The Great Reversal: When God Conquers His Enemies for Good
Introduction: The Gospel's Ridiculous Reach
We live in an age of brittle and boutique pieties. We have become accustomed to a gospel that is respectable, manageable, and tailored to fit neatly within our personal lives. We want a Jesus who saves our souls for heaven but who doesn't dare meddle in the affairs of nations, in the flow of history, or in the bitter hatreds that define our geopolitical landscape. Our eschatologies are often little more than theological fire escapes, designed to get us out of the world before it gets too messy.
But the God of Isaiah is not a manageable God. His plans are not respectable by the world's standards. They are wild, audacious, and frankly, offensive to our tidy categories. The prophecy before us in Isaiah 19 is one of the most staggering and radical predictions in all of Scripture. It describes the complete spiritual conquest and conversion of the two most ferocious, bloodthirsty, and idolatrous enemies of God's people in the Old Testament: Egypt and Assyria. This is not a prophecy about their destruction, though it begins with that. This is a prophecy about their salvation. It is a prophecy about God's sworn enemies becoming His beloved children.
To a Hebrew hearing this for the first time, this would have been unthinkable. Egypt was the archetypal oppressor, the iron furnace of slavery from which God had miraculously delivered them. Assyria was the current terror, the brutal empire that had scattered the northern kingdom and was breathing down Judah's neck. These were not friendly rivals. They were the embodiment of pagan darkness and military might. To suggest that God would one day call Egypt "My people" and Assyria "the work of My hands" would be like telling a prisoner in a concentration camp that one day the SS guards would be his brothers in the faith, worshiping alongside him. It is scandalous. And it is precisely the kind of scandal the gospel specializes in.
This passage is a postmillennial bombshell. It gives us a glimpse of the future that the Great Commission is actually accomplishing. The gospel is not a retreat; it is an invasion. Christ did not come to pluck a few brands from the fire while the world burns down. He came to claim the nations as His inheritance, to disciple them, to teach them to obey everything He commanded. This passage shows us what that looks like in stunning, technicolor detail. It is a portrait of a world transformed, not by human effort, but by the sovereign, smiting, and healing hand of God.
The Text
In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of Yahweh of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. And the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it because of the counsel of Yahweh of hosts which He is counseling against them.
In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to Yahweh of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.
In that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Yahweh near its border. And it will become a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them. Thus Yahweh will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Yahweh in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make a vow to Yahweh and pay it. And Yahweh will smite Egypt, smiting but healing; so they will return to Yahweh, and He will be moved by their entreaty and will heal them.
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom Yahweh of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
(Isaiah 19:16-25 LSB)
The Fear of God, the Beginning of Wisdom (vv. 16-17)
The prophecy begins not with a friendly invitation, but with terror. God's grace often comes packaged in judgment.
"In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of Yahweh of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. And the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it because of the counsel of Yahweh of hosts which He is counseling against them." (Isaiah 19:16-17)
The phrase "in that day" points us to a future time of God's decisive action. The first thing that happens is that the proud, militaristic Egyptians are humbled. They become "like women," which in this ancient context means they lose their strength, their courage, their ability to fight. Their confidence is shattered. Why? Because of the "waving of the hand of Yahweh." This is a picture of God's sovereign, overwhelming power being displayed against them. This is not a battle between equals. This is the Creator moving against the creature, and the creature melts.
Notice what becomes the source of their terror: "the land of Judah." This is a profound reversal. For centuries, Israel had feared Egypt. Now, the tables are turned. The people of God, once a nation of slaves, become a source of dread to their former masters. This is not because Judah has become a military superpower in its own right. It is because of the "counsel of Yahweh of hosts." God's plan, His determined purpose, is being worked out through His people, and the enemies of God are made to see it and to fear. This is the first step in any true conversion. Before you can be saved, you must recognize that you are in deep trouble with a holy God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. For Egypt, this wisdom begins with a holy terror.
The Invasion of Grace (vv. 18-22)
From this terror, God brings forth the fruit of repentance and true worship. The judgment is not an end in itself; it is the necessary prelude to salvation.
"In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to Yahweh of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction... In that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Yahweh near its border." (Isaiah 19:18-19 LSB)
The results of this holy fear are immediate and tangible. We see the beginnings of a great conversion. "Five cities" is representative language, indicating a significant and substantial turning to God. They will be "speaking the language of Canaan," which is Hebrew, the language of the covenant and the Scriptures. This is a metaphor for conversion. They are adopting the worldview, the confession, the very vocabulary of God's people. They are learning to talk like Christians. And they "swear allegiance to Yahweh," making a covenant oath to the one true God.
The mention of one city being called the "City of Destruction" (or "City of the Sun" in some manuscripts, referring to Heliopolis, a center of sun worship) is a powerful statement. God is going to invade the very heart of their idolatry and conquer it. He will establish true worship, an "altar to Yahweh," right in the middle of their pagan land. This altar will be a "sign and a witness." Worship is warfare. Planting an altar is planting a flag of conquest. It declares that this land now belongs to Yahweh.
