Ancient Judgments

“Jehovah said unto Moses … I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven … Jehovah hath sworn: Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:14‑16, from ASV unless otherwise noted).

— Jim Parkinson

Amalekites and Philistines

Amalek (“dweller in a valley,” Smith’s Bible Dictionary) was a grandson of Esau by a concubine (Genesis 36:10‑12). His descendants raised flocks and herds in the Sinai desert. When the Israelite refugees first fled Egypt, Amalekites ambushed them (but were defeated). As a result, Jehovah swore their doom (Exodus 17:8‑16). The Amalekite power was later broken by King Saul, who then disobeyed God’s command and spared their king Agag and the best of Amalekite flocks (1 Samuel 15).

Centuries later, Saul’s disobedience hurt the Israelites when Haman the Agagite (likely a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag¹) tried to get the Persians to destroy all the Jews, as described in the Book of Esther. Today, we can no longer identify the Amalekites as a people.

The Philistines (“immigrants,” Smith’s Bible Dictionary²) have a different history. They already existed in Abraham’s day (Genesis 21:32‑34, 26:1). The prophet Amos associates the Philistines with the region of Caphtor, likely Crete (Amos 9:7). Jeremiah also refers to the Philistines as “the remnant of the country of Caphtor” (Jeremiah 47:4).

(1) Esther 3:1, 3:10, 8:3, 5, and 9:24 all include “Haman was an Agagite,” which likely indicates he was a descendant of King Agag, the Amalekite. While this lineage is not definitively confirmed in the scriptures, it is widely accepted within Jewish tradition and adds a layer of meaning to the Purim story. The Talmud in Tractate Megillah 13a: states that Haman was a descendant of Agag, the Amalekite king. It connects Haman’s lineage to the biblical narrative of Saul sparing Agag (1 Samuel 15). http://www.sefaria.org/Megillah.13a?lang=bi
(2) Smith’s Bible Dictionary states that the etymology of “Philistines” is uncertain, but it is likely connected to the Hebrew word Pelesheth, which means “immigrants” or “strangers.”

This agrees with archeological evidence, which suggests that the Philistines were a Sea People.³ It is likely that more of these Sea People arrived in Philistia after Volcanic eruptions on Santorini (during the Exodus) ended the Minoan civilization on Crete.

The immigrant Philistines were a continual threat to Israel during the reigns of both Israel’s judges and kings. In later years, Hezekiah broke their power (2 Kings 18:8). Few Arabs in that land today, if any, can trace their histories back to the Philistines or the Amalekites.

(3) Eric H. Cline, 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014): Cline’s book provides a comprehensive overview of the Late Bronze Age collapse and the role of the Sea Peoples. He discusses the Philistines as one group among these invaders, drawing on both archaeological and textual evidence.
● Pages 23‑26: He discusses the evidence for the Philistines as one of the Sea Peoples groups, mentioning the Medinet Habu inscriptions.
● Pages 61‑65: Cline examines the archaeological evidence from Philistine sites, including the distinctive pottery styles that link them to the Aegean. Assaf Yasur‑Landau, The Philistines and Aegean Migration at the End of the Late Bronze Age (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010): This book delves into the archaeological evidence for Philistine origins, connecting their material culture to the Aegean world and supporting their identification as a Sea Peoples group.
● Pages 35‑70: He discusses the archaeological evidence from Philistine sites, focusing on pottery, architecture, and other cultural elements that point to an Aegean connection.
● Pages 191‑221: Yasur‑Landau analyzes the evidence for Philistine migration and settlement patterns, connecting them to the broader context of the Sea Peoples.
● Pages 317‑347: He summarizes his arguments and concludes that the Philistines were likely part of the Aegean migrations that contributed to the Late Bronze Age collapse.

The Modern Gaza Strip

The Ottoman (Turkish) Empire suppressed the 1875 Christian Revolt in the Balkan Peninsula but declared bankruptcy in October Thus, in 1878, Pasha was reluctantly ready to sell land in Palestine when Britain’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, urged it in Jews then purchased land near the Yarkon River, and European Jews arrived on November 3, 1878, at what would become Petach Tiqvah. Malaria depopulated the town shortly thereafter until mosquito abatement could allow them to return. Today, it is the fifth largest city in Israel.

Jews then purchased more land along the northern coast, the Plain of Esdraelon, and farther north on the near side of the Jordan River, as well as some land near Jerusalem and Beersheba. Fleeing East European Pogroms, more Jews came to work these newly purchased lands. They brought technology with them, and they prospered.

