The Shadow of Egypt

“‘Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, ‘Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in THE SHADOW OF EGYPT!  Therefore, the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation” (Isaiah 30:1-3 NKJV).

A shadow is evidence of an eclipsing substance, but not the substance itself.  In the case of Egypt and the strength of Pharaoh—representing the enthroned ego of man—their substance is inherently unsubstantial (shadowy).  God clearly eclipses all, but many superimpose their rebellious will in the direct Son-light of God’s glory and feign to speak and thunder as only the Most High can.  Rebellious children—who spurn the counsel of God and walk down to Egypt for strength—are those children who talk to strangers and are lured away with the candy of deception.  An inflated and overblown ego (represented by the strength of Pharaoh) and trusting in man and his vain imagination (represented by trusting in the shadow of Egypt) must end in shame (down disfigurement) and humiliation (forced humility).

To be forcibly disfigured by a bowed head is shame and humiliation in perpetuity.  This is not God’s will for His people!  Sure, when sin is discovered and initially repented of, this is the proper posture until forgiveness is secured; but once secured, God is “My glory, and the One who lifts my head” (Psalm 3:3).  Trusting in Pharaoh and Egypt—and the shadows that they cast—are simply trusting in one’s own selfish and phantom mind; to do so automatically down disfigures the head and forces that person to walk in the humiliation of his unbridled carnality.   

Though shadows by nature are unsubstantial and only implies an intervening outline of mass, the glory of God which fills the entire cosmos, unimpeded, would simply be too intense to bear without shadow.  Though the shadow of the Almighty is substantial in itself, and infused with His glory, enough of that glory is hidden to not overwhelm His obedient children.  When it is declared that “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1), it is saying that there is a way to draw near to God—a Consuming Fire—without harm (via the blood of Jesus and the fire-proofing redemption process of Christ).

In summation, let me see if I can really make this simple.  In a nutshell, Egypt represents the ego or self as divine; Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is Egypt in full strength (the maker of all its laws and punishments).  THE SHADOW OF EGYPT means to seek shelter in the shade of intellect, will and imagination.  God is saying here, “Woe to the rebellious children … who devise plans (schemes in their own minds).”  Rather than dwell in the secret place of the Most High, rebellious children use witchcraft (drawing counsel from within their own minds), and thereby trust in the shadow of Egypt rather than the true shadow of the Almighty. 

It is not so much punishments attached to specific disobediences by fiat, but rather the effect of improper causes that must end in shame and humiliation.  In other words, THE SHADOW OF EGYPT is punishment in itself; its shade is deceptive and temporal.