Judgment of the nations (2) Philistine cities
Amos 1:6-8; 10/16/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
When we talk about the Philistines, we usually mention the five cities of the Philistines at the same time. They are Gaza,Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, and Gath, of which Gaza is the representative. Amos did not mention Gath, and Gath should have been annexed by the Assyrian Empire at this time. It seems that the annexation of small countries, small islands and small cities by big countries has existed since ancient times. Let’s look at the first point:
Repeatedly again
The original text says that the Philistines and the Damascus are the same repeatedly, saying that they are warned again and again. However, by the fourth time there was no more chance. First, persecute Isaac. Because of a famine, Isaac went to Gerar and lived there. Isaac was persecuted by the Philistines and retreated. Three wells were dug, and the first two were filled with soil by the Philistines. Here it is again and again, and the third time, there is no fourth time, plus the time of God has not come, as if the Antichrist is still showing off his power. How could Isaac not know about the persecution of the Philistines, only because God commanded him, saying: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. (Gen. 26:2)” So the Bible testified of him, saying: “So Isaac stayed in Gerar. (Gen. 26:6)” Gerar became the ironclad evidence of the persecution of the patriarchs of the elect.
Second, trapped and killed Samson. Yes, God’s people have times of weakness, and spiritual leaders have times of stumble and sin. Samson fell in love with Delilah’s beauty and was eventually betrayed by the woman he loved. We may look at Samson more personally than from the persecution of Israel by the Philistines as a whole. When God’s servants sin, God himself disciplines them. Why do you, the Philistines, come in and seduce the servant of God to fall and kill him? God will take away Samson’s power because Samson betrayed his secret that the Nazarites were not allowed to shave his head, and will restore his power because of Samson’s prayer of repentance! Pastor Wang Mingdao was weakened by fear and wrote a letter of repentance. But God is his God, and he turned back to the gloomy prison to bear the sins he had committed. Who dares to judge him?
Finally, against the kingdom. The Philistines have been the enemies of Israel since the book of Judges. When Samuel anointed King Saul, God promised: “he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 9:16)” When Goliath challenged the Israelites, David asked: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?(1 Samuel 17:26)” David had the valour of Samson to kill lions and bears, fighting with only five smooth stones in the stream and a sling in his hand. Everyone knows the ending, David defeated Goliath. When it came to the time of Amos and the southern kingdom of Uzziah was king, the Philistines still made Israel their enemies. In the end, the Philistines disappeared into the long river of history and never appeared again. Let’s look at the second point:
The history and destiny of Gaza
Gaza has always been a frontier throughout history, and it always ends at Gaza! God said that she had sinned again and again, who did this Gaza offend? First, from the descendants of Ham. If we trace the origin of Gaza, we can find some roots in the descendants after Noah in Genesis: “and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha. (Gen. 10:19)” This Canaan was Ham’s youngest son, and he was also a poor child who was implicated and cursed by his father. The Bible does not introduce the life situation in Canaan, but from verse 19, it is not a good place to be in the company of Canaan. People are divided into groups and things are gathered in groups. From this, we can also see that the spiritual roots of Gaza are not pleasing to God!
Second, live in a land of fire and water. If the Philistines have long since disappeared, there is no trace of them. Then, Gaza has become a witness to history. She is about 50 miles west-south of Jerusalem and just three miles from the Mediterranean Sea. Since she was on the coastal highway of the Philistines, the armies of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece and Rome passed through it in ancient times. In this way, Gaza has become a ravaged land when the empires of the past dynasties passed by. It’s a bit like today’s Ukraine, where Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Putin and other empires fought wars on the Dnieper River in Ukraine. In 332 B.C., Alexander the Great captured Gaza, killed all the men, and sold the women and children into slavery. How appalling it was.
Finally, entanglement with God’s elect. Gaza witnessed the entanglement between the original inhabitants of the Promised Land and God’s elect. The relationship between Gaza and God’s chosen people began when Joshua led his troops into Canaan to conquer the city and plunder the land,dividing the land among the tribes. According to Joshua’s land allocation plan, Gaza and other lands were allocated to the tribe of Judah: “Ashdod, its surrounding settlements and villages; and Gaza, its settlements and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. (Joshua 15:47)” However, by the time of Joshua’s old age, Gaza and four of the five Philistine cities were considered unrecovered territories (Joshua 13:3). By the time of the record in Judges 1, the tribe of Judah should have acquired the land. Of course, Gaza remains a historical witness that has been entangled with the Israelites to this day. Let’s look at the third point:
The Philistines will perish
The Philistines seem to be a tragedy, coming and going without a trace. It seems that their appearance is to do sparring, to do sparring for the Israelis. It may seem cruel to say that, but here’s what the Bible says: “till the last of the Philistines are dead, says the Sovereign Lord.” First, the origin of the Philistines. From an archaeological point of view, the Philistines can find their traces on the coast of the Aegean Sea in Greece. From a historical point of view, between 1180 and 1150 BC, we can find traces of the Philistines in the documents of Ramses III of the twentieth dynasty of Egypt. It may also be at this stage in history that the Philistines came to live in Canaan from Egypt. Frankly, there is not much information about them and the evidence is not enough. It is difficult to have a complete chain of evidence to prove, but at least it can be said that the Philistines were not native to Canaan. This is important in the humanistic argument that they are foreigners like the Israelites.
Second, the history of the Philistines. The Philistines had a very good relationship with the patriarch Abraham, and they had made a covenant at Beersheba. Abraham also lived in the land of the Philistines and bought a piece of land as a burial place for the next four generations of ancestors. According to the Talmud (The Talmud, Chullin 60b), there are two completely different kinds of Philistines. Since the book of Judges, the Philistines have been enemies of God’s chosen people. These later Philistines were seamen from Caphtor (Crete or Crete) who invaded the Philistines.
Finally, the ending of the Philistines. I believe the cause of the Philistines’ ultimate demise was their idolatry. The Philistines worshiped three false gods: Ashtoroth, Dagon, and Baalzebub. Among them, Dagon, was the chief god of the Philistines. The fifth chapter of 1 Samuel records the story of the encounter between the Ark of God and Dagon the Philistine: “Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. (1 Samuel 5:2)” It turned out, “ there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. (1 Samuel 5:4)” Most importantly, of course, all the Philistines will perish, says the Lord.
Conclusion
Well, dear brothers and sisters, God’s judgment on the Philistines was due to their relationship with God’s elect, their own historical reasons, and even closely related to their geographical position. But as the Bible says, “says the Sovereign Lord.”
Let us pray……
Amos 1:6-8
6 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not relent. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom,
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against Ekron, till the last of the Philistines are dead,” says the Sovereign Lord.
