Category Archives: Assyria our enemy

Assyria Our Forgotten Enemy and the Foolish Woman

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Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. (NIV) When I read this, recently, I thought of how the kings and people of Israel have acted from the time of King Solomon to the days of the Prophet Ezra (Malachi).

  1. Fact #1 – The Father loves the Land He gave to Jacob’s descendants.
  2. Fact #2 – The Father loves Jacob’s descendants, who are the children of Abraham.
  3. Fact #3 – The Father loves children of Abraham who live with the faith of Abraham.

The Bible is the Father’s letter to His People, Jews and Gentiles. This letter is filled with His saving love for His people. The Holy Spirit crafted our letter to contain history, science, social norms, and how we are to find Him in a righteous relationship.

The cruelization of Assyria has had my attention for a while now. From 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles up to Haggai and Zachariah Israel lived in the shadow and fear of this bully nation. Yes, Babylon and Persia were also casting shade on Israel/Judah in the Bible. But God; used them for His purposes. Many terms and adjectives have been used to describe these judgments by those nations, but simply put, they removed most of the people from the land. Sin was the problem; the Israelites loved the sins of the nations around them and the nations God had removed from His land. When Assyria started strutting around, Israel became enamored with them. King Ahaz (2 Kings 16) even changed the Temple of God to mimic and appease Tiglath-Pileser. Daughter Zion was acting like a foolish woman.

Were there kings who tried to follow in the footsteps of David? Yes, I will use Hezekiah and Josiah as examples; they opened the Temple for worship and held Passover and directed the people to follow God. As much good as these two kings did, they were followed by Manasseh, Ammon, and Zedekiah. (2 Chronicles 33:10-17 and other verses)

From my prospective the sin was turning away from Jehovah and worshipping other gods. When they left Jehovah, they got into some vile behaviors and demonic practices. Those high places and sacred groves were not just for offering prayers, incense, and pouring out drink offerings; sex with males and females and burning babies were some of the practices associated with those demon gods and was part of their worship. Manasseh was one of the kings of Judah that brought those practices into Jerusalem.

Tools of Judgment

The exodus from Egypt and Joshua’s conquest of Canaan is tied to the fact that the sin of the Canaanites had reached its peak. God cleaned them from His land. Melchizedek had been a ruler in His land, so there had been good there to start with.

Assyria and Babylon were the tools that was used to clear His land. The Father had sent plenty of prophets. We have written records from Hosea and Isaiah through Jeremiah, Ezekial, and Daniel. It sounds like He had sent even more than these, they did not write things down; or those scrolls did not survive.

 Micah 1:13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. (KJV) Lachish was a fortified town and possibly the second most important city in Judah.

Micah started his ministry at the time of Pul/Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 28:16, Isaiah 6-10). Shalmaneser is the Assyrian king (2 Kings 17 and 18) who deported Israel/Samaria. Sennacherib is the king who destroyed Lachish. Assyria was interested in the Foolish Woman.

Lessons

Christians, you who are the Church and are being refined to be the Bride of Christ, how are we doing? I see bright spots that are following the path of the righteous (Proverbs 4:18). We have 2,000 years of the Gospels, the Letters of Paul and John and the other Disciples, and the Holy Spirit leading us; what would a short history lesson of us sound like?

Samuel in 1 Samuel 8:8 was having to deal with Israel wanting a flesh-and-bone king. In Chapter 12 is his final speech; he quotes history with a lesson on leaders. Deuteronomy 17:17 -19 covered this topic of kings. It may have happened but there is no record of any king writing his own copy of the Law.

In Acts 7, Stephen is on trial and he gives a master lesson on Israel’s history of not following the Law or the Holy Spirit. Read 7:51 it struck home and they struck him.

Solomon was loved by God, given great opportunities, and built the first temple in Jerusalem. He also