“This message came to me concerning Egypt: Look! The Lord is advancing against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud. The idols of Egypt tremble. The hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear. “I will make Egyptian fight against Egyptian— brother against brother, neighbour against neighbour, city against city, province against province.
The waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields. The riverbed will be parched and dry. The canals of the Nile will dry up, and the streams of Egypt will stink with rotting reeds and rushes.
There will be no flax for the harvesters, no thread for the weavers. They will be in despair, and all the workers will be sick at heart.”
Isaiah 19:1-2, 5-6, 9-10 NLT
The woes spoken against Ethiopia are now behind us, as Isaiah moved on to a prophecy against Egypt. Isaiah wrote this around 710 BC, against the backdrop of the Assyrian period, and it portrays a country at war with itself, eventually conquered by a foreign power. But we remember that Egypt was a superpower in that region, famous for its military, wealth, wisdom, religion, and the Nile. We read in Genesis 47:27 about the time of Joseph and his family, “Meanwhile, the people of Israel settled in the region of Goshen in Egypt. There they acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly”. Genesis ends with the death of Joseph, and the Israelites continue to live in Egypt. But the Egyptian nation was founded on idolatry and spiritualism, and in their distress, we read, “… They will plead with their idols for wisdom and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead” (Isaiah 19:3). But to no avail, because the Lord advanced against them, and everything within their country started to shake. Their religious system was going to become ineffective, and social cohesion would start to break down. Worse, the Nile, their source of much wealth, would dry up. Sources of livelihood, such as fishing and weaving, would be severely affected. Overall, the prophecy foretold that God would shake their religion (idols) and their social unity, bringing civil war to their economy, government and impacting their security.
There may come a time when we pilgrims may experience times of shaking, in our own lives or the lives of our families. Sometimes God lovingly removes the things we depend on, things that displace our dependence on Him. Perhaps we might be made redundant, and financial security lost with it. Perhaps something happens that affects our relationships or reputation. Even our health may deteriorate. But in it all, is God shaking us out of our complacency, allowing things to happen to grab our attention and turn us back to Him? There is only one “rock” that cannot be shaken, and that is God Himself. Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety”.
But returning to the prophecy about the Nile, it was Egypt’s life. Without it, crops would fail, affecting not just farmers but also the industries that depend on them for their very survival. As a result, businesses would collapse, bringing destitution and hardship. In fact, Egypt’s economy would collapse. Such a picture emphasises that anything we depend on more than God is also in danger of becoming like a “dried-up river”. We know the advice given by the Psalmist in the first Psalm. He speaks about those who “… delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night” (Psalm 1:2). But here’s the thing, the next verse reads, “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do”. The Psalm continues with the opposite case, condemning wicked people, who are compared with “worthless chaff, scattered by the wind”. People who are plugged into the things of God are fruitful and spiritually productive. Those who aren’t will end up spiritually withered and will eventually experience a spiritual death.
So, where do people go to find a water source that will never run dry? Of course, we are not referring to a physical water supply because the one that matters is the one Jesus referred to in John 4:13-14. Jesus was having a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well near the village of Sychar. They were discussing how Jesus would obtain a drink from the well without a rope and bucket. But then, “Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life’”. Jesus provides an endless supply of “living water” that will spiritually refresh those who believe in Him, now and for eternity.
Not long after, Jesus was in the Temple when He said something that was foundational for pilgrims everywhere. We read, “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory)” (John 7:37-39). Sadly, many Christians have neglected Jesus’ invitation to drink of His living water, and struggle through their Chriatian lives, dry and parched. If we turn to the last chapter in the Bible, we will find a verse that once again emphasises the importance of that “living water”. We read, “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). And we can find references in other parts of the Bible to this “living water”. The message is clear and uncompromising. The world offers streams and rivers that will eventually dry up. Only Jesus can offer “living water” that lasts forever, the “water” that refreshed His people.
Dear Lord Jesus. We look to You this morning for a fresh supply of the living water we need today. Only You can supply it, and only You can refresh us. There is no limit to Your supply, so please help us to share it with those around us, as they live their lives with dry and shrivelled spirits. In Your name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 