deliberate, or plot.)
DEVOTION: The Bible teaches that the LORD has had a plan from the beginning of time for all the nations of the world. HE is working HIS plan in the nation of Egypt because of what they have done in the past. They have depended on false gods even while the Children of Israel were in their nation. They didn’t get the point that the LORD was the only one true God
Today we find that many people are working a plan they have made for their life with no regard for the LORD. They think that they can succeed in this world and not be concerned for what happens to them after they die.
The Bible say that it is appointed unto man once to die and then judgment. Here we have a time of judgment on the nation of Egypt. God had a purpose for Egypt regarding the captivity of the Children of Israel but HE also has a plan for Egypt even today. Each nation has to answer to the LORD for their actions regarding the teachings of the Word of God.
In the end, all nations are going to stand before the LORD in judgment whether now or into eternity. We have to understand that if we as a nation don’t put the LORD first HE is going to send judgment.
The advice of Isaiah is that Egypt needs to get wise to who the LORD really is. They have had many warnings in the past but still have not learned their lesson.
CHALLENGE: Is our reading of the work of God in the Old Testament teaching us anything we need to learn today? It is trying to warn us to make sure we put the LORD first in our life and in the life of the nation. Judgment is coming!
: 14 The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit. (5773 “perverse” [‘av’eh] means distorting, warping, depravities, staggering, or dizziness.)
DEVOTION: We depend too much on other people in our life. The Egyptians counted on their false gods to give them good counsel regarding what to do in every situation. The list is long: idols, charmers, familiar spirits, wizards and here distorting spirit.
Our society looks everywhere but to God for answers. We presently live in a culture that a believers that everyone is right. There is no only truth. Everyone has truth. We need to accept everyone as right and never to think that there is a exclusive truth.
If one claims exclusive truth they are not tolerant. Our world wants us to be tolerant of everyone and not try to convince anyone that they are wrong. They want to make the rules for all organizations. Even on our college campuses they are trying to say that anyone can be a leader of any group. There are to be no standards for leadership.
That doesn’t work for Christian groups on campus. If there is a leader who doesn’t believe the Bible is the final authority and that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Where will he lead the group? Closer to God or further away.
One author states that PETA should have someone who wears bear skins to their meeting be their leader and see what will happen. The problem the rules are not for every group, only for Christian groups because we claim to have the exclusive truth of the Word of God.
Just like in Egypt the LORD can allow a warped evil spirit to enter into our society and cause those who think they are smart to think that they are following their own thoughts when in reality they are part of the devil’s camp.
This caused the Egyptians to follow a depraved spirit that gave them poor advice in their battle against their enemies. America and other nations can follow the same spirit. Throughout Scripture God has allowed those who reject HIM to follow counselors who were leading them into destruction instead of victory.
We need to stick to our beliefs and give wise counsel to those around us. The Bible is the final authority and Christ is the only way to heaven. Warn all those around us of these truths. Who they listen too will make a great difference in the outcome of their life and the life of the nation they live in.
CHALLENGE: Test the spirits to see if they are of God. Discernment is important in our Christian life. It is given by the Holy Spirit. Listen to HIM.
: 17 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. (3289 “determined” [ya‘ats] means plan, intend, purpose, plot, resolve, [come to an informed, deliberate conclusion on a matter and take action.)
The nation of Egypt is the concern of this chapter. The first seventeen verses deal with a judgment on the nation. They were looking to idols for answers. They were looking to charmers. They were looking to those who consulted with familiar spirits. They were looking to wizards for answers.
They were looking in all the WRONG places for answers. For that reason the LORD had to judge them. In judging the LORD caused everything they tried to do, to fail.
The second part of the chapter deals with the future when even the Egyptians will worship the LORD. There is a day coming when the LORD will answer the prayers of the Egyptians. There is a day coming when they will offer sacrifices to the LORD.
All this is the plan of God for this nation. There will be people in every nation that will worship the LORD in heaven and during the millennial reign of Christ.
God has a plan and HE is working HIS plan regarding every nation under the sun. The Egyptians were a nation that gave Israel a hard time. They were a nation that didn’t worship the LORD but in the future kingdom of Christ there will be altars to the LORD in the land of Egypt.
No nation is outside the power and purpose of the LORD. HE has a plan for America. It is a devised plan. We need to realize that God wants us to have a revival in the church. That is only going to happen when HIS people understand that HE is in control.
Are we practicing HIS presence in our churches in this nation? The LORD is resolved to work HIS plan. HIS actions prove this fact. God is a God of action. HE loves us want wants us to learn from the Old Testament that HIS Son died for the whole world. HIS grace and salvation is available to all if they will but repent of their sins and follow HIM.
CHALLENGE: Remember that even the evil nations are given an opportunity to follow our God. Reach all the nations in your neighborhood for the LORD.
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