"At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;" Jeremiah's message to the Philistines is a chilling one. Not only will Egypt destroy and take Gaza, as explained in verse one, but also the Babylonians, as identified as the flood in verse two. Multiple historians speculate that it was the same Pharaoh Necho, who killed Josiah and took Gaza in an attempt to head off the Babylonians with Assyria. This last stand proved futile against the Babylonians and the Philistines felt the full brunt of that defeat. Chapter 46:2 records the Egyptians’ defeat at Carchemish on the northern border of Syria.

With Egypt and Assyria defeated in 609 BC, there was no stopping the seething (spilling) pot of Jeremiah 1:13-14 from covering the land. We must also remember that this was just one of nine judgment warnings from God to the Gentiles, starting in Jeremiah 46:1 and ending with 51:64 against Babylon itself. God is showing that He has the same judgment against any nation, including Israel, for rejecting His words of repentance. As Israel's heart got harder (Jeremiah 7:26, 16:12), they became worse than the heathen (2 Chronicles 33:9). God used a heathen nation to judge them (Jeremiah 15:4). How much more the judgment was on the Philistines for being constant enemies of Israel, even before Jacob in Isaac's time (Genesis 26:14-15), and the Philistine gods caused Israel to stray in Judges 10:6. Yet Jeremiah asked in 47:6 "O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet?" Will God's sword of judgment be stayed with only partial judgment? Unfortunately not, the question is answered in the last verse of the chapter. God has appointed His sword to destroy the great Philistine cities without any aid from Tyre and Zidon in the north. According to historical accounts, the Philistine people lost their distinct identity with no major number of people returning to their original land after the Babylonian conquest. The Bible is full of battles and prophecies against the Philistines as God's warnings went unheeded year after year. Israel deserved the same treatment, but God's promises and covenant to David kept that from happening. Will we heed the warning of God's coming judgment? Christ, like Babylon, will subdue all nations under His perfect rule. Those who accept Him will have eternal life and those who resist will be tormented forever.