The famous Chinese military strategist and philosopher, Sun Tzu, notes in his famous work, The Art of War, that one must “know your enemy.” In full, the quote reads, “If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” In so many ways, this applies to our ongoing study of David in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel. More than most around him, David appears to grasp well, not only the nature of his enemies, but also his own nature as well. And thus, fulfilling Sun Tzu’s prediction, David did not fear a hundred battles.
But for us at this point, we need to start by knowing something about the Philistines.
The Philistines were the quintessential enemies of the Israelites. From early on in Israel’s conquest of Canaan land, to the reign of David’s great descendant, Hezekiah, the Philistines typify the external oppression confronted by the kings of Israel and Judah. Historically, the Philistines were not the most dominant or powerful of Israel’s opponents, however, along with Babylon later in the narrative, the biblical authors use Israel’s struggles with Philistia to model their struggles with sin and unbelief.
Philistia was the neighboring country adjacent to where the twelve Israelite tribes originally settled. During the conquest of Canaan, God’s people failed to drive out all the inhabitants of Canaan, including the sea peoples near the coast of the Mediterranean, the Philistines. Centered around five main cities, Philistia was particularly prosperous as both a military power and an economic force. They used their position to harass, oppress, and, at times, occupy land claimed by Israel. It is in no small part due to the Philistines, that the people of Israel ultimately demanded a king to rule over them (1 Samuel chapter 8).
Today, calling someone a “Philistine” is to highlight their boorish, rude, or vulgar behavior—one acts like a Philistine when one is rough-mannered, insensitive, or unrefined. But, historically, this is exactly backward. During biblical times, the Philistines were culturally and technologically advanced, far superior to the hillbilly Israelites. The Philistines capitalized upon their advanced knowledge of working with iron at the beginning of the Iron Age, building superior weaponry and armor. They maintained that advantage by restricting trade with the Israelites and depriving them even of basic iron-working abilities (1 Samuel 13:19-23). This technological advantage enabled a string of military victories and kept Philistia as a thorn in Israel’s side for centuries.
The conflict between Israel and the Philistines was seen by both sides as a contest in the heavens between their gods (1 Samuel chapters 4 & 5). This contest would, of course, ultimately affirm the God of the Israelites as sovereign over all the earth, Israel, and Philistia. However, this sovereign reign was not to be abused by God’s people, and the Lord used the Philistines as one of His discipling tools.
The eventual triumph of the Israelite peoples can only be accounted to one thing, one Being—God Himself. On its own, the Kingdom of Israel would never survive a contest with Philistia, never match them technologically, militarily, or economically. Yet as so often through the Scriptures, God uses the weak to shame the strong, the foolish to triumph over the wise. And so it is in our lives as well—God brings us to glory through the cross, to live through death, and to glory through the redemption of Jesus Christ!
Let’s prepare for worship together by reading 1 Samuel chapter 17.
- What are some ways this passage reflects the “weak over the strong” motif of God’s salvation?
- In what ways is David portrayed as the “weaker” combatant? In what ways are his “strengths in the Lord” magnified?
- “Trial by combat” was a way of reflecting what was happening in the heavens—”is my god or yours stronger?” How is this modeled in the story of David and Goliath?
- What reasons can you come up with for explaining King Saul’s allowing David to wear his armor? Why would God not allow that to happen?
- Read verses 45-47 again. How do they “translate” into your life today?
By Henry Knapp