“And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing. And, they will return to the Lord, and He will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.”
– Isaiah 19:22
Isaiah 19:22 is such an interesting verse. You see these words back-to-back, “Striking and healing.” God striking Egypt. He also heals Egypt, which causes Egypt to return to the Lord. And God hears their pleas for mercy and heals them.
Isaiah 19:22 Reminds Us There Are Consequences
I think about my own life. I think about times when I have been walking in disobedience to God, turning from God, running from God, and there is a striking that God, in His mercy, brings; has brought in my life where He has disciplined me like a good father disciplining His children. He has shown me there are consequences to my sin, and He has caused me to feel those consequences, to realize those consequences; and in doing that, in striking in that way, He’s brought healing to me, He’s heard my pleas for mercy, as I’ve said, “Oh, God, forgive me for what I’ve done, forgive me for how I’ve run away from you,” and God in his mercy has heard my cry for forgiveness, and has brought healing to me.
This is where we’re reminded of the need for striking in the sense in our lives. We need God to discipline us in love for Him to show us when we are wondering from Him, running from Him, for Him to show us the consequences of sin, to show us the affects of sin in our lives in ways that are not pleasant. Like, striking, nobody wants to be struck in that sense, but God in His mercy does that so that we might be healed, so that we might repent, so that we might return to Him.
Isaiah 19:22 Reminds Us God’s Mercy Heals
Oh! When I start to wander from God, start to run from God I need, in a sense, some striking in my life to cause me to return back, not to run farther. I praise God for His mercy that, not only strikes, but then heals.
This Verse Leads Us to Thank God For His Mercy
I just want to lead us to pray. God, we thank you for this dual work. We’re not always quick to thank you for the striking work that we see here for your discipline in our lives, but we thank you.
And, I thank you. I trust others as we’re praying right now, those who are listening to this, because we think of times in our life, maybe we’re even there right now; where we have needed, or need right now your discipline, we need to be reminded of the consequences of sin, so we hate it, we run from it, and we return to you.
Isaiah 19:22 Leads Us to Ask God To Help Us Run Back To Him
God, when we wander please bring us back to you. When we start to run from you, even flirt with sin, God, may there be a striking in a sense in our lives. God, jolt us to see how serious sin is. Draw us back to you. We pray that as we return to you. And we would indeed find mercy waiting in you.
We praise you that you’re a God that strikes and heals who restores us, calls us to return to you, hears our pleas for mercy and saves us from sin.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
