Isaiah Chapter 20
PROPHECY ABOUT EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA
Isaiah 20:1-6 NLT:
1 In the year when King Sargon of Assyria captured the Philistine city of Ashdod,
2 the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, “Take off all your clothes, including your sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot.
3 Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia.
4 For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 How dismayed will be the Philistines, who counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt!
6 They will say, ‘If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? For we counted on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.’ ”
This oracle was probably revealed somewhat later than that of chapter 19, for it expands upon the prediction made in 19:4. At any rate, the exact year of the fulfillment of the prophecy is given. This was 711 B.C., when King Sargon sent Tartan, his “chief general,” to subdue the Philistine city of Ashdod. Azuri, king of Ashdod, was deposed. This prophecy of Egypt’s disgrace and subjugation came about forty years before the Assyrian Conquest. Severe chastening was due Egypt because she had pretended to serve as Israel’s deliverer and had made promises she could not keep, distracting the Hebrews from a wholehearted trust in God alone.[fn]
So we see that Ethiopia and Egypt, both enemies of Judah, will one day be worshipping their God, the God of the Israelites. We are told in the New Testament that one day every knee on earth will bow before the Lord God of Heaven.
Romans 14:11 NAS:
11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
Philippians 2:9-11 NAS:
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So it is not a question of whether or not people will bow before the Lord and acknowledge that He is the God of the universe, their Creator, and the only Redeemer. It is a question of when and under what circumstances people will bow. God gives us a choice, just as he gave Ethiopia a choice. If you recall in Isaiah 18:2, God, through the prophet Isaiah, told the Ethiopians (Cushites) to return home and not engage in an alliance with the Assyrians. In other words, he was telling them to either choose God or choose the ways of the world. They chose not to be on God’s side. So in the end, after God conquered them, they had to bow before Him
God offers people today a choice as well. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to take our punishment when He died on the cross. Then Christ in His deity and power overcame the grave and came back to life again. He walked the earth and ministered to people for 40 days and then ascended into Heaven where He now lives and intercedes on our behalf with God the Father. He offers the gift of eternal life to us, but the choice is ours. Eternal life is not just living forever in Heaven, though that is part of it.
Eternal life also refers to a quality of life we have right here on earth when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the abundant life of peace and joy and love, among other things.
But the choice is ours. Do we accept Christ as Lord of our lives now, willingly and joyfully? Or will we one day in shame and remorse bow our knees to Him, inwardly feeling regret and a sense of “if only.” May we all say with the Psalmist,
Psalm 95:6- NIV:
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts.
[fn] Pfeiffer, C. F. 1962. The Wycliffe Bible commentary : Old Testament . Moody Press: Chicago
