Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. Song of Solomon 2:15
When Joshua had grown old, the LORD said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. “This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites… (Joshua 13:1, 2) Joshua 13
THE LORDS OF THE PHILISTINE – LIFE AND TIMES
The Lord, by a mighty hand, delivered the children of Israel – His people out of the land of Egypt. This was an act of love as we’re told later: “For God so love the world”. This love as we see did not end with Israel – the whole world was brought under it, after straying away without God. He gave us Jesus just as He provided a lamb for Abraham.
The story did not end in Egypt. The Israelites met face-to-face with powerful nations in the wilderness. They engaged in many fierce battles to possess what God had given them. The fact that God had given them Canaan did not rule out that they had to fight to possess it. Some battles they won, others they lost, which was not a factor of the size of the nation, but because sin was found in them.
One of the powerful nations the Israelites had to face was the Philistines. It was known to be ruled by five kings called lords. Part of the lands God showed Joshua that he has not conquered were lands belonging to the five lords of the Philistine: Gazathites, Ashdothites, Eskalonites, Gittites, and Ekronites. Many were the lands yet to be conquered, which translated to many battles ahead.
THE FIVE LORDS – A QUICK PROFILE
Come along, let’s x-ray these beastly lords of the Philistine.
For the Christian, the devil is ever-changing his strategy — same sin, different approach. What are his dimensions of combat? We would take our journey into the operations of five ancient warlords, who have subdued kingdoms, enslaved men and annihilated a great portion of the human race. Many have wondered how possible it is for five lords to rule one kingdom and still maintain unity and uniformity. It is worthy of note that these lords have a common family origin and share similar traits, hence the close resemblance. These war generals take no pity on anyone. They slay the great, small and all unguided men.
MEET THE LORDS
Self — The Deadly Companion
It’s no joke that this warrior clothed in anonymity makes the top of the list. Some call him the nameless one. They say he lives in shadows and thrives in darkness. He is not seen among the others. This is because Self is an insider – a mole who lives among the opponent. He gets in very early and at a tender age. He grows up and becomes one of them, patiently walking his way to the top. His power is in the fact that he knows too much and is vastly in control. While Self preaches the “gospel of our common good”, he bears the interest of no one except himself. He is the definition of “sheep in wolf's clothing”: an enemy within. Self is the initiator of all major attacks in the kingdom of God’s people; opens the door to his kinsmen and mostly the crack in the opponent’s defence.
Lust — The Flaming Seducer
The flaming warlord: Lust burns. This warrior bears a mighty sword that burns with fire. He entices his target. He lures and seduces them. He appeals to their desires. He uses their desire against them. He inflames their heart and eyes, secludes them from their kinsmen and slays them. Not a few have fallen by his sword. History has it that he took down one of our own great, Samson. Once he takes his victim, he would not let them go. This pleasure-suggesting and pain-afflicting warrior has been said to use a weapon of mass destruction. …but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15
Fear - The Roaring Warrior
The fame of this valiant warrior travels ahead of him in every land. The edge of his sword is dread. Fear roars. This huge, fiercely looking fellow appears as a giant. When he roars, his voice echoes miles away on mountain cliffs. His sword seems to cast spells on his victim. This warrior of whom Goliath was a descendant once stood before ten thousand men in one encounter, slayed a man, and that one turned and slayed his neighbour, and that in turn slayed another till all was gone. So they all slayed themselves – ten thousand men were gone. At the thought of him, his opponents surrender and hide in caves. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears Psalms 34:4. say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Isaiah 35:4
Envy — The Challenger
Called the challenger, this warrior appears harmless. Underestimate him at your peril. He would not agree to a parallel. He aims to stand alone, reducing men to his level. Envy says you can’t beat me. I am better than you; spares no rival. He brings himself side by side with others. This unsuspected but massive killer, at one time, threw a spear with such force that it cut through a thousand men. At various times, this warrior has been spotted fighting side by side with his kinsman pride. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice James 3:16. Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple Job 5:2.
Pride — The Elusive
When it comes to war, pride has the best strategy at his fingertip. An experienced warrior from his youth. He has a close resemblance to his kinsman Envy. People often confuse his identity because of his chameleon nature. He is loud and sometimes quiet. He brags and boasts, and at other times, he appears humble. He sneaks into the opponent's camp, steals their costume, and leaves among them unnoticed. He is cunningly destructive and prides himself in slaying kings, great men, and would-be stars. He looks not to mere men and denies the existence of the Almighty. He slayed Nebuchadnezzar and Herod; both were notably great kings. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2
Our Battle Plan
Like the children of Israel, we have been delivered from Egypt (sin and Satan) by Jesus Christ, the son of God. He is our Redeemer. He is our Proprietor. He is our Commander. Our journey continues, however, with the excitement of our exodus from the land of captivity. Before us is the wilderness and wars to fight. Do we rest after salvation, sip coffee and say God has done it? Of course, God has done it, and we praise him for that. But we can’t just fold our hands and cross our legs. We have to match forward in battle-mood, armed. Every step of our Christian life, we shall face fiery foes. We do not have to worry about how ready we are. If we are stained within, the sword of our enemies will be on our neck, and his eyes bear no compassion. Shall we stop at salvation? No! “command the people that they move forward” … and so shall we.
Life with God is exciting, and there are many lands unconquered, waiting to be ours. So, “Why sit we till we perish…”? Part of the lands the Lord showed to Joshua waiting to be possessed were the lands belonging to the lords of the Philistine. God deliberately left these lands to prove to us, to teach us to war. He does not intend us to be civilians but militants. He does not want us to be weak and full of fear. He wants to train us for war. To be able to say with the warrior-king, “He thought my fingers to war”. That will be our testimonies after he is finished with us. It is a call to war, not peace. In other words, we are saved to the war front, not the palace. God has provided armour, but some would not look to it. Others do little to fit a few pieces on. This is the tragedy of our faith, which is that we don’t have warring men who are ready to lay down their lives. They deny the love of their saviour in the face of challenges. They faint in the face of temptation. One week they are in, the other they are out. How many times have such believers nailed the very Lord to the cross? They deny him in public and betray him for acceptance. They throw their identity away at the slightest provocation and in the face of pressure and peers. If we must honour him, let us honour him in words and deeds. Every day, the gap between generations widens. The lives of our warriors are debilitated by worldliness. The church melts into the world and the world into the church. The church for whom Christ loved and died has made no difference between clean and unclean, unholy and holy. If the Lord does not leave some wars for us to fight, we shall utterly be made weak. We can testify to nations and individuals whose conditions of living are luxurious and how they forgot their creator and made wealth their idol. We mourn and bemoan, “Why would the Lord not take away the pestilence? Why so much trouble? Why the pain and great distress”? Is there not a cause? War is coming. Braise up and draw your swords, for I hear the sound of the trumpet calling men to fight, to enter their rest.
In the days of Eli, we also see how the Philistines waged war against Israel. The lords of the Philistines captured the Ark of God in a fierce battle with the Israelites. The Israelites had placed so much confidence in the ark. By words, they honoured God, but by deeds, they dishonoured him. God honours deeds above words. So the Israelites suffered a great defeat before the Philistines that day. It took the might of God to recover the ark from the Philistines. The enemy does not fight for fun, he fights to possess. It is the fight for dominion cause whatever God is interested in, the devil is interested in too. Satan wants to cease and take possession of our land and the ark of God. He aims to make us powerless – he comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is after our faith, not just our children, marriage, finances or career. These are peripheral targets. It’s our time to defend the Father’s land; therefore, let’s put on the whole armour of God. Ephesians 6:10-18
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