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When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim (2 Samuel 5:17-18, ESV).
Uh, oh! The Philistines are coming. To learn more about the Philistines, read yesterday’s blog post #1886 entitled The Philistines are Coming!
The Philistines are the Old Testament equivalent of your worst nightmare. In an early John Wick movie, a Russian mafia boss says, “Well, John isn’t exactly the boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the boogeyman.”
During the time of King David, the most difficult news he could hear was, “John Wick, (oops, sorry), the Philistines are camped in the Valley of Rephaim, and they want you to be gone as King of Israel.” But David had an antidote against the Philistines — the Living God — who still sits on the throne for all of us today!
David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand” (2 Samuel 5:19).
David had spent years in the wilderness running from King Saul. He had already defeated the Philistine giant Goliath, but he didn’t make the mistake of running into battle without consulting the living God. In my many years of dealing with those needing a breakthrough, unfortunately, many needed a breakthrough because of their godless decision-making.
And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim (2 Samuel 5:20).
There’s a humorous tongue-twister in the Hebrew words used in the verse that’s not translated for us to enjoy in most English translations. What is it?
The Philistine word for “God” was “Baal,” and the Hebrew word for God is “Yahweh.” The location of the battle had already been known as “Baal-perazim” or “Baal Gives Breakthrough.” Evidently, the Philistines had won victories in this area before and considered themselves the “home team” for the looming battle with the Israelites.
When King David defeated the Philistines, he praised God by saying, “The Lord [Yahweh] has broken through my enemies.” In Hebrew, it reads simply as, “Yahweh of Breakthroughs.” Do you see the irony? David said, “Yahweh, not Baal, gives breakthrough.” And though the place was still called “Baal-perazim,” the implied meaning would be understood by both Jews and Philistines as a sarcastic comment of, “The Baal of Breakthroughs didn’t do so well against the Yahweh of Breakthroughs.”
Now, let’s consider our need for a breakthrough. The first question should be, “Have we sought and submitted to ‘Yahweh of Breakthroughs’?” Only through the Living God will we find victory.