11.01.23
Is Gaza in the Bible?
The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go along toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 10:19)
Last week we talked about the war in Gaza. Today we want to talk about Gaza itself.
Is this war in the Middle east part of end times prophecy? The answer is that only time will tell. Only God knows the end from the beginning and He has chosen to only reveal certain things to us. One of the things He has not told us is exactly when Jesus will return for His own. We are told to “look up, for our redemption draws nigh,” and “occupy until He comes.”
Is Gaza found in the Bible? The answer is unequivocally yes! Gaza is mentioned some twenty times in the Bible. Psalm 83 is especially relevant.
Most of the verses reference how much Gaza hates Israel and how God repeatedly sent His warnings to them. The first mention is our opening text, describing how it was part of the territory of the Canaanites, the ancient enemies of God.
Later we find Gaza to be the base camp of the Philistines, who were constantly attacking and terrorizing Israel.
In the first chapter of Judges we find the Lord directing the tribe of Judah to conquer Gaza, and they did.
In Jeremiah we find one of the Pharoahs of Egypt conquering Gaza, beginning a complicated relationship with Gaza that continues today.
The prophets Amos, Zephaniah, and Zechariah were told to warn of judgment coming upon Gaza and the nearby Philistine cities.
That being said, there is one positive mention of Gaza. In Acts 8, Philip was called of the Lord to get on the road that descended from Jerusalem to Gaza. There he met a man who, returning from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, was reading the OT book of Isaiah. Philip was able to point him to the Savior and he placed his faith in Him. He then returned to his own land to share the good news.
This account points out some important truths. Most of the leaders of Gaza hate Israel and the Jews, and if they do not repent, they will face God’s judgment. However, there are those who will come to Christ. Indeed, there are believing Palestinians. In fact, few though they may be, there are former Muslim terrorists, even from Hamas, who have come to Christ. God can save anyone!
What about Psalm 83? It explains the hatred Israel’s neighbors have for her. They wish to annihilate her, wipe her off the map. The list of nations reads like a modern newspaper—Jordan, Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip.
Why do they hate Israel so much? Because they hate the God of the Bible. And what will happen? They will lose. They are attacking ‘the apple of God’s eye’
So, the psalmist asked God to bring His fire upon them. Why? So that they would lose— yes, if they do not repent. But more importantly, so that they will seek the name of the LORD (16). So that they would know that God alone, whose name is the LORD, is the Most High over all the earth (18).
This is what the Bible, the Word of God, says. If you do not know the true God, come to Him through His Son and He will abundantly pardon..