Isaiah 19:1-2 Egyptian Angst
19:1-2 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. “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.
I want to be perfectly clear with Isaiah 19. I am not saying that the current day events in Egypt are this passage and prophecy. In light of current events (February 2011), is this a passage that peaks my interest and merits investigation and observation, yes.
Verse 1: The first observation is that the LORD directly intervenes. God is the one causing these events to happen. The Hebrew word for oracle is massa’. Simply stated, it means a burden or load. This same word, massa’, was also the name of Ishmael’s son (Genesis 25:14). His name means burden. Ishmael’s mother Hagar is Egyptian (Genesis 16:1). The LORD is coming quickly on a swift cloud. The Hebrew word for cloud is `ab. What is not stated in the translation is the type of cloud. It is a dark, thick cloud. The introduction states this is going to be swift, quick, and ominous. It reminds me of a supercell thunderstorm you can see rolling in on the plains.
Observation and time line as of February, 16, 2011: It took less than three weeks for the overthrow of the president of Egypt. After the military took control, the constitution was suspended and martial law was initiated in less than two days. A week later, the citizens are still protesting in the streets. There will be many twists and turns before the alleged “free” elections in September 2011. But ask yourself the question, was this swift? Are the ramifications significant? How will these events impact the region and the globe?
Verse 2: Again, the LORD is the agent of cause. The idea is to intensively, purposely weave together the Egyptians against each other repeatedly. The Egyptians will fight and war against each other, in other words, civil war. Notice how the fighting starts in the family, expands to the neighborhood, and eventually to cities within Egypt.
We have seen the current events expand from brothers to neighborhoods on television. There have been neighborhoods who defended themselves from others with guns and machetes. According to Scripture, the next step would be for civil unrest spreading from Cairo to other cities. The leader has been removed and yet there is still civil unrest…
From the viewpoint of man, this uprising was caused due to low wages, high food prices, and a spirit of freedom. Egyptians were tired of their current leadership and oppressed. The revolt was lead by the youth of Egypt.
God is all powerful and in control of history according to Scripture. God is absolutely sovereign. Scripture says these events in Isaiah 19 are the direct hand of God. Isaiah 19:4,… declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
With these two contrasting views, man versus God, something has to give. Somebody is going to be right and somebody is going to be wrong.
Please don’t take my word. Read this for yourself and investigate. Make up your mind and decide yourself. The implications are staggering. Granted, there are no time markers in the passage. We do not know how long it will take for these events to occur from beginning to end. The end of this chapter has a Savior and Champion (Isaiah 19:20) being sent to deliver the people. That Savior will be physically here on earth. Again, I am not saying these current events are the beginning of Isaiah 19. But what if this is it?
Leave a Reply