Tuesday after Exaudi Sunday
Posted on May 14, 2024 by under
Scripture: Isaiah 19:19-25 (NKJV)
19:19 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 And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. 21 Then 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. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.
23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.
24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
Devotion
The Egyptians are not the “children of God”, or so we might think. But here we see that they are. The people who saw Moses bring plagues upon them will see Another, who will bring blessings upon them. God “will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.” Then God explicitly says, “Blessed is Egypt My people.” And He says the same of Assyria.
The people of God were never meant to be from a single earthly tribe. This speaks ultimately of their coming to Christ. The Buffalo Synod seminary professor, Herbert Carl Leupold, said: “More is involved in the matter of the fulfillment of this passage than what has thus far been indicated. Only as the gospel came to the land of Egypt and land of the Near East did these things become realities. In those early centuries the church, especially in the land of Egypt, made notable contributions to the glory of the Savior’s name, even as did the church of the whole area of North Africa.”
The pagans of Egypt and Assyria would eventually come to glorify God. Jesus, as a little boy, blessed Egypt with His presence. They could not have guessed that He would bring so many of them to life, even to our day. There are still ancient Christians in Egypt today.
Collect: Almighty, everlasting God, make us to have always a devout will toward Thee, and to serve Thy Majesty with a pure heart; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
