Egypt! Egypt! - A Meditation for Today on Isaiah 19:24-25 Poem by John Piper

O Egypt, Egypt, do you not
Recall, dear friend — have you forgot —
That twice you were the savior of
My only Son — though not from love?

You fed him in the famine. Then
You took him for a slave. And when
I rescued him, I made you know
My name, my power, and how much woe
Will fall on those who mock my Son.

And when he came again, the One
That Herod would destroy, he fled
Once more to his dear friend who fed
Him once before. And there you hid
And suckled him like Moses, 'mid
The rushes and the riches of
The regal court — though not from love.
Two years you gave him shield and bread
Until his enemies were dead
And it was safe for him to make
His way back home, and for your sake
To die.
O Egypt, Egypt, will
You now destroy his house, and kill
His people, cut his seamless word
To pieces, lest the truth be heard —
The sweetest news that he, or I,
Could ever speak?
And so I cry
Aloud again: O Egypt, Hear
This tender word. It is as near
To you as hope. Did not your own
Isaiah tenderly make known
My heart? O Listen, Egypt! "In
That day, in spite of all your sin,
Together, you and Israel,
And vast Assyria, will dwell
As one — the kingdom of my Son —
And in that day, with joy, I'll stun
The world, and call you mine. And you
Will be my people. Yes, the true
And happy bride of Christ, with all
Your meek and broken foes who call
On his great name. And in the end,
You'll know why I have called you friend."