Jeremiah 47: Coping With the Philistines
Friday, November 28, 2025
Written on January 24 and posted today as a Favorite . . .
Jeremiah’s title is Prophet of the Nations and in chapters 46 to 51 we read the Oracles to the Nations. In this portion of his prophecy, Jeremiah describes the coming judgment of Yahweh. “Why Philistia is included at all in the list of enemies is not clear . . . What is certain is that the attack ultimately comes from warrior YHWH . . . The poem provides no clear reason for the attack, but it ends with ‘the song of the sword’.” In a poignant personification of YHWH’s weapon, an unidentified speaker begs the sword to be still but recognizes that the sword is unable to countermand YHWH’s plans for it.” (Barton 523)
This commentary points out in the previous page that today we have an aversion to “the theological themes of vengeance, anger and retribution” (522); yet these images are meant to call Israel back to Yahweh, and to lay out a kind of case here in which God’s justice is seen for what it is, the natural playing out of the covenant conditions.
A few weeks ago we looked at Ezekiel’s song of the harvesting sword which held out a similar promise to the faithful: God’s justice is swift, God’s love is healing. Today the object of this “Justice Sword” is the Philistines, a tribe of people whose history is intertwined with that of the Hebrew tribes. More can be read about them at: http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/P/PHILISTINES/ Several weeks ago we read about the Philistines’ dilemma with the Ark of the Covenant which they had taken from the Jewish people (1 Samuel 6). They believed that once they had physical control of this “magic” box that they could manipulate God and have him wait on them. This, they found out, is not how God operates, and so they looked for a quick and clever way to return the Ark – the presence of God whom they did not understand.
Today we look at the prophecy Jeremiah pronounces for this Philistine people, and it is bleak. When we take in all that is predicted, we realize that there is only one way to interact with Philistines: We must call on God alone for guidance and protection, and as New Testament people we will want to intercede for the Philistines in our own lives. We will want to consider how the old covenant with Moses as mediator is fulfilled and superseded by the new covenant with Christ, the new mediator. And so we will want to ask Christ to redeem and heal the modern Philistines, and the many faithful that they injure. As we consider the implications of all of this for us today, let us pray . . .
Just and Merciful God, You know that we live side by side with those who do not revere you, and with those who believe they revere you when they do not. Help us to step away from our anxieties and fears when we come up against the Philistines in our lives. Teach us to take our large and small problems to you, and to trust in you alone to find the best solutions. Encourage us as we look for ways to be faithful to you. Help us to persevere as we place all hope in you alone. We ask this through Jesus Christ, the New Mediator of your eternal covenant with the faithful. Amen.
A re-post from November 3, 2011.
Image from: https://archaeology.org/issues/july-august-2022/features/levant-philistine-origins/
Barton, John, and John Muddiman. THE OXFORD BIBLE COMMENTARY. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2001. 522-523. Print.
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