20:1 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it.

Jehovah revealed a prophetic message to Isaiah during the reign of King Sargon of Assyria. Sargon was the king of Assyria from 722 to 705 B.C. This is the only place where the name of King Sargon is mentioned in the Bible. About a 100 years ago, skeptics claimed that he did not exist, because they could never find any references of him. They claimed that the Bible was inaccurate. However, archaeologists have now discovered that the Assyrian form of his name is Sharrukin. Since then, an abundance of historical materials concerning his reign have been found. Skeptics no longer use this argument.

Ashdod was one of the five Philistine cities. Assyria could not capture Egypt or Cush until Ashdod was captured.

20:2 At that time the Lord announced through Isaiah son of Amoz: “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments and barefoot. 

Since the Egyptians would become prisoners of war to Assyria, then Isaiah was to dress like a prisoner of war.

20:3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush, 

For the next three years, Isaiah was to become a walking parable to Israel as a warning not to become confederates with Egypt.

20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated.

Instead of Egypt being a source of help to Judah, Egypt would be humiliated by the Assyrians. King Esarhaddon, of Assyria fulfilled this prophecy in 671 B.C.

20:5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed.

Judah cannot place her trusts in two nations who would be so easily conquered and humiliated by the Assyrians.

20:6 At that time those who live on this coast will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’ ”

When Egypt and Cush are defeated by the Assyrians, then Judah has no one in which to place her trust except for Jehovah.