The Land of the Philistines

Being equipped for battle and having the heart of a warrior are not the same...

I have recently become fascinated with the role the Philistines play in the narrative of Scripture. So, for the next few weeks let's examine some of the lesser known Philistines stories in the Old Testament. My hope is that by reading these stories through the lens of The 7 Resolutions we can apply the truths we learn to our daily lives. 

One of the early mentions of the Philistines in the Bible is found in Exodus 13:17-18.

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.”

Sometimes God steers us away from the battles He wants us to fight, because He knows that we aren’t yet ready to fight them. I learned this in a deeply personal way in 2020 when Tabitha and I moved from Illinois to California. When the job I was expecting in Christian media fell through, I was stuck working at a gas station. I went from working in full time ministry after attending Bible college to stocking beer and selling scratch offs in the middle of the night. This was not where I wanted God to lead me.

I felt like I was equipped for battle, but instead God was leading me into the wilderness. Just like the Israelites, I was about to learn why.

“When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:10–12) 

Being equipped for battle and having the heart of a warrior are not the same.

Sometimes we find ourselves holding the shield of faith in one hand and the sword of the Spirit, the very word of the living God in the other, and still we refuse to fight the battles God has placed before us. Thank God that “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself"  (2 Timothy 2:13). Not only does God not lead the Israelites into battle with the Philistines because He knows they can't handle it, He drowns the armies of Pharaoh so that the whole world would know there’s nothing He cannot handle Himself.

God used my time working at the gas station to humble me. I had gone to Bible college and served in full time ministry, but I still didn’t have regular habits of studying Scripture or prayer. It turns out there’s a lot of time for prayer and Scripture memory when you’re stocking creamers and coffee lids at 2am. Much like the Israelites, I grumbled and complained the whole way through, but now I see how this season of life taught me how to both Join God and Redeem Time. I wouldn’t have been prepared for the battles He had in store for me without it. 

If you feel like you’re stuck in the wilderness, taking the long way to the battle God has for you, what do you think God wants you to learn along the way? 

Shawn

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