Day 200: Egypt, Assyria, and Israel (2026)

Father Mike Schmitz opens day 200 of The Bible in a Year by reading from Isaiah 18–20, Nahum 1–2, and Proverbs 10. The episode’s central tension comes from two passages that seem to contradict each other: one where God promises to bless Israel’s worst enemies, and another where He promises to destroy them. Father Mike uses this tension to explore how God’s judgment and mercy work together, and how the cycle of violence that dominates human history is not the final word.

The impossible blessing

The most striking moment in the day’s reading comes at the end of Isaiah 19, where God says of Egypt and Assyria—two empires that had enslaved and terrorized Israel—“Blessed be Egypt, my people, and Assyria, the work of my hands, and Israel, my heritage.” Father Mike calls this “virtually impossible” on its face. Egypt was the enslaver; Assyria was the brutal empire known for its horrific treatment of captives. Yet God calls both of them His people and the work of His hands, placing them alongside Israel as His heritage.