"for they will cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them... Yahweh will smite Egypt, smiting but healing; so they will return to Yahweh, and He will be moved by their entreaty and will heal them." (Isaiah 19:20, 22 LSB)
Here is the pattern of redemption. Affliction leads to prayer, and prayer leads to deliverance. When the Egyptians cry out under oppression, God sends them a Savior. This is the gospel in miniature. And who is this Savior? Ultimately, it is the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Champion who delivers His people from their ultimate oppressor, sin and death. The gospel will come to Egypt, and they will be saved.
Verse 22 summarizes this entire divine process: "Yahweh will smite Egypt, smiting but healing." This is the nature of God's fatherly discipline. He wounds in order to heal. He strikes down our pride in order to raise us up in grace. He brings us to the end of ourselves so that we will turn to Him. And when they return, He hears them and heals them. This is not just a political or military healing. This is a spiritual restoration. God is not just saving them from their enemies; He is saving them from their sins.
The Highway of Fellowship (v. 23)
The prophecy then expands to include the other great enemy, Assyria. The result of God's work is not just individual conversions, but the reconciliation of entire peoples.
"In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians." (Isaiah 19:23 LSB)
This is an astonishing picture. A highway connects these two ancient, mortal enemies. Highways facilitate trade, travel, and fellowship. The barriers that once divided them, the military fortifications and the centuries of hatred, are gone. There is free and open communion between them. And what is the basis of this newfound unity? They "will worship with the Assyrians."
Their shared faith in Yahweh has obliterated their ethnic and political hostilities. This is the power of the gospel. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female (Gal. 3:28). And we can add, there is neither Egyptian nor Assyrian. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. All the animosities and rivalries that fuel human history are drowned in the blood of Christ. He is our peace, who has broken down the dividing wall of hostility (Eph. 2:14). This is a vision of the future success of the Great Commission, where nations that were once at each other's throats will be brothers, worshiping the same Lord together.
The Trinitarian Blessing (vv. 24-25)
The prophecy culminates in a glorious Trinitarian formula of blessing, with Israel at the center, but by no means alone.
"In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom Yahweh of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”" (Isaiah 19:24-25 LSB)
Israel, which lies geographically between Egypt and Assyria, becomes the third partner in this new covenant fellowship. Together, these three become a "blessing in the midst of the earth." The promise originally given to Abraham, that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed, finds its fulfillment here on a grand, international scale.
But the final verse is the crescendo. God Himself pronounces the blessing, and in doing so, He completely redefines the world. He gives His former enemies covenant titles that were once reserved for Israel alone.
- "Blessed is Egypt My people." The title "My people" (ammi) is one of the most precious covenant designations for Israel in the Old Testament. Now, God gives it to the Egyptians.
- "and Assyria the work of My hands." This phrase speaks of God's creative power and sovereign craftsmanship. He has fashioned Assyria, not just as a nation, but as a trophy of His redeeming grace.
- "and Israel My inheritance." Israel retains its unique place, its heritage, its foundational role in redemptive history. But it is no longer an exclusive inheritance. It is the firstfruits, the elder brother who now welcomes the prodigals home.
This is the future of the world under the reign of Christ. It is a world where the gospel has triumphed so completely that the worst enemies of God are brought into His family and given titles of utmost endearment. This is what we are praying for when we pray "Thy kingdom come." We are not praying for escape. We are praying for conquest. We are praying for the day when the highways are full of former enemies, traveling to worship together, and when God looks out over the nations and says, "These are all Mine."
Conclusion: The Unstoppable Gospel
This passage should demolish any small-minded, pessimistic view of the gospel's power. If God can promise to save and heal Egypt and Assyria, then there is no person, no people group, no nation, and no political ideology that is beyond the reach of His sovereign grace. The very things that seem most intractable to us, the ancient hatreds of the Middle East, the secular nihilism of the West, the paganism of the East, are nothing to Him.
The process is always the same. God first comes in judgment. He waves His hand, and our proud towers of self-reliance come crashing down. He makes us tremble. He makes us fear. He smites us. But for those He has chosen, the smiting is for healing. The terror is to drive us to cry out to Him. And when we cry out, He sends a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And through that Savior, He does the impossible. He makes enemies into brothers. He builds highways of fellowship where there were once walls of hostility. He takes those who were not His people and calls them "My people." He takes the work of His hands, marred by sin, and remakes it into a glorious vessel for His praise.
This is the story of the world. It is the story of the irresistible advance of the kingdom of God. Our job is to be faithful heralds of this kingdom, to preach this gospel, to plant these altars of worship in every corner of the globe, and to live in confident expectation of the day when this glorious prophecy will be fulfilled in all its fullness, to the glory of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.