Some Arab countries worried about Jewish return. So, the race was on to see if Egyptians and Arabians could flood the land faster than World Jewry could make Aliyah (“go up” to Israel). What had been a primarily desolate land was now viewed by the Arabs as a political prize. Intermittent wars began to not only take away land purchased by the Jews but also to drive them into the Sea — another form of genocide!

However, Ye’‑Ho‑VaH’ has spoken. “I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith Jehovah thy God” (Amos 9:15). From the River to the Sea, Israel will always be.

Earliest Times and Today

He who created Earth can give the land to whomever He pleases. Four millennia ago, God promised land “from the river of Egypt [likely Wadi el‑Arish] unto the great river, the river Euphrates,” though not while “the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full” (Genesis 15:16‑21).

Four centuries later, the el‑Amarna tablets between Palestine and Egypt suggest their iniquity was full. “It is clear that Syria and Palestine were seething with intrigue within and were under attack from without … ” (Jack Finegan, “Light from the Ancient Past,” 2nd edition, 1959, page 109). In the 14th century BC, the “Habiru” (Hebrews) invaded the land.

God pronounced: “Mine angel shall go before thee and bring thee in unto the Amorite… and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works … I will set thy border from the Red Sea [Gulf of Aqabah] even unto the sea of the Philistines [Mediterranean], and from the wilderness [Sinai and Negev] unto the River [Euphrates] … Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods” (Exodus 23:20‑33). However, Israel was tricked into making a covenant with the Gibeonites; nevertheless, over the centuries, they have kept that covenant (Joshua 9).

When Israel declared independence in 1948, Jordan told the Arabs who lived in the land of Israel to retreat into Jordan until they had driven all the Jews into the Sea. The retreating Arabs would then get back to their lands and take the Jews’ lands as well. Israel made it clear to the Arabs who remained in the land that they would keep their lands, but those Arabs who left would lose their lands. Israel delivered on its promise; Jordan could not.

When in 1933 Hitler came to power in Germany, he pressured the Jews to leave. (One Israeli told this writer that a policeman covertly forewarned his father because his wife had been politically active. They grabbed what they could and eventually ended up in Palestine.) The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem feared the immigration of Jews and persuaded Hitler to begin “the ultimate solution.”

An observer wonders: Who practices racial hatred? Who is safer? An Arab walking around Tel Aviv or a Jew walking around Ramallah (“the heights of Allah”)? Arab Muslims and Christians freely walk the streets of Israeli cities. Jews and Arabs work together in businesses and hospitals. Hadassah Hospital is well known for even taking care of Arab Muslims who hate Israel. Today, it seems Israel is still observing the covenant made with Gibeon.

Be Blessed or Cursed

“Jehovah said unto Abra[ha]m … I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that disdaineth thee will I curse! and in thee shall all the families of the land be blessed” (Genesis 12:1‑3 RVIC). The blessing continued through Isaac and Jacob and will ultimately be to their descendants through Jesus.

When people blessed Jewry, good things happened to them. In 1917, Great Britain issued the Balfour Declaration favoring the establishment of a homeland for the Jews in Palestine; the following year, Great Britain was on the winning side of World War I. In the 1930’s, Hitler’s Germany cursed the Jews. In 1945, Germany lost World War II.

Like Gibeon or Like Amalek?

More recently, nations and organizations have been choosing whether to bless Israel, to curse Israel, or perhaps to keep Israel at a distance. The son of a Hamas co‑founder has self‑converted to Christianity. He says Hamas wants to annihilate an entire race [ Jews] to build an Islamic state. The 2023 Hamas attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip was on October 7, Vladimir Putin’s birthday.⁴ The “Son of Hamas” says there “is no chance of peace with Hamas. Hamas must be finished. That’s it. There is no alternative option.”

(4) “Son of Hamas”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjOEJumoABg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ndDBMHJIh4

Today, nations are choosing whether to be kind to Israel or join an effort to destroy it. Those interested include Iran, Russia, Armenia, and (Caucasian) Georgia, as well as African nations, Germanic and Slavic nations, and Turkic nations. Others, such as Arabian countries, Western Europe, and the Americas, are also interested.

In a more subtle form of aggression toward the restored Nation of Israel, a two‑state solution is offered as a means of making peace between the immigrant Arabs and the promised seed of Israel. If Israel’s leadership falls for this political “trojan horse,” they will be following in the footsteps of King Saul’s disobedience. In our view, God will not allow this to happen. Let us be watching.