The Oracle Concerning Philistia
Isaiah 14:28-32
July 9, 2023
Tonight we move on to a new oracle or burden of the LORD.
This oracle deals with a very real and present issue in Isaiah’s day.
And just to set the stage, the nation of Judah
Has been called upon to GIVE AN ANSWER.
Look down to verse 32,
“How then will one answer the messengers of the nation?”
We know who “the nation” referred to here is.
• It is the nation of Philistia.
• We see that in verse 29, “Do not rejoice, O Philistia, all of you,”
So it is apparent to us that Philistia
Has sent a messenger to the nation of Judah
And the question from Isaiah is how they should answer.
We also see the TIMING of this messenger and the subsequent oracle.
(28) “In the year that King Ahaz died this oracle came:”
So there is a lot coming into focus now.
• The year is 715 B.C. (Ahaz died)
• The nation of the Philistines sent a messenger to Judah with some sort of proposition.
• This specific oracle is given to Judah that they might better understand how they should answer them.
SO WHAT DID THE MESSAGE SAY?
We aren’t specifically told here in the passage,
But we can recognize some of the reasons in Scripture
Why a nation would send a messenger to another nation.
FOR EXAMPLE:
To console after a fallen king
2 Samuel 10:1-3 “Now it happened afterwards that the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?”
Or even to spy out the land after a king has died,
As the Ammonites supposed there.
To demand surrender
Isaiah 37:8-11 “Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “He has come out to fight against you,” and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ‘Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared?”
Assyria sent a messenger to Judah to demand surrender.
To seek an economic agreement
1 Kings 5:1-6 “Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David. Then Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, “You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. “But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. “Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’ “Now therefore, command that they cut for me cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”
To seek an ally in war
2 Kings 3:7 “Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
Jehoram sent a messenger to Jehoshaphat seeking an ally in war.
Or perhaps even some other reason.
WHAT WE DO KNOW from reading this oracle is that
The messenger which came from Philistia
Must have come with a certain sense of ARROGANCE.
The very first words out of the prophets mouth to the Philistines are, “Do not rejoice, O Philistia”
We read it like, “Wipe that grin off your face”
WHY WERE THEY REJOICING?
“Because the rod that struck you is broken;”
So it would appear that the Philistines are now rejoicing
Because a threat they formerly faced has been stopped.
And the assumption is that Ahaz must have afflicted Philistia and they are now rejoicing that he has died.
Except, Ahaz did not afflict Philistia, it was the other way around.
2 Chronicles 28:16-18 “At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help. For again the Edomites had come and attacked Judah and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there.”
What is more, Isaiah has already shown us who “the rod” in his story is.
WHO IS GOD’S ROD IN THESE DAYS?
Assyria
Isaiah 10:5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,”
Assyria is God’s “rod” and God is using them
Not just to afflict Israel and Judah, but God has been using them
To bring judgment on many nations in that part of the world.
The reference to “the year that King Ahaz died” IS NOT a reference that since Ahaz is dead the Philistines are free from the one who struck them.
No, this is just a date reference.
It’s how they remembered dates in that day.
Ahaz died in 715 B.C.
Here is what was occurring in history at that time.
You recognize the Philistines by 5 major cities that are listed often in Scripture. (Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron)
These cities had all, in one way or another,
Become subject to the kingdom of Assyira.
The city of Ashdod
• Had become a vassal kingdom to Assyria
• And had been forced to pay tribute to Sargon, king of Assyria.
• But one of Ashdod’s puppet kings (Azuri) had refused to pay tribute to Assyria
• Had conspired to form an alliance against Assyria with his neighbors
• So Sargon (King of Assyria) replaced Azuri with his more compliant brother Ahi-miti.
• But the people of Ashdod resented the outside interference
• They overthrew Ahi-Miti and replaced him with a king of their own choosing named Yamani
• Yamani had been a leader among the insurgents who sought to break free from Assyria.
• Yamani tried to form an anti-Assyrian coalition and reached out to Judah, Edom, and Moab to join him in resisting Assyria.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sargon/essentials/countries/philistines/
The broken rod that Isaiah refers to is Assyria.
The Philistine city of Ashdod was feeling confident that
They had thrown off the Assyrian yoke from their neck.
• They had removed the Assyrian ruler…
• They had replaced him with one of their own…
• They were gathering allies against Assyria…
• They were feeling really good about their new found independence.
And they had sent messengers to Judah to join them
And together they would be free from the Assyrian threat.
Let’s TAKE A LITTLE INVENTORY of exactly what we have going on here
So that we might better understand the offer, the temptation,
And even what we are going to learn from such an oracle.
If you are not familiar with the Philistines you should be.
