Isaiah 19:1-10: a reflection

1The burden of Egypt. “Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt will melt within it. 2I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they will fight everyone against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3The spirit of the Egyptians will fail within them. I will destroy their counsel. They will seek the idols, the charmers, those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards. 4I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord. A fierce king will rule over them,” says the Lord, GOD of Armies. 5The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry. 6The rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away. 7The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more. 8The fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish. 9Moreover those who work in combed flax, and those who weave white cloth, will be confounded. 10The pillars will be broken in pieces. All those who work for hire will be grieved in soul.

As Isaiah pronounces judgment on Egypt, he names the collapse of the very things Egypt most relied on: its idols, its wisdom, and even the Nile, the great river that was the source of all its life. The waters will fail from the sea, he says, and the river will be wasted and become dry. Egypt had depended utterly on the Nile; it seemed the most reliable thing in the world, the unfailing source of its prosperity. Yet even the Nile could fail. Everything Egypt trusted for security, its idols, its counselors, its river, is shown to be unable to hold. This exposes a sobering truth: even the most reliable-seeming sources of our security are not ultimate, and can fail. What seems most dependable, most sure, most unfailing, is not God, and can give way. Only God is truly sure; every other source of security, however dependable it seems, can fail.

Notice what fails in Egypt: even the Nile, the most dependable-seeming source of all. Egypt trusted its idols, its wisdom, and above all its river, which seemed as reliable as anything could be, the unfailing source of its life and wealth. Yet the prophet declares even the Nile would fail, would dry up. Nothing Egypt relied on could finally hold. This is sobering, for we too can rest our security on things that seem utterly dependable, sources we cannot imagine failing; but even the most reliable-seeming of them is not ultimate. What seems as sure as the Nile can still give way. Only God is truly unfailing; every other source of security, however dependable it appears, can fail us. To rest our ultimate security on anything but God, however reliable it seems, is to build on what can fail. The most dependable-seeming thing is not God, and is not finally sure. Only God is the security that cannot fail.

That is worth taking to heart, for even our most dependable-seeming sources of security can fail; only God is truly sure. We can rest our security on things that seem utterly reliable, sources we cannot imagine failing, as Egypt trusted the Nile; but even the Nile could fail, and so can whatever we most depend on. The most dependable-seeming source of our security is not ultimate and can give way. Only God is truly unfailing. Do not rest your ultimate security on even the most dependable-seeming thing; only God is truly sure, as the failing of Egypt's Nile shows. Rest your ultimate security on God alone, who is truly unfailing, rather than on even the most dependable-seeming sources, remembering that Egypt trusted the Nile as its unfailing life and yet the prophet declared even the river would dry up; for whatever we most depend on for security, however reliable it seems, is not ultimate and can fail us, and only God is the security that cannot give way, so that to rest on him rather than on even our surest-seeming supports is wisdom.

Lord, as Isaiah pronounces judgment on Egypt, he names the collapse of the very things Egypt most relied on: its idols, its wisdom, and even the Nile, the great river that was the source of all its life. The waters will fail from the sea, he says, and the river will be wasted and become dry. Egypt had depended utterly on the Nile; it seemed the most reliable thing in the world, the unfailing source of its prosperity. Yet even the Nile could fail. Everything Egypt trusted for security is shown to be unable to hold. This exposes a sobering truth: even the most reliable-seeming sources of my security are not ultimate, and can fail. Show me what fails in Egypt: even the Nile, the most dependable-seeming source of all. Egypt trusted its idols, its wisdom, and above all its river, which seemed as reliable as anything could be. Yet the prophet declares even the Nile would fail. Nothing Egypt relied on could finally hold. This is sobering, for I too can rest my security on things that seem utterly dependable, sources I cannot imagine failing; but even the most reliable-seeming of them is not ultimate. Only you are truly unfailing. Take that to my heart, for even my most dependable-seeming sources of security can fail; only you are truly sure. I can rest my security on things that seem utterly reliable, as Egypt trusted the Nile; but even the Nile could fail, and so can whatever I most depend on. Keep me from resting my ultimate security on even the most dependable-seeming thing; help me rest it on you alone, Lord, who are truly unfailing, as the failing of Egypt's Nile shows that whatever we most depend on can give way.