17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And ISAAC DUG AGAIN THE WELLS OF WATER which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them."
Those annoying Philistines. They seem to have nothing better to do than to cause trouble and start fights. They even stopped up the wells of water that Abraham built with dirt.
Who were these troublesome folk anyway? They sure gave the children of Israel a run for their money. A real thorn in their sides.
They were descended from Noah's son, Ham, who had a son named "Mizraim" which is the Hebrew word for "Egypt." The word actually means, "striving." Mizraim had a son named "Casluhim" which, interestingly enough, in Hebrew means "FOOLS." That's right, folks: This guy was the father of a race of casluhim: FOOLS.
Typologies.
At the end Israel's desert wanderings they entered at last into their Promised Land. They had passed through both the Red Sea AND the Jordan. These two crossings depict Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection, respectively. It's a typology of the new birth!
(Map of Israel's wanderings and entrance into the Promised Land.)
When the Philistines came to Canaan from Egypt, a depiction of the world, they didn't go through the Red Sea OR the Jordan. They traveled straight from Mizraim and entered via the Gaza Strip. In other words, they bypassed everything: The Red Sea and the Jordan. Jordan, in Hebrew, means "river of judgment."
They didn't get in with God's help as Israel did; they got in my their own efforts, or "mizraim: strivings."
It's a picture of self-righteousness.
Hidden In The Old.
As most of you know, the New Testament is hidden somewhere in the Old in stories, names, places, pictures and even numbers recorded there. Nothing you read, not a single word, phrase or number is there just to make the Book thicker.
The above scenario Is a portrayal of this passage in John 10:1-2
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is A THIEF AND A ROBBER. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."
Pretty good description of "fools," isn't it? Then there's the verse in Psalm 14 that states, "The fool hath said in his heart, 'there is no God.'" They don't think they're bad enough to need a Savior. It's like saying, "I don't need the blood of The Lamb." But as you know, without the shedding of blood, there is NO forgiveness of sins.
The word, "Philistine" itself means " to wallow in the dust," hence the mention of filling the wells with dust. Another good description!
The Holy Spirit is drawing pictures for us again to illustrate spiritual truths, especially this very important one: Our sins have been completely cleansed by the perfect blood of the Perfect Sacrifice, Jesus, He says. We have passed through the Red Sea--THE BLOOD--having died with Christ, and we have been raised to newness of life--we have passed through the Jordan, the "river of judgment," from death unto life! Passing through the Jordan means "ALL JUDGMENT IS BEHIND US!!"
Just as Jesus died and rose again, so you and I, Church, have died with Him and been resurrected WITH HIM to newness of life. The Holy Spirit is demonstrating that we will NEVER, EVER AGAIN suffer judgment of any kind from God in either in this world or the next. Why?
BECAUSE IT WOULD BE UNJUST TO JESUS WHO WAS PUNISHED IN OUR PLACE!
Many people of the world today, modern-day Philistines, try to circumvent the cross. They try to enter God's kingdom by some other way. They don't want to believe there is a debt of sin that we owe or a Savior Who paid for them with His blood. Oh no. Jesus, to them, is merely a great teacher; perhaps a great prophet or a wise philosopher. He was a good, moral example to follow....but not SAVIOR. Never Savior.
Many people of the world today, modern-day Philistines, try to circumvent the cross. They try to enter God's kingdom by some other way. They don't want to believe there is a debt of sin that we owe or a Savior Who paid for them with His blood. Oh no. Jesus, to them, is merely a great teacher; perhaps a great prophet or a wise philosopher. He was a good, moral example to follow....but not SAVIOR. Never Savior.
It is those to whom Jesus will say in that day, "Depart from me. I NEVER knew you."
You may have been misinformed that, if you don't measure up, you might lose your salvation and, at the Great White Throne judgment, you could be relegated to everlasting punishment. That is not only a cruel statement, IT FLAT OUT SN'T TRUE!!!
Church, if you have asked Jesus to come into your heart, even as a small child, but somehow fell away, how could Jesus say to you, "Depart from me, I NEVER knew you, " if you once did? In Titus it says "God CANNOT LIE." That being a fact, He would truly have to say to you, "Depart from me, I don't know you any more," to be accurate, correct?
