QUESTION:
Isaiah 19:25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”
Hi Rick, I'm reading the book of Isaiah...in chapter
19:24-25 it sounds like part of this prophecy already occurred but verse 25 in
particular - that has never happened? Is what was called Assyria...isn't that
now where Iran/Iraq are?
RESPONSE:
Great question. Yes,
Assyria then basically covered what is today eastern Syria and Northern Iraq.
Finding the historical location of fulfillment for these
prophesies is more difficult than the geographical location, however. There’s been
some general consensus that the judgment part of the prophecy of chapter 19 has some historical fulfillment. Looking into Isaiah’s context,
Egypt at this point (750 BC) was a shell of its glorious former self under the
Pharaohs. It was mostly ruled by
Ethiopians, which explains the connection to chapter 18’s prophesy.
After Isaiah’s time we could say that his vision (19:4) to
see them “delivered into the hands of harsh masters, and a strong king to rule”
was fulfilled many times over: in many
kings in the succeeding centuries.
- Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal (Assyrians),
- Nebuchadnezzar (Babylonian),
- Cambyses and Alexander the Great (Greek)
- all these ruled Egypt as fierce tyrants.
More context: the temptation in Isaiah’s day was to see Egypt as a
potential ally against Assyria. So God
is saying here DO NOT TRUST Egypt – she will be unreliable, God is going to
crush her. And do not be worried about
her either, she will fall and fail you – and eventually adopt OUR ways, not the
other way around. Unfortunately, Israel
would struggle all the way through to king Josiah and his sons with trusting
Egypt when they shouldn’t.
So the judgement piece really came true, but what about the
salvation piece of this prophesy, from 19:16-25? Were there ever five cities in Egypt that "swore allegiance to Israel’s God"? Was
there ever a "Jewish altar in Egypt" for worship, did God miraculously "send a
Savior" to deliver the Egyptians, and was there ever a "highway connecting
Jerusalem, Egypt, and Assyria"?
Some suggest that the prophecy was fulfilled after the exile
when a group of Hebrews fled to Egypt, settled in four Egyptian cities (Jer
44:1) and later built a temple in Leontopolis around 170 BC. The problem with locating the salvation parts
in that part of history is that all the Jewish settlements in Egypt were mostly by
Jewish apostates who rejected the Lord or worshiped Him along with pagan
deities. Also, there was no highway
connecting Egypt with Assyria during this period, unless we mean a highway of
destruction!
The prophesy is clearly
envisioning a future where Egypt not merely has some outposts of true religion, but
rather pervasively KNOWS the Lord in a real way, speaks the same language as God’s
people, are faithful to Him and a good ally and fellow worshipers of the One
True God (vs 22). This is more than we could say ever happened before Christ.
So another approach sees these words fulfilled after the
spread of Christianity to Egypt. And
that makes better sense that Isaiah sees a “savior to rescue them” (vs
20). This sounds like Messiah, and in
the late Roman period and into the Byzantine era, most of Egypt was heavily
Christianized. But honestly, I don't anything that
has happened in Egypt in the Christian era comes close to matching the lofty
and quite shocking beauty of this vision of the fertile crescent: all One, all adopted as God's people, totally at peace and unified under Israel’s God from the Nile to the Euphrates
(Iraq)? Hasn't happened yet.
So I would settle on a third view: the salvation part of the prophecy awaits
fulfillment during the future period of peace brought in by Christ in the 2nd
coming. Read Isaiah 2:1-4… this is the
grand picture of the future peace which the prophet sees coming to ALL the earth. And Isaiah begins that vision with same words as the prophecies in 19: "in that day". I think then chp. 19 is supposed to fit into this grander vision
as a specific sort of microcosm of the whole picture.
Inside the future where “ALL the nations will come to the mountain of
the Lord” and “walk in the paths of the God of Jacob” (2:3), will be this
specific peace between Egypt, Israel and Assyria (19:23.24).
To even imagine it in Isaiah’s day was scandalous. It would be very similar if I said that one
day, Jesus Christ will be acknowledged everywhere, but then went on to say,
“even in the Levant and Syria Jesus will be claimed as Lord and worshiped as
God in the heart of Mecca!” Christians believe that will
happen when Christ comes again - but to
non-Christian ears it's shocking to even imagine it! It feels weird to print it! That’s how this prophesy likely hit Isaiah’s
countrymen’s ears. A highway of peace
between our dreaded enemies to the north to our enemies/unreliable allies to
the south? Co-adoption as God's people with Assyrians and Egyptians? Unthinkable! But that’s what’s coming, says Isaiah.
Yet not through some great negotiator or leader - only through the
“Lord Himself” making himself known to the Egyptians (21) so that again implies
2nd coming.
That's why I would say this is for the future, because of its size and
scope.
That great
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad you found this helpful.
DeletePraise be to God for His wisdom and revelation through you brother
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad this was useful to you.
DeletePeace and grace! Have you looked into the Coptic Church at all? It was founded by St. Mark the apostle in the first century, and all of these prophecies have actually been fulfilled in Egypt. By God's grace and work, He truly crushed the idols and melted the hearts of the Egyptians. Since that time, His people in Egypt have served Him faithfully despite persecution after persecution, even to this day. As Tertullian declared: "If the martyrs of the whole world were put on one arm of the balance and the martyrs of Egypt on the other, the balance would tilt in favor of the Egyptians."
ReplyDeleteGreat Christian luminaries like St. Athanasius (who put together the New Testament and the Nicene Creed) and St. Anthony (who founded Christian monasticism) have led our people and are just part of the fulfillment of God's Word, that, "The Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it." (Is 19:21).
Check out this entry from Fr. Alexander Schmemann's diary upon visiting the Coptic Church in 1978: https://lacopts.org/news/the-reflections-of-fr-alexander-schmemann-meeting-his-holiness-pope-shenouda-iii-of-blessed/
thanks for the link, Joseph! I have looked into the Coptic church a little and heard directly from friends that have visited their vibrant churches in Egypt. I'm certain God is doing and has done a great work in Egypt through them.
DeleteI remain skeptical that this past work is a total fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 19, just because the language in scripture speaks of things that even the faithful witness of the Copts has not brought to past. Like the triple alliance with Israel, Egypt and Assyria. (19:24)
However, I am certain God has preserved a faithful remnant in Egypt and I cheer for their endurance despite harsh persecution (another reason it seems the hope of total peace and triumph of God's people promised in Isaiah 19 is yet future).
They're now building the highway.
ReplyDeleteI've heard some things about that by some believers that spoke who are from Iran. They mentioned a biblical highway actually being built that will run all the way through. Interesting.
DeleteEgypt that Isaiah spoke of is not that you have in mind but africa as a world this prophecy is the same with Malachi 4v5 Elijah is the one who will help Africa to fight it oppressor
ReplyDeleteI’m thinking that Antioch as one of the first Christian center outside of Jerusalem could count as Assyria and the road between Assyria Israel and Egypt being a road of Christian truth and partnership in the early Christian church.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the discussion.