“Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories…. fter they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city with very great confusion; and He smote the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them…. They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there” (1 Sam 5:6, 9, 11).
Before the Philistines had captured the ark of the LORD, they had a fairly decent theological understanding about Israel’s God. “These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness” (1 Sam 4:8). But they failed to act upon this truth. As a result, they experienced a second “Exodus Story” themselves when the LORD stuck them with a heavy barrage of deadly plagues (see 1 Samuel 5).
But as surprising as it many seem, we also see another theological truth revealed in this story by virtue of an additional strategic parallel. When things can’t get any worse for the Philistines, we read this extraordinary verse: “And the men who did not die were smitten with tumors and the cry of the city went up to heaven” (1 Sam 5:12). Why is this verse so extraordinary? Because it draws a parallel between the suffering Philistines and the Israelites crying out to the LORD for deliverance in Egypt. “Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God” (Exod 2:23). Seeing this parallel, we suddenly stop longing for divine vengeance upon our enemies because we now see our own reflection looking back at us in their terrible suffering. Not only are they people just like us, but also a people just as in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
How easy it is for us to forget the human side of the suffering of our enemies, particularly when they have brought this suffering upon themselves. But they are suffering nonetheless, and God loves them. Let us continue to pray our enemies would lay down their weapons, cease their fighting against God, and cry out to him for his salvation and mercy instead.
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).
