The message of Ezekiel 25:15-17 was for Philistia located on slightly north of Joppa along the Mediterranean coast known as today’s Gaza strip. The people of Philistia were migrants from the Island of Crete and were known as Cherethites. Among David’s guards who fled with him from Absalom’s revolt, 2 Samuel 15:18 said there were some Cherethites.
Although there were some faithful Cherethites among the guards of David, by and large, they were Israel’s enemy. In these verses in Ezekiel, they were said to have acted
like the Edomites. Their hostility toward Judah was out of revenge. Apparently,
they had deep enmity towards God’s covenant people and were bent to destroy
them. God’s words to them were, “Behold, I will stretch out My hand against
the Philistines, even cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of
the seacoast.”
As God had promised, Philistia was
wiped out. They had vanished from the scene. What remains of Philistia are the
names of the cities such as Gath, Ashdod, and Ashkelon, which became modern Jewish
cities. Those who were impacted by the
judgment of God then knew that God had poured out His wrath on them. The impact
made them realize the judgment of the Lord
as He laid out His vengeance on them.
The Philistines had a history of troubling
God’s people. Much of what they had done could be traced to the time of King
Saul and King David and even during the time of King Hezekiah. In these verses
in Ezekiel on the judgment of Philistia, we learn that cruelty will always be
paid back in full. For the despair one brings upon others, there will be
consequences that shall not be averted till God’s purpose is reached. How we
treat others matters. There is a time for divine reckoning.
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