19 The [a]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 [b]mediums and spiritists.
4 “Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master,
And a [c]mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord [d]God of hosts.5 The waters from the sea will dry up,
And the river will be parched and dry.
6 The [e]canals will emit a stench,
The [f]streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;
The reeds and rushes will rot away.
7 The bulrushes by the Nile, by the [g]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 [h]line into the Nile will mourn,
And those who spread nets on the waters will [i]pine away.
9 Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax
And the weavers of white cloth will be [j]utterly dejected.
10 And [k]the pillars of Egypt will be crushed;
All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.11 The princes of [l]Zoan are mere fools;
The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become [m]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 [n]understand what the Lord of hosts
Has purposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of [o]Zoan have acted foolishly,
The princes of Memphis are deluded;
Those who are the cornerstone of her tribes
Have [p]led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of distortion;
They have led Egypt astray in all [q]that it does,
As a drunken man [r]staggers in his vomit.
15 There will be no work for Egypt
Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.
Isaiah turns now to the Egyptians, and their impending doom. As he speaks the words of God, there are some different aspects from some of the other nations. Many of those would be defeated by outsiders, even Israel & Judah would be conquered from without. Yet Egypt’s trouble appears to come from within.
We see it right away in v. 2 that “they will each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor…” When it comes to the politics of our nation, that is eerily familiar, as families are even divided by political disagreements. Over in v. 11, he gives more detail, that even Pharoah’s wisest advisers have become stupid.
Those where were the “cornerstone” of the nation have acted foolishly and/or have become deluded (v. 13). In the end, Egypt will be led astray, not by outside influences, but by those who were trusted to lead the country. Again, you might think that all too familiar, and wonder where our country is headed?
Perhaps it seems to be taking a turn for the better–depending on who you talk to. Yet we are only a couple years away from resuming the divisiveness and chaos, if that long. From the national stage to local government, we hear rumors, and things that are unsettling.
However, we need not be led astray by such things, or even be unsettled ourselves. In all this unrest, there is a certainty. That is, God is not confused, or acting foolishly. No man can delude him, or lead him astray. No, God is still on the throne, and still in control. Is He on the throne of our lives though? Are we trusting God to be our sure foundation, or being cast to and fro by the winds of this world?
There’s a song on my desk that says, “I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus name.” No doubt, in Egypt and still today, we are tempted to lean on those who speak eloquently, or who promise good things. They put on a good front, yet we do not and cannot know whether they mean for our good or our harm.
We do know One who is good, and who wants what is best for us. So we must put our trust in His name and unfailing goodness, the one who will “never leave us or forsake us.” This world is full of storms, but His anchor will hold us firm, through it all.