Ezekiel 25:15-17 Against Philistia
God now speaks against Philistia. Their sin is revenge with malice and on a LONG-TERM basis. They didn’t just have wars with Israel, they had blood feuds.
From as far back as Israel entering the promised land, they and the Philistines had conflicts. They were one of the nations that they did not drive out and utterly destroy, as God had told them to do. In the beginning of the book of Judges we are told that God left several peoples to test Israel with. The nation of the Philistines was one of those nations. He did so to know if they would keep the covenant forged with their fathers. Surprise! They didn’t. They started serving the gods of the other nations from the beginning.
Only one time I know of when there was ‘peace’ between anyone of Israel and the Philistine. That person was David while he was running from Saul. David ‘served’ the King of Gath for a time and hid out in his country. This is the same kingdom that had produced the giant Goliath, that David killed. David didn’t really stand against his own people and hand them over to the Philistines. He pretended to attack Israel and handed the conquest of others over to the king instead.
Apparently, sore toes have a LONG life. One for nursing a grudge with. God says that their treatment of Israel and Judah wasn’t simply and eye for an eye. Their ‘getting even’ included getting ‘on top’.
When I was dating my ex-husband, he wanted us to take martial arts lessons together. He had a friend who wanted to teach us taekwondo. I KNEW it was going to be a bad fit for me when he, the teacher, shared his philosophy with us early on. “If someone hits me, I leave a bruise on them. If they bruise me, I break a bone. If they break my bone, I put them in the hospital. If they put me in the hospital, I put them in the grave.” This meant he would come back after them too and would not stop until he achieved his goal of being ‘on top’. I believe this was the attitude Philistia had for Israel. They would do whatever it took to NEVER come out on the bad end of a conflict with Israel or Judah.
This attitude was one of vengeance and hate. Not just ‘tit for tat’ but a desire to see the other destroyed. Malice: the intention or desire to do evil; ill will.
God told Ezekiel that this attitude would be severely punished. “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. THEN they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them” (verse 17). God isn’t going to treat them the same as they were treating Israel and Judah, but He promised to come down HARD on them for their actions against Israel and Judah. Tor their attitude too!
Revenge NEVER settled ANYTHING. All it does is create more anger and fuel a vicious cycle of hate and hurt. LET GO AND LET GOD TAKE CARE OF IT. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense” (Deuteronomy 32:35a). Jesus calls us to love our brothers, to pray for our enemies, and to forgive those who have wronged us. THIS is the ONLY way to stop to vicious cycle of destruction.
Father God, thank You that YOU look out for ALL of Your children. I don’t need to worry about ‘getting even’ with someone. All I need to do is leave the situation in You hands. YOU will see to it that it is made right. That does NOT mean that it is always what I think is ‘right’ or even ‘fair’. But it is what YOU say is just. Help me to ALWAYS leave these kinds of things in Your hands. And help me do the acts that YOU would have me do to resolve it; NOT escalate it. (Whatever, whenever, and with whomever “it” may be.)
