The Gaza Strip and Lebanon

The Nations Surrounding Israel February 15, 2017

The Gaza Strip and Lebanon

Ezekiel 25:15-17

Ezekiel 26:1-21 Page 1

Ezekiel has been addressing the coming judgments on nations which surround Israel starting in the area we now call the Golan Heights are a as well as northern Jordan.

He is working clockwise from there and we have discussed the pending judgments on the people and regions of Ammon, Moab and Edom.

As we examined what Ezekiel says, we also looked at other prophecies regarding these same peoples and regions and learned that some of the prophecy is fulfilled.

But we also have learned that there is yet judgment pending.

We also learned that there is a linkage between these peoples and regions referenced and a future event outlined in Psalms 83 and alluded to elsewhere in the Scriptures.

The modern equivalents of the Psalm 83 confederates are: tents of Edom (Palestinian Refugees and Southern Jordanians), Ishmaelites (Saudi Arabians), Moab (Palestinian Refugees and Central Jordanians), Hagrite (Egyptians), Gebal (Northern Lebanese), Ammon (Palestinian Refugees and Northern Jordanians), Amalek (Arabs South of Israel), Philistia (Palestinian Refugees and Hamas of the Gaza Strip), inhabitants of Tyre (Hezbollah and Southern Lebanese), Assyria (Syrians and perhaps Northern Iraqi’s), and the children of Lot (Moab and Ammon above).

Salus, Bill (2013-02-21). Isralestine: The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East [REVISED] (p. 20). Prophecy Depot Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Ezekiel 25:15–17

Thus says the Lord GOD, “Because the Philistines have acted in revenge and have taken vengeance with scorn of soul to destroy with everlasting enmity,” therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, even cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes; and they will know that I am the LORD when I lay My vengeance on them.” (NASB95)

Although the exact origin of the Philistines remains uncertain, there is no doubt that they were part of a great ethnic upheaval that occurred in the Aegean area in the final decades of the thirteenth century B.C. During this unsettled period, an unknown combination of social, political, and economic factors caused the displacement of various peoples on the Greek mainland and Aegean islands and in eastern Anatolia. The so-called Sea Peoples emerged from this hodgepodge of refugees, and their military advance across the eastern Mediterranean brought an end to the Hittite empire and the city-state of Ugarit. Ultimately, the Sea Peoples reached the coasts of Phoenicia, Palestine, and Egypt. In the eighth year of his reign (ca. 1190 B.C.), Ramesses III fought two groups of the Sea Peoples, the Tjekker and the Philistines. Though the battle was fought on land and sea, the Egyptians prevailed; a written and pictorial description of this episode was carved on the walls of Ramesses’ funerary temple at Medinet Habu. Following his victory, Ramesses settled the Philistines along the southern coast of Canaan, and this Aegean people claimed a new homeland—Philistia.

Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper’s Bible Dictionary (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 787–788.

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Hadrian’s reign witnessed the Bar Kokhba Revolt in Judea (132–135). When the revolt was finally crushed, all Jews were expelled from the province, which ceased to be named Judea and became Syria Palestina.

John F. Hall, “Hadrian,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 538.

And thus, when the city had been emptied of the Jewish nation and had suffered the total destruction of its ancient inhabitants, it was colonized by a different race, and the Roman city which subsequently arose changed its name and was called Ælia, in honor of the emperor Ælius Adrian.

Eusebius of Caesaria, “The Church History of Eusebius,” in Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert, vol. 1, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1890), 177.

The story is told that “the Roman Procurator in charge of the Judean-Israel territories was so angry at the Jews for revolting that he called for his historians and asked them who were the worst enemies of the Jews in their past history. The scribes said, ‘the Philistines.’ Thus, the Procurator declared that Land of Israel would from then forward be called ‘Philistia.’” As referenced before, Palaestina is the Latin translation of Philistia, from which today we derive the word Palestine.

