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Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Jeremiah 47

The Philistines were great enemies of the Israelites for centuries. Those who are familiar with the Bible may remember the exploits of Samson against this coastal people, and of course everyone has heard of Goliath, who was brought down by young David with a stone and a sling. The words of Jeremiah against the Philistines came centuries after these well-known events. The Philistines came to the Mediterranean coast of the Promised Land from Crete. They are recognized here and in other places as the Caphtorim, who settled south of Tyre and Sidon, and who were regularly battling the Israelites for land and power.

At times their contest became explicitly religious. This was surely the case in David’s contest with Goliath who came against his large adversary “in the name of the Lord of hosts.” At one point in the history of Israel, the Ark of the Covenant was lost to the Philistines, the news of which led to the death of Eli the priest. It turned out that the ark was not very useful to the Philistines. They set it up in a pagan temple next to their god Dagon, and that old idol kept on falling down on his face. They finally had to send the ark back to the Israelites with an offering of gold in order to stop all the troubles that it was causing in the cities of the Philistines. The point is that the contest with this enemy was a contest between gods, which was often the case in the judgments that the Lord announced against foreign lands.

Here Jeremiah announces that the Philistines will face trouble coming from the north. Like flood waters that rise up out of nowhere, the cities of the Philistines will face an overwhelming presence. The presence of some invading army will fill the land. Jeremiah speaks of the fear of the inhabitants as they hear the sound of approaching stallions and chariots. It is normal for fathers to think about protecting their children, but this sound of impending doom will be so frightening that the fathers of Philistia will not be able to do what one might expect. They will seem to have no strength as fear takes over their land, and they will be destroyed.

They might have expected some help from their international alliances. But what if the northern power of the Phoenicians in Tyre and Sidon has already been neutralized, or what if they are prevented from helping any allies? There will be no help for the Philistines from any foreign power on that day. They once had a great military advantage over their enemies because of their technology. They were able to keep their neighbors from having blacksmiths, so that their foes could not make swords or spears. That day is now over, and they are facing their own destruction by some foreign power.

How has this happened? How are we to make sense of the affairs of these nations? Is it simply a matter of relative technological advantages and manpower? Is it all about birthrates or education? Is there some way to explain everything based on what we can see or measure? We are not permitted to settle upon any man-centered solution. Nor are we allowed to point to any issues of natural resources or location or anything in all of creation to explain what happens here. The reason that we are not allowed to make those kinds of things the ultimate issue is that Jeremiah tells us what happened. It is not about men or things. It is all about the Lord.

It is the Lord who we are told is destroying the Philistines. It is the Lord who is able to raise up a foreign power against them at a given point in their history. They can come into the Philistine cities of Gaza or Ashkelon any time that God says they can. Fear can do strange things to even a strong people. When everyone hears the rumble of approaching hoof beats, will they have courage or panic. God is the Lord of the bodies and souls of men. On many occasions He is said to have brought about the destruction of an army based on the movement of fear in their hearts alone. He does not need to strip them of their weapons or their wise men in order to defeat them. He can bring about their speedy demise simply through fear.

Any nation lasts as long as God wills. They exist for His good pleasure. The contest between the Lord and false gods may be interesting to watch. Pagan people have been known to make themselves bleed in order to please their gods. This will not stop the sword of the Lord coming against their land. If the time for their destruction has come, no incantations, or rituals of blood-letting will hold Him back.

The sword of the Lord is a frightening thing. In our sin we have deserved His righteous wrath. No punishment is too severe against the rebels who claim to know God’s love and who continue in sin. What is so amazing about the God of Israel is that when the sword of His own justice was coming upon His beloved covenant people, He came in the person of His Son and stood in the way. This is our God. He does not send us out to cut ourselves in order to somehow please Him. He came and received the mortal wound for us, so that we might live.

There is no hope for Philistines, and there is no eternal security that comes from our citizenship in any earthly land. It is imperative for us to be found in Immanuel’s land through faith in the God-Man Jesus Christ. He has gone forth in our place to take the sword of God’s punishment, and has defeated death for us through His own death on the cross. Our hope is in Him alone.

posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM

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