When they cry out to the Lord because of their
oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them
(Isaiah 19:20).
These are not unfamiliar words in the Old Testament. Anyone
who’s been reading along recognizes the well worn theme of Israel’s rebellion
and restoration. In Deuteronomy 30 we read: When all these blessings and
curses . . . come on you and . . . you and your children return to the Lord
your God . . . then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have
compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered
you (vv. 1-3).
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God’s words to Solomon are recorded: If
my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek
my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I
will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
So these words of mercy for a people gone astray should not
be surprising to us. What might catch
us off guard, though, is that these words were not spoken over Israel; they
were not spoken over Judah; they are God’s promise to Egypt, and a reminder to
us that even though God is our God,
we do not have exclusive rights to him. All peoples on earth will be
blessed through you (Genesis
12:3).
TODAY’S MEDITATION
How do you feel when God
sheds his grace on those outside your circle? Ask God how you can make these
more than words: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in
order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7).
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