No nation shows up more in Scripture
As the perpetual enemy of Israel like the Philistines do.
Many of the famous Bible stories you remember contain the Philistines as the threat or the enemy of the story.
• In the book of Judges it was the Philistines who oppressed Israel when Samson received strength from the LORD to defend the nation.
• Also in the book of Judges it was the Philistines who stole the Ark of the Covenant and killed Eli’s sons Hophni and Phineas.
• When Israel finally got a king, it was the Philistines who opposed Saul sending out their champion Goliath to mock Saul’s army.
• When David became king, it was still the Philistines who were first to oppose David in battle.
They are sort of that ever-present bully to Israel.
Now, their affliction was by the sovereign hand of God.
Israel had been warned during the conquest.
Numbers 33:55 “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.”
And yet Israel had disobeyed and allowed pagan nations to remain
That did very much become thorns in their sides.
(Gives clarity to Paul’s thorn in the flesh doesn’t it?)
And God was now using bullies like the Philistines
For a couple of purposes in Israel’s life.
One purpose was to test the faithfulness of Israel.
Judges 3:1-4 “Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly). These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.”
These nations remained to serve as tests for Israel,
To see if they would trust God or not in the times of their affliction.
Another purpose was to discipline Israel for her lack of faithfulness.
Judges 13:1 “Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.”
The Philistines had been a constant enemy, a constant thorn,
A constant prick in the eyes of Judah.
• In fact, Uzziah had fought them in his days.
• And most recently Ahaz had fought them and even lost to them, as we read earlier.
The Philistines were never great allies.
They were always the bad guy.
But now, here they are, assuming victory over Assyria
And calling upon Israel to join them in the ranks
And be a team to hold off any further Assyrian advance.
It doesn’t take a genius to sense a bad offer here.
BUT ASSYRIA IS A REAL THREAT.
• It was just 7 years ago that Assyria conquered the northern kingdom.
• We’re only about 10 years away from Assyria invading Judah.
Assyria is a real problem and in the Philistines you at least have
A viable offer for protection and deliverance from the threat.
And this is the decision that Judah must make.
THEY MUST GIVE THEIR ANSWER.
And to help them with this dilemma
God gives the nation of Judah a little insight as to what is coming for the Philistines.
• Again, the Philistines never heard this.
• This was given to Judah.
• It was given for their benefit.
Here it is given so that they will know how to answer this messenger
Who is offering protection to Judah from Assyria.
So let’s look now at this oracle concerning Philistia.
God has a 3 fold announcement for the Philistines.
#1 THE PHILISTINES HAVE A FIGHT TO FACE
Isaiah 14:28-29
So it is 715 B.C. (“the year that King Ahaz died”)
• Ashdod has just thrown off the Assyrian yoke by rebelling against Sargon.
• Their new rebel King Yamani is on the throne
• Everyone in Ashdod is feeling pretty good about their current state of affairs.
Isaiah is about to throw a wet blanket on their enthusiasm.
(29) “Do not rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; For from the serpent’s root a viper will come out, And its fruit will be a flying serpent.”
Perhaps it would be better understood if we read it:
“Do not rejoice…because [you think] the rod that struck you is broken”
And that is really Isaiah’s message.
Assyria is not a broken rod like you assume.
“For from the serpent’s root a viper will come out, And its fruit will be a flying serpent.”
I hope you are already picking up on the point we’ve been making
About who THE REAL POWER behind these nations actually is.
• Ashdod, you may have been victorious over some earthly king,
• But that only represents how little you understand who the real power behind that kingdom is.
• You aren’t fighting a man or even a rod.
• The real power behind them is: “the serpent”, also called “a viper” and “a flying serpent” or dragon.
• The real power behind them is Satan.
And please understand this again.
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
You remember this right?
We talked about it last Sunday night.
• The real power behind Babylon is Satan.
• The real power behind Assyria is Satan.
This is why it’s so foolish to place so much stock
In things like human elections or human rulers.
So you vote a bad president or bad congressman out of office and you think you’ve won.
• You don’t think Satan has more people at his disposal?
There are people all over our country right now who think if we can just get Joe Biden out of office and re-elect Donald Trump that America will be saved.
• Even if Trump does good things, he’ll only last 4 years.
• You don’t think Satan has more waiting in the wings?
SUCH REJOICING IS SHORT-LIVED AND FOOLISH.
And that is the rejoicing of the Philistines here.
They think they’ve won.
Isaiah bursts the bubble by revealing that “from the serpent’s root a viper will come out, and its fruit will be a flying serpent.”
Look, I’m pretty scared of snakes.
• But if I ever run up against a snake that is flying toward me,
• It’s really gonna get bad.
In short, the fight isn’t over.
The victory and the freedom that the Philistines were enjoying
WAS FALSE SECURITY.
They’re about to face a new fight.
Assyria isn’t finished with them yet.
You have a fight to face
#2 THE PHILISTINES HAVE A FAMINE TO SUFFER
Isaiah 14:30
Famine was a really common way to conquer.
• Just surround a city
• Cut off their supply line
• And starve them out
And this is what is being pictured here.
In this verse you have a contrast.
You have
• The “most helpless” who “will eat”
• And “the needy” who “will lie down in security”
And they are contrasted with
• The Philistines who will die of famine.
So who are the “most helpless”; who are “the needy”?
It must be a reference to Judah.
In this scenario
• They are the needy ones who are vulnerable and helpless.
• They are the ones with no defense against an Assyrian invasion.
When the Philistines reached out to Judah
They did so with the understanding that “You need us.”
• You need our help.
• You need our protection.
• You need our supplies.
• You are poor and helpless without us.
We are offering you a real benefit here.
You just come join us and we’ll take care of you.
But Isaiah reveals that the 10-YEAR MODEL
That the Philistines were working off of HAD A FLAW in it.
While God is promising to feed Judah and to make Judah secure,
The Philistines will be destroyed with famine.
God says, “I will destroy your root with famine, And it will kill off your survivors.”
SO…
• The Philistines have knocked on the door and promised safety and provision
• But Isaiah reveals that their promise doesn’t carry as much weight as they might suggest.
• God announces that it is the Philistines who will soon starve to death, not Judah.
It is yet again a reminder of all that we learned in the first oracle.
THE WORLD WILL NOT LAST.
AND LISTEN,
That includes the world that temporarily seems to be on your side.
Just because they are at the present in agreement with you on a particular issue does not mean they are your salvation.
• Did you know there are going to be people who voted Republican in hell?
• Did you know there are going to be pro-life people in hell?
• Did you know there are going to be people who support the 2nd amendment and freedom of speech in hell?
• Did you know there are going to be patriotic people in hell?
There are people who may serve as allies with you in some issues
Who are still enemies of God because they have rejected Jesus Christ.
And while we can agree with their political stance
We in NO WAY LOOK TO THEM for our salvation.
Here recently our Supreme Court
Has made a couple of really good decisions that we agree with.
• They overturned Roe V. Wade – that is good.
• They ruled this past week to protect free speech by not forcing that website
designer to make a “gay marriage website” – that is good.
• They ruled that President Biden can’t forgive student debt – that is good.
We agree with their decisions on that
But does that mean that we now trust in the Supreme Court to save us?
Of course not!
• Is the Supreme Court going to be the protector of the church?
• Is the Supreme Court going to be the defender of the gospel?
• Is the Supreme Court going to keep our church from persecution?
Absolutely not and it would be foolish to trust in them.
The Supreme Court is a man-made and man operated entity.
They are just as fallen as the rest of us.
AND LISTEN.
The Supreme Court won’t last either.
• There is no mention of the Supreme Court in heaven.
• There is only one Lawgiver and Judge and that is Jesus Christ.
• Even the Supreme Court will one day be totally abolished when Christ comes
to destroy this world.
SO WHY WOULD YOU PLACE ALL YOUR HOPE THERE?
Well that is what ISAIAH is telling the nation of Judah.
• I realize that in this instance the Philistines and you are in agreement.
• And I realize that in this instance they are make you a nice offer.
But back up, wait a minute, and understand that
The Philistines are still part of this evil world system
And they won’t last either.
In fact in 711 B.C. (four years after this oracle).
One historian notes this:
“Sargon invaded Ashdod and ended its independence, turning it into an Assyrian province and the new southwestern boundary of the empire. Excavations in Ashdod, under Moshe Dothan, have brought to light evidence of these events: 3,000 skeletons, buried in a mass grave, are thought to be victims of the Assyrian conquests while three fragments of the basalt stele [a commemorative plague] which Sargon had erected at Ashdod in celebration of his victory were recovered in the acropolis of the city.”
(ibid)
The Philistines didn’t last 4 more years.
They were conquered and (my guess is) starved out in the invasion.
Isaiah said they wouldn’t last, and they didn’t.
They had a fight to face, a famine to suffer
#3 THE PHILISTINES HAVE A FIRE TO EXPERIENCE
Isaiah 14:31
Isaiah goes ONE STEP FURTHER
And shows Judah the coming Philistine response.
“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.”
God announced that destruction is coming.
Philistia would burn.
Even though they shared a common enemy with the people of God,
This does not exempt them from God’s coming judgment.
They, like the rest of the world, will not survive the coming judgment.
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.”’”
Amos 1:6-8 “Thus says the LORD, “For three transgressions of Gaza and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they deported an entire population To deliver it up to Edom. “So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza And it will consume her citadels. “I will also cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon; I will even unleash My power upon Ekron, And the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” Says the Lord GOD.”
NOW LET ME ASK YOU.
Is that the sort of people you want to be allies with?
• Is the Philistine boat a boat you want to sail in?
• It is also a sinking ship.
So the scene has become pretty clear to us.
• Assyria is a common enemy in the region.
• They have already annihilated the northern kingdom.
• They are a real threat to the southern kingdom.
• But your historic enemies the Philistines are offering you protection from them.
• And God has told you they won’t last.
DO YOU TAKE THEM UP ON THE OFFER?
So let’s now get to THE APPLICATION section.
(32) “How then will one answer the messengers of the nation?”
• Now that you know that the Philistines are not going to survive…
• Now that you know that they are going to starve…
• Now that you know that they are going to be burned with fire…
Do you still want to join forces with them?
And if you believe Isaiah then your answer is: NO!!!
And that is the answer Isaiah tells them to give.
Isaiah says, you need to write back to the Philistine king and tell him:
“that the LORD has founded Zion, And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.”
Tell the Philistines that
• They had no hand in our existence and they have no help in our survival.
• We’ll turn to the One who founded us and we will hide in the One who sustains
us.
SO THE MESSAGE OF THE PHILISTINE ORACLE IS CLEAR.
• Why would you trust in one who had no hand in establishing you?
• Why would you trust in one who has a record of persecuting you?
• Why would you trust in one who cannot protect you since they won’t even be able to protect themselves?
• Why would you trust in one whom God has promised to judge?
And any man with any sense would answer, “You wouldn’t”.
Well, church bring the application home.
• Do you suppose some political party will be your salvation?
• Do you suppose a Supreme Court will be your protection?
• Do you suppose some elected official will be the security of the church?
• Did Donald Trump found the church?
• Is the Supreme Court the protector of the church?
• Can the Supreme Court even protect itself from God’s coming judgment?
And the answer is – NO!!!
But who has founded the church?
Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
• Christ is the builder of the church.
• And it is Christ who promised that Hell won’t overpower it.
You want someone to trust with the survival of the church,
Then trust Christ.
Don’t run to some political entity.
Don’t put your hope or trust in some political party.
Don’t put your hope in a candidate or a court.
They aren’t why the church exists nor are they why it continues to exist.
We DON’T EVEN trust in church leaders
As being the security of the church.
Listen to Paul:
1 Corinthians 3:5-9 “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
• Did the church of Corinth exist because of Paul?
• Was Paul the one who secured their church?
No, God was doing that.
• Why would you trust in Paul or Apollos or Peter or any other man?
• God used those men, but it was God who built the church.
Ephesians 2:19-22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
God is the builder of the church.
And God is the protector of the church.
“the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.”
We don’t run to the courthouse for our protection,
We run to the builder of the church!
Jude 24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
God is the One we trust.
God is the One we look to.
I think of Abraham, fresh off of his victory over the Canaanite kings; having just rescued Lot and the others and having collected all the spoil.
He was approached by the king of Sodom (red flag!).
Genesis 14:21-24 “The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.” Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ “I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”
Abram placed all his security in God.
And God greatly rewarded Abram for this decision.
Genesis 15:1 “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”
And by the way, verse 6 of that chapter is where God saved Abram.
I think of the apostles being threatened and warned about talking any more about Jesus, but they didn’t run to earthly powers for their deliverance.
They went to church, and corporately appealed to God.
Acts 4:23-31 “When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? ‘THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’ “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
They didn’t run to some political party for help, they ran to God!
And certainly we think of our Lord Jesus, standing before Pilate.
Pilate offering Him help if Jesus would just ask for it.
John 19:10-11 “So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
We read:
Psalms 118:8-9 “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”
And TONIGHT we are finding HOW TRUE THAT IS.
If the world is a sinking ship, why would you trust the world for your deliverance?
• It may be a pretty ship…
• It may be an elaborate ship…
• It may be a powerful ship…
I know the Titanic says it is “unsinkable”
• But the Titanic is going down and it is a foolish thing to trust in it no matter what boasts or promises it makes.
Do not trust in the world, even if the world seems like it can help.
Place your trust in Christ and Christ alone.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”
That is God’s message here to Judah
In response to the Philistine offer of help.
“DON’T TAKE THEIR OFFER, THEY WON’T LAST.”
And they didn’t.
“How then will one answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD has founded Zion, And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.”