Salus, Bill (2013-02-21). Isralestine: The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East [REVISED] (pp. 102-103). Prophecy Depot Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Jeremiah 47:1–7

That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh conquered Gaza. Thus says the LORD: “Behold, waters are going to rise from the north And become an overflowing torrent, And overflow the land and all its fullness, The city and those who live in it; And the men will cry out, And every inhabitant of the land will wail. Because of the noise of the galloping hoofs of his stallions, The tumult of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels, The fathers have not turned back for their children, Because of the limpness of their hands, On account of the day that is coming To destroy all the Philistines, To cut off from Tyre and Sidon Every ally that is left; For the LORD is going to destroy the Philistines, The remnant of the coastland of Caphtor. Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has been ruined. O remnant of their valley, How long will you gash yourself? Ah, sword of the LORD, How long will you not be quiet? Withdraw into your sheath; Be at rest and stay still. How can it be quiet, When the LORD has given it an order? Against Ashkelon and against the seacoast— There He has assigned it.” (NASB95)

Jeremiah wrote this prophecy against the Philistines just prior to Pharaoh Neco moving north from Egypt and attacking Gaza.

We do not get all of the info as to the why here, but in the Septuagint, some additional information regarding why judgment.

Jeremiah 29:5–7

“Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has been cast off, and the remnant of the Anakim. How long will you smite, O sword of the Lord? How long until you will be quiet? Return to your scabbard! Stop and be lifted up! How will it be quiet, since the Lord has commanded it to be awakened against Ashkelon and against the seashores, against those that remain?” (LES)

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Part of the reason for judgment is because they allowed the Anakim to be part of their people.

Who are the Anakim?

David fought one of them using a sling and a stone.

They are the descendants of the Nephilim and per instructions given to the people, they were to be destroyed.

Remember, this is not just about a people, but also the “true” powers behind the throne.

Joshua 13:1–5

Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed. This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites; from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorite; and the land of the Gebalite, and all of Lebanon, toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.” (NASB95)

It is interesting to see that the areas being discussed by Ezekiel and Jeremiah are also ones which were not subdued by Israel in the book of Joshua.

Isaiah provides us some of the overall battle plan:

Isaiah 11:14

“They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west; Together they will plunder the sons of the east; They will possess Edom and Moab, And the sons of Ammon will be subject to them.” (NASB95)

Psalm 83:1–15

O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still. For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.” For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; They have become a help to the children of Lot. Selah. Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon, Who were destroyed at En-dor, Who became as dung for the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.” O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind. Like fire that burns the forest And like a flame that sets the mountains on fire, So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm. (NASB95)

Ezekiel 25:15–17

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The Philistines resembled the Edomites and Ammonites in their disposition towards the covenant nation, the former in their thirst for revenge, the latter in their malicious rejoicing at Israel’s fall. For this reason they had already been classed by Isaiah (Isa. 11:14) with Edom, Moab, and Ammon as enemies, who would be successfully attacked and overcome by Israel, when the Lord had gathered it again from its dispersion. In the description of its sin towards Israel we have a combination of elements taken from the conduct of Edom and Ammon (vv. 12 and 6). They execute revenge with contempt in the, with the intention to destroy Israel; and this revenge springs from eternal, never-ending hostility. The Lord will cut off the whole of the people of the Philistines for this.

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 9 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 210.

The key term showing up here is “everlasting enmity.”

In the Hebrew, olam ebah

Olam - long time, duration (usually eternal, eternity, but not in a philosophical sense); future time; a long time back (dark age of prehistory)

George M. Landes, Building Your Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary: Learning Words by Frequency and Cognate, vol. 41, Resources for Biblical Study (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2001), 164.

Ebah - enmity, hostile mind.

Wilhelm Gesenius and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2003), 36.

Genesis 3:15

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” (NASB95)

This is the same everlasting enmity that is also reflected by what we were looking at last week regarding Edom.

As with Edom, who will ultimately disappear, so does Philistia.

In Numbers, we also see the same term for enmity used in relation to anticipated action from the avenger of blood, the goel haddam.

Numbers 35:20–21

“If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died, or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.” (NASB95)

Luke 4:17–21

And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (NASB95)

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Jesus was quoting from Isaiah 61 and He stopped at a specific point in the text as that is what His First Coming was all about.

His Second Coming will be something entirely different and is also in the text, He will come as the Goel Haddam.

Isaiah 61:1–3

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” (NASB95)