Isaiah 14:28-32 – God and His Kingdom, our sure place of security

The Bible has much to say of Israel’s dealings with the Philistines, the people from Philistia. Who were the Philistines and where did they come from? Deuteronomy 2:23, Jeremiah 47:7 and Amos 9:7 tell us that the Philistines hailed from Caphtor, which was believed to be Crete. Both the Philistines and the Israelites entered Canaan about the same time. Israel entered Canaan from the plain of Moab, whereas the Philistines came from the Mediterranean Sea. That was why the Philistines were also known as the people of the sea. Palestine took its name from the Philistines who had settled in the coastal plain of Palestine from Joppa all the way south to Gaza. We read about the Philistines during the time of the Judges and more during the reigns of Saul and David. In our reflections of 1 & 2 Samuel, we discovered that Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron were the five great cities of the Philistines.  Goliath, the giant whom David killed with a small smooth stone was a Philistine.

Our reflection today is on Isaiah 14:28-32. Here in these verses, God through Isaiah was sending a warning to Philistia. According to verse 28, the message Isaiah had for them came in the year that King Ahaz died. That would be around 725 B.C. The “rod” referred to in verse 29 was the king of Assyria who was troubling Judah. These verses suggest that he was also giving trouble to Philistia. He was likely to be Tiglath-Pileser who was Assyria’s king from 745-727 B.C. At his death, Philistia was seen here rejoicing. But Isaiah’s message here warned them not to rejoice so soon, for there was coming to a fiercer successor like a viper who would come and trouble the whole land. He would bring them into greater misery. However, whatever he would do, the poor and needy would not be the target. They would probably be spared. But his dealings with the rest would be thorough and there would be no survivor. Isaiah could well be referring to the people of Israel when he talked about “the poor and needy.” Whereas in the dealings of the king of Assyria, he would take away the root of Philistia. His dealing would be so thorough until Philistia would have no survivor. Hence, the words of verse 31:

  “Wail, O gate; cry, O city;

Melt away, O Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes from the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks.”

 

While the nation would be dealt with, Isaiah in verse 32 provides the answer to the question that the nation would be asking. Where to find security? The answer Isaiah gave was specific. It could only be found in Zion, the only place of security founded by God. Zion represents God and His Kingdom. There God’s people would find refuge and be secure and safe. Like Israel, our security can never be found in people, positions, or possession. It can only be found in our trust in God. He is the answer to all who are seeking a place of security. It is true: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” In Him, we will always find shelter from the assaults of our unkind world. In our uncertain world, the only place of absolute certainty is in God and in His Kingdom. Don’t run helter-skelter but stay resting in the Lord!