And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them. In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”
— Isaiah 19:17-25

~~~~~

The Family Reflects
By Jennifer Kane

Egypt Speaks:
I was the house of chains,
the lash and the cry,
the oppressor in the night.

But He struck my idols,
shook my temples,
broke my pride.

And in my breaking—
I found His mercy.
Now I bow,
and call Him my Deliverer.

Once I was the captor.
Now I am called His people.

Assyria Speaks:
I was the sword of iron,
the terror of nations,
my cruelty stretched from sea to sea.

I swallowed kingdoms,
mocked their gods,
and thought myself unshakable.

But the Lord—
He reached into my ruins,
and He named me the work of His hands.

From ashes, He reshaped me.
From violence, He called me to peace.

Once I was the destroyer.
Now I am a son in His house.

Israel Speaks:
I was chosen,
called by name,
an inheritance set apart.

Yet I strayed,
chased other gods,
and stumbled in the wilderness of my heart.

But the Lord remained faithful—
my Shepherd, my Redeemer.
He restored me again and again,
and still He calls me My inheritance.

Once I was wandering.
Now I am home.

Egypt—rescued.
Assyria—redeemed.
Israel—restored.

Together They Speak:
Brothers and sisters,
no longer enemies,
we share one Father’s name.

Three voices,
one family.
Three stories,
one song.

“Blessed be Egypt, My people;
Assyria, the work of My hands;
Israel, My inheritance.”

~~~~~

Scripture: Isaiah 19:17-25

When we think of Egypt and Assyria in the Old Testament, we think of enemies. Egypt was the house of slavery, the oppressor from whom God delivered His people in the Exodus. Assyria was the cruel empire that crushed nations, including the northern kingdom of Israel. These nations represented everything hostile to God and His people.

And yet, Isaiah 19 gives us one of the most astonishing visions in all of Scripture: these same enemies will one day become family. God does not only promise their downfall; He promises their redemption.

Judah becomes a terror to Egypt—not because of military might, but because of the Lord’s determined purpose. God’s judgments serve to awaken, to shake nations out of their pride and idolatry.

Isaiah foresees a day when Egypt turns from idols to the living God. Five cities will speak the language of Canaan, a poetic way of saying they will adopt the faith of Israel. Egypt will raise an altar to the Lord, cry out to Him, and He will send them a “Savior and a Mighty One” to deliver them. Just as He struck down Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea to display His glory, so now He will strike and heal Egypt—removing their hardness of heart and bringing them to true worship.

This echoes Moses’ law, which allowed the third generation of Egyptians after the Exodus to join Israel’s congregation (Deut. 23:7–8). Even from the beginning, God hinted that enmity with Egypt would not last forever.

The vision expands even further. A highway will connect Egypt and Assyria—two sworn enemies—so they may freely come and go in peace, worshiping the Lord together. Then comes the climax: God blesses all three, declaring,
“Egypt, My people”
“Assyria, the work of My hands”
“Israel, My inheritance.”

The nations that once tore each other apart are united as God’s family, equally beloved and blessed.

This passage shatters the false notion that the Old Testament God is harsh and exclusive while the New Testament God is loving and inclusive. He has always been both just and merciful, both the God of Israel and the God of the nations.

The God who strikes is the God who heals. His judgments are never meant to destroy beyond hope, but to bring repentance and restoration (2 Peter 3:9).

The God of Israel is the God of the world. His promise to Abraham was always global: “all peoples on earth will be blessed” through his offspring (Gen. 12:3). Isaiah 19 gives a vivid preview of this promise.

The God who sends a Savior to Egypt is the same God who sent His Son to the world. Jesus Christ is the “Savior and Mighty One” for Jew and Gentile alike. As Paul writes: “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile… all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:22–24).

This prophecy is being fulfilled even now as the gospel goes forth. Augustine of Hippo put it well: “The nations are Christ’s inheritance, and the ends of the earth are His possession.” Every time the church grows across cultures and barriers, we see the invisible kingdom of God becoming visible.

Who do you assume is beyond God’s grace? Isaiah 19 challenges us to expand our vision of God’s redemption. In Christ, you too are part of this prophecy fulfilled. You are God’s people, the work of His hands, His inheritance. Join the mission. Pray, share the gospel, and support the work of reconciliation. God is building highways of peace where we see only walls.

~~~~~

Heavenly Father, we marvel at Your mercy. You take what is broken, hostile, and far away and make it Your own. Forgive us for limiting the scope of Your grace. Thank You that in Jesus—the Savior for Israel, Egypt, Assyria, and all nations—you have torn down every dividing wall. Make us agents of Your reconciliation and fill us with joy at the wideness of Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

September 29, 2025