Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+019

Chapter 19 (ESV)

¹⁶ In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the Lord of hosts shakes over them. ¹⁷ And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the Lord of hosts has purposed against them.

¹⁸ In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.

¹⁹ In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. ²⁰ It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. ²¹ And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. ²² And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.

²³ In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

²⁴ In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, ²⁵ whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

REFLECTION:

1. This passage includes the remarkable image of the Egyptians and Assyrians, bitter enemies of Israel, worshiping together. And each was referred to as “my people”, “my handwork”, and “my inheritance”.  This shows the vision of the Old Testament reaching well beyond ethnic parochialism to the world of the Gentiles who are also cared for by God.
2. It’s difficult to hate someone whom you pray with and for. In Chinese culture, we have an often derogatory way of thinking about and speaking of other ethnicities. They are also God’s creation and His beloved children. We need to begin by asking God for forgiveness and turning away from our sin. You may also consider attending a worship service of another denomination or tradition, one that seems very foreign to you. See what you learn about what you share and where you differ.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

HYMN:

God Of All Nations – youtu.be/PjAhC6EGMFE