The Ancient Hatred

October 14

“Thus says the Lord God:
'Because the Philistines dealt vengefully
and took vengeance with a spiteful heart,
to destroy BECAUSE OF THE OLD HATRED,
therefore thus says the Lord God:
'I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines,
and I will cut off the Cherethites
and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.
I will execute great vengeance
on them with furious rebukes,
and they shall know that I am the Lord,
when I lay my vengeance upon them.'”
Ezekiel 25:14-17

The land of Gaza, where hatred against Israel is taking place daily, was once occupied by the Philistines, a hateful and violent people who never ceased to attack Israel. In Hebrew the p and the ph are the same letter, so the word "Philistine" is the same word as "Palestine." The Cherethites were a tribe of the Philistines whose name means "executioners." How fitting! What we are looking at today is a fulfillment of Ezekiel 25 recorded above.

"The old hatred" is a loaded phrase. It shows us that this conflict is rooted in ancient times. It's the same spirit behind it, the spirit behind Ishmael's hatred of Jacob, the spirit that hates the God of Israel. It's the ancient spirit behind all the hatred and violence against the Jews - in Israel and against the Jewish people everywhere.

In this passage, note the words "and they shall know that I am the Lord..." This gives us motivation to pray for the people in Israel that through the coming "vengeance" of the Lord upon them many would come to know that he IS the Lord.

Pray for them! Pray that many will receive the revelation of the salvation of the Lord and turn to him and be saved.

How merciful is the Lord, even in judgment.