Isaiah 20
1 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
2 At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?
Common Questions About Isaiah 20
What symbolic act did Isaiah perform in chapter 20?
God had Isaiah walk stripped and barefoot for three years as a living sign against Egypt and Cush, foreshadowing how Assyria would lead their captives away in the same humiliating condition.
Why did God use such a dramatic, personal sign?
This costly, public demonstration underscored the seriousness of trusting Egypt or Cush for security rather than God, making the warning impossible to ignore or dismiss as mere words.
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Questions to Think About
- What costly obedience might God be asking of you to make a point clearly to others, as He asked of Isaiah?
- How does this chapter reinforce the book's repeated warning against trusting political alliances over God?
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