Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20051026.htm

JEREMIAH: STAYING UPRIGHT AMIDST EVIL PRESSURES
Part XIII: Prophecies Against The Sinful Nations Around Judah
B. Prophecy Against Philistia For Abusing Judah And Swaying Her To Disobey God
(Jeremiah 47:1-7 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. Our relationship to other people is important to the Lord. Indeed, the whole Law according to Jesus hung on two issues, that we love God with our whole being and our neighbors as ourselves, Matthew 22:36-40.
    2. As motivation to be careful how we relate to others, we view God's pronounced judgment against the Philistines that arose for their abuse of Judah and for influencing His people to rebel against Him:
  2. Prophecy Against Philistia For Abusing Judah And Swaying Her To Disobey God, Jer. 47:1-7 et al.
    1. The prophecy of God's coming judgment on the Philistines in Jeremiah 47:1-7 does not itself relate the REASONS God had in wanting to judge that nation. However, viewing other prophetic books and other sections of Jeremiah's prophecy, we note the errant relationship of the Philistines with God's people:
      1. Though Israel was to have destroyed the very vile Philistines, she failed to obey the Lord in doing so since she faithlessly feared the human advantage of Philistia's iron chariots, Judges 1:18-19.
      2. In time, Israel cooperated with these evil peoples and even adopted their false gods, Judges 2:1-2.
      3. Accordingly, God left the Canaanites in the land as "thorns" in Israel's side to vex her, Judges 2:3.
      4. In time, as a main group of the Canaanites, the Philistines badly abused the nation Israel (and Judah):
        1. The Philistines came to oppress God's people, a key reason why God raised up Samson, Jud. 13:5b.
        2. We know from the prophecy of Ezekiel 25:15-16 that the Philistines expressed constant hatred and an unrighteous vengeance against God's people. [We also know from the Amos 1:6-8 prophecy that the Philistines captured and sold groups of various peoples into brutal slavery to the Edomites for financial profit.]
      5. Besides such mistreatment, the Philistines influenced Israel to rebel against the Lord:
        1. According to Isaiah 14:28-32, the Philistines had sent messengers to Judah's king Hezekiah, encouraging him to join them in revolting against Assyria against the will of God not to join such Gentile nations of the lands, cf. Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Isa. 14:28-32; Deut. 7:2.
        2. Then, as the Philistines promoted Baal worship (2 Kings 1:2), they had come to influence the people of God toward brutish, evil idolatry as is repeatedly addressed in the book of Jeremiah: (a) Judah's prophets came to prophecy in the name of Baal, Jer. 2:8; (b) the people of Judah burned incense to Baal in their worship, Jer. 7:9; (c) going further, God's people had set up altars in the streets of Jerusalem to worship Baal, Jer. 11:13; (d) Judah had come to take oaths in the name of Baal versus taking their oaths in God's name , Jer. 12:16, and (e) God's people had even sacrificed their children to Baal in the form of burnt offerings, Jer. 19:5; 32:35.
    2. Thus, God predicted judgment upon the Philistines in the form equally fitting abuse by the Babylonians:
      1. In borrowing imagery from the Philistine belief in Asherah, the false goddess of the sea, God pledged to send Babylon as an overflowing flood, Jer. 47:1-2; J. D. Douglas, ed., New Bible Dic., 1973, p. 95.
      2. Then, in superiority to the iron chariots of the Philistines that had caused the people of Israel to stumble in unbelief against driving them out of Canaan (cf. Judges 1:18-19), and in judgment for impacting Judah to follow their belief of child sacrifice to Baal, God would cause Philistine fathers to be so terrorized by the stamping of the hoofs and rushing chariots of their Babylonian invaders that they would not care for their helpless children as they fled for their own lives, Jeremiah 47:3.
      3. Next, opposite their efforts to join in league with other nations like the Philistines had tried to get Hezekiah to join them against Assyria, God would destroy Philistia's allies, Tyre and Sidon, 47:4.
      4. The relentlessness of God's judgment is pictured in Jer. 47:5-7, a relentlessness that arises from His pent-up anger at the relentless idolatrous influence of Philistia [in ritually gashing herself, cf. Jer. 47:5b with 1 Kings 18:28] in her relentless enmity against His people [and others].
Lesson: For its spiteful mistreatment of Israel and its influencing her to rebel against God in idolatry (esp. the sacrifice of children) and errant unions with other nations, God fittingly judged Philistia.

Application: May we treat others well and influence them to respect and heed God for His blessing.