Reading: Isaiah 15-21
Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellers of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt. The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit (Is. 19:11-14).
Egypt had long stood as a mighty presence in the ancient world. The Pharaohs of Egypt purported themselves to be sons of the sun god Ra and demanded worshipful allegiance from their subjects. They surrounded themselves with wise counsellers and lived without fear of their neighbors, secure within the boundaries of their land.
So secure was Egypt that Isaiah’s words concerning her downfall were no doubt met with scorn and disbelief. Scripture tells us that God’s people had come to depend on the solid strength of their neighbor. King Hoshea of Israel had sought the aid of Egypt (II Kings 17:1-4) when he tried to free himself from Assyrian control, and envoys had been sent to the Egyptian Pharaoh from the beleaguered nation of Judah while under the reign of King Hezekiah, requesting aid in their fight against the Assyrians (18:20-21). God, however, knew that the Egyptians had built their empire on nothing more than lies and false beliefs. Their faith was in an idol conceived of by man. Their wisdom was based on this belief, so it was doomed to fail. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it (Matt 7:26-27).
The Lord promised to lay bare the lies of Egypt. The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof. He took into account their great pride and chose to work through it, crumbling it from the inside out. He made the words of their wise counsellers brutish, and He proclaimed: And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom (Is. 19:2).
God’s warning is as pertinent to us now as it was to His people then: The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof. Regardless of what the godless wish to believe, the Lord IS involved in their day-to-day lives. Just as He did with the Egyptians, He can and does cause the wisdom of those who strive against Him to falter. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them (Jer. 8:9)? If we, as His children, choose to seek guidance from those that are entrenched in the world, then we will also find ourselves misled. God’s Word is 100% truthful and accurate; it is the only source of wisdom that will lead us to Him.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Ps. 119:105).
Thought for Today: Atheistic, false teachings may seem to be strengthening their hold on the world, but we can take heart in the knowledge that humanity cannot create a system or state so secure that God cannot will it to crumble.
Christ Revealed: As the One who will sit on the throne of David (Is. 16:5).
Word Studies: 16:3 bewray = betray; 16:11 my bowels = my inner being, heart; 17:11 a heap = a failure; 19:8 angle = hooks; 21:14 prevented with their bread him that fled = gave food and water to the fugitives.
Pray for Government Officials Gov. Kim Reynolds (IA), Gov. Phil Scott (VT), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY)• Country: Uruguay (3,332,972) South-eastern Coast of South America • Major Languages: Spanish, Portunol, Brazilero • Religious Freedom • 47.1% Roman Catholic; 34.3% Non-Catholic Christian (Protestant, Nondenominational); 0.3% Jewish; 17.2% Atheist/ Agnostic; 1.1% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Seek the guidance of God in meekness (Ps. 25:9).
Optional Reading: Hebrews 12