There is no way He could be addressing anyone who has the sinless blood of the perfect Lamb of God on the doorposts of their heart. Once you are saved, YOUR SALVATION CAN MEVER BE UNDONE according to John 10.
Jesus is obviously addressing those who have NEVER accepted His free gift of righteousness. They are not saved. He Who can look on the heart, something you and I cannot do, knows definitively who is born again and who is not. Trust that.
Also, because ALL JUDGMENT is behind us, Church, we will not be at the Great White Throne judgment.
Getting back to the Philistines, Samson, among others, incessantly locked horns with those "Casluhim." Remember the Philistine woman, Delilah, that he married? She was a real drag. When it came to asking him what gave him his great strength, she was like drippy faucet. Her name, very appropriately, means, "wearisome," in Hebrew. You know, a "NAG?" Apt description.
Women in the Bible can represent many different things. Sometimes they typify the Church, sometimes Israel, or in Delila's case, she is a typology of seducing false doctrines of the devil. Again, apt description.
Philistine women were beautiful and alluring like seducing doctrines which appeal to our flesh. By "flesh" I don’t necessarily mean carnal pursuits, though that is certainly included. Most often it refers to mankind who just loves to think there is something he can "DO" to please God, believing their "DOING" counts for something. Here we go again with that old righteousness by works thing.
AS IF!
Church, our righteousness is as filthy rags!
Goliath in Hebrew means "stripped exile." Ya know, if you wanna really feel beat down, ground to a pulp and totally worthless, listen to the booming voice of the modern-day version; you know, the hell-fire and damnation set. They'll make you feel just like that: A stripped exile, wallowing in the dust, totally debased, fearing an angry God Who's just waiting to smack you down at the slightest infraction of His law.
Now, of course, no one is advocating lawlessness. In truth, the strength of sin is the law. GRACE IS THE ANTIDOTE. The Holy Spirit is saying that ANYONE who teaches doctrines that A.) BYPASS the cross; B). Tell you that you can only receive blessings in your life by your own efforts or some formula; OR C). That by your law-keeping you can please God, is teaching the seducing doctrines of the Philistines. They appeal to our flesh as described above.
The devil LOVES it when this is preached. They are doing his work for him.
It's so much better and more productive for us to focus on the WELLS OF REFRESHING FROM GOD'S WORD, not stop them up with philistinian doctrines, i.e. "dirt."
Those foolish Philistines came in and covered up all the wells that Jacob had dug. Know who UNcovered them? Isaac, who's name means, "laughter!" He's a picture of GRACE, the REAL gospel!
Isaac according to Galatians 4 was the child of of Sarah, the New Covenant of Grace, not of Hagar, a typology of the law; and where "grace" goes there is fun, music, dancing and "LAUGHTER!"
Grace always serves up the refreshing water of the word of God to the people. There is laughing, singing, dancing and fun......LIFE, something Law-centric people seem to completely lack, misunderstand and misconstrue.
These false doctrines are so alluring because they appeal to our human intellect. Some actually sound pretty good. They focus on YOUR discipline, YOUR efforts, even "Christian" religion. But you can be "RELIGIOUS" and not be "SPIRITUAL." In fact, if you ARE one, you ARE NOT the other.
Jesus' Day.
This "spirit of Philistine" was present in suffocating concentrations in the Pharisees of Jesus' day. It was His biggest problem. He reserved His most scathing rebukes for them, too, calling them "hypocrites, whited sepulchers and a brood of vipers." You NEVER heard Him talk like that to the sinners, harlots and tax collectors. NEVER!
The Philistines and Pharisees of today are still trying to cover up those wells. They think they can come against the REAL GOSPEL by covering up the wells of refreshing that only those wells can deliver. They even go so far as to call it "heresy."
This "spirit of Philistine" was present in suffocating concentrations in the Pharisees of Jesus' day. It was His biggest problem. He reserved His most scathing rebukes for them, too, calling them "hypocrites, whited sepulchers and a brood of vipers." You NEVER heard Him talk like that to the sinners, harlots and tax collectors. NEVER!
The Philistines and Pharisees of today are still trying to cover up those wells. They think they can come against the REAL GOSPEL by covering up the wells of refreshing that only those wells can deliver. They even go so far as to call it "heresy."
Be very, VERY CAREFUL. What is of God CANNOT BE OPPOSED. Anyone who ever tried it......uh.....well.....let's just say it didn't end well.
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