Isaiah 19

“On that day, there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord near her border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord, because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and a leader, and he will rescue them.” Isaiah 19:19-20 (HCSB)

In the first half of chapter 19, we see (in Egypt) the people were looking for meaning in their lives. It is a picture of modern civilization. Is it any wonder that one of the top-selling books of our time is The Purpose Driven Life? People are still looking for purpose almost everywhere except in Jesus. Ours is a culture of men with sore eyes. They find the light painful and consider darkness (which permits them to see nothing) as restful and agreeable.

In 19:16-25, we are given another picture of Egypt. It refers to events in the future and is signified by a six-fold repetition of “On that day...” We have seen Isaiah’s concern for Gentiles before, but it is breathtaking to consider the idea that Egypt, Israel’s cruelest oppressor in days gone by, should now be promised a place alongside Israel. Egypt’s progression from sin to salvation is worth noting. There appear to be five elements involved in their transition:

1) A state of fear

2) A state of submission

3) A state of access into God’s presence

4) A state of fellowship

5) A state of complete acceptance

Paul describes the calling of the Gentiles and their inclusion in the greater community of Messiah (the Church) as a breaking down of the wall that once separated Jews and Gentiles. (Ephesians 2:14) It is similar to what happened to East and West Germans when the Berlin Wall came down. They became simply “Germans” again.  

The fellowship that binds followers of Jesus together is much more profound. Believers share the promise of Heaven. (Romans 8:17; Galatians 3:29) This is a mystery, in that through the Gospel, Gentile believers are heirs together with Jewish believers, members of one body, ONE in Messiah, Jesus. (Ephesians 3:6)

What these past few chapters have been about is that God can raise children from the most unlikely sources: Ruth from Moab, Naaman from Damascus, a Eunuch from Ethiopia, or an Athanasius from Alexandria in Egypt. Oh, yes, and then there’s us.

In this understanding, we get a foretaste of Heaven.

“And after this, I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9 (HCSB)