Chapter 18

1 God in care of his people will destroy the Ethiopians. 7 An access thereby shall grow unto the church.

1. The land shadowing with wings. Literally, “the land of winged crickets,” or “the land of whirring wings.” The Heb. silsal, “crickets” (not “shadowing”), is translated “locust” in Deut. 28:42 and “cymbals” in 2 Sam. 6:5; Ps. 150:5. Ethiopia (see on Gen. 10:6) is here referred to. A popular Egyptian emblem was a sun disk with outstretched wings. In this chapter and the next, Ethiopia and Egypt are grouped together. The Twenty-fifth Dynasty governed all Egypt from about 715 to 663 b.c., when Egypt was ruled by a line of “Ethiopian” (actually Nubian) kings (see Vol. II, pp. 52, 53). Taharka, who held the throne from about 690 to 664, was the Tirhakah (2 Kings 19:9) whose intervention in Judea Sennacherib expected to meet. As the “Ethiopians” swept up from what is now the Sudan and extended their rule over all Egypt, and as they threatened the hosts of Assyria, who were then invading Judea, those of the Israelites who were wont to place their trust in men and horses rather than in God, turned to Ethiopia for help. The Lord wanted His people to realize that their real defense was to be found in Him rather than in the forces of Egypt. After all, the Egyptians were only men, and wicked men at that; now it was their turn to have a woe pronounced upon them. It was better to trust under the wings of the Almighty (Ps. 17:8; 57:1; 91:4) than under the whirring wings of Egypt. Egypt might appear formidable, but her strength would fail when God pronounced His woe upon her (see on Isa. 19:1).

2. That sendeth ambassadors. These ambassadors seem to have been sent to invite Judah to join the Egyptians in an alliance against Assyria.

The sea. Here thought to refer to the Nile. Broad rivers such as the Nile and the Euphrates seem to have been referred to thus (see Isa. 19:5; Isa. 21:1; Nahum 3:8), as they are in modern Arabic. On the Nile, ships made of papyrus reeds woven and lashed together were used.

Go, ye swift messengers. The Hebrew of the remainder of v. 2 is uncertain, and many different suggestions have been made as to how it should be translated. However, Isaiah seems to be advising Ethiopia, or Egypt, that in sending ambassadors to Judah it sent them to a nation that was scattered and stricken as a result of war. The Assyrian invasions have devastated the country, overwhelming it as with a flood (see ch. 8:7, 8) and leaving it spoiled and trodden down. The Egyptians would gain nothing from the proposed alliance with Judah, nor, for that matter, would Egypt be able to help Judah.

3. All ye inhabitants. All peoples are to learn that the Lord is in control of the affairs of earth (see on Dan. 4:17, 37). It is God who ordains the affairs of nations. Figuratively speaking, it is He who lifts up a signal (see Isa. 5:26) on the mountaintops of earth, directing the nations as to what they may and may not do.

4. I will take my rest. Verse 4 presents a striking picture of the calm and unhurried way in which the Lord works out His will among the nations (see Ed 173). His eye is over everything, and His hand is in control. With calm deliberation He sends forth judgment or blessing, treating all peoples in accord with His infinite wisdom and justice. Nothing may happen without His knowledge; no judgment may fall without His permission. When the ripening grain is ready to harvest He sends forth His reapers to accomplish their mission.

5. Take away and cut down. Isaiah’s description of the work of the divine reapers continues (see Matt. 13:39; Rev. 14:14–20). The earth is a vast harvest field. When, in His infinite wisdom, the Lord sees that a nation is ripe for destruction He sends forth His reapers to cut it down (see Dan. 4:13–15; 5:25–31).

6. Left together unto the fowls. When the Lord has done His work and a nation has received its divine chastisement, it is as if the sprigs and branches have been cut off, to be ruthlessly scattered and left to the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the air.

7. Present be brought. Upon its destruction a nation is pictured as an offering, or “present,” unto the Lord. War would bring suffering, desolation, and woe. The nation of Judah would be stricken, scattered, trodden under foot, and spoiled by their enemies, but the final outcome would be a new nation that would recognize the Lord and serve Him.