Isaiah 14:28-32--An Oracle Concerning Philistia

Isaiah 14:28-32
English Standard Version

An Oracle Concerning Philistia
28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle:

29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you,
    that the rod that struck you is broken,
for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder,
    and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.
30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze,
    and the needy lie down in safety;
but I will kill your root with famine,
    and your remnant it will slay.
31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city;
    melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes out of the north,
    and there is no straggler in his ranks.

32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation?
“The LORD has founded Zion,
    and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.”

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The Philistines have been an issue for the people of Israel since--well, before they were even a nation or a people.  They are listed in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 (specifically in verse 14) as the descendants of one of the sons of Ham, and that should tell us just about all we need to know about them.  They were not Canaanites, but they were a pagan people that inhabited land to the southwest of Canaan in the area that we would call Gaza today (Gaza was one of the main city-states of the nation of the Philistines).  From the time of the judges and the kings, Israel has been at war with the nation of Philistia (which is where the name "Palestine" originates from as it is an attempt to say that the Promised Land belongs to the Philistines and not to the people of Israel--now you may better understand the war with the people of Gaza is ancient and the Gazans will not be satisfied to co-exist alongside the Jewish people).

The LORD makes a prophetic judgment against them because they were proud that they had been spared from the same kind of judgment as their neighbors.  The LORD told them not to worry--just because they survived the first wave does not mean that there would not be another wave coming--the adder being spoken of is probably Greece and the flying serpent (the dragon) is probably a picture of Rome, as that is already a prophetic image of Rome used in the book of Daniel.  Together, God would use the Greeks and the Romans to subdue the powerful Philistines, and they would simply disappear from our history.  As far as we know, the people living in region calling themselves Palestinians have no actual ties to the Philistines and have no ancient claim to the land (and they would have no claim to the land of the Canaanites anyways).

The walled cities and fortification and strong armies of the Philistines could not save them from the famine and the swift attack that would come from the North (that is probably from Alexander the Great and his armies).  This kingdom was likened to a leopard in the book of Daniel because of the speed with which it took over the known world.  Yet, the LORD will preserve his people.  Though He would destroy and judge many other nations, the nation of Israel would rise again after being dispersed for a long time.  Historians cannot find any other example of an ancient people coming back to their ancient homeland after hundreds of years and their language and culture being preserved.  The LORD has preserved His covenant and His covenant people, and He still has a plan for them.