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By Dr. Don Bierle, President, FaithSearch International
In my presentations and writing, I have often developed the argument of Intelligent Design as evidence for God’s hand in creation. I don’t usually have elementary students as my audience. Nor do I usually recommend apologetic materials for children. My readers more often are parents, grandparents, or those who have friends with kids. For them, I can’t resist mentioning these two books on biological design for this issue of the Happ-O-getics.
NASA never anticipated this. The Voyager 1 probe was launched in 1977 for a four-year mission. Evidently it has retained a trickle of power and NASA has reestablished contact with it at over fifteen billion miles away in space!
An artist’s concept of a NASA Voyager probe. (Public domain.)
Source: CNN Science Wonder Theory, December 7, 2024, “The 47-year-old Voyager probes are exploring interstellar space. Dwindling power could end their journey,” Ashley Strickland, https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/07/science/voyager-1-science-newsletter-wt/index.html, accessed April 3, 2025.
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be of humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16:18-19).
Goliath was identified with the Philistines – all nine-and-one-half feet of him! His equally giant brother, Lahmi, and other family giants Eshbi-Benob, Sippai, Saph, and an un-named giant with polydactylism (twelve fingers and twelve toes) from the city of Gath, are all identified in 2 Samuel 21:16-22. They were feared Philistine warriors from whom the Israel army fled and “were greatly afraid” (1 Samuel 17:24). [For the question of the reality of biblical giants, see my article on “Giants” in Happ-O-getics 1:6.]
“David with the Head of Goliath” by Abraham Bosse, ca. 1651. (Public domain.)
When you think of the formidable Philistines, you must also associate them with the Israeli names of Samson and David. They were also quite “formidable.” In this article, I will review the history of the Philistines and their encounters with Israel. It is interesting that the enemies of Israel seem to gather along the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean (see the map). That is where the Philistine empire was located, including present day Gaza. They were a people of war.
Which Philistines?
There are no living people who are ethnically Philistine: the Philistines became an extinct ancient people already in the fifth century BC. Their history, while complicated, has recently gained new clarity. The following will provide an insightful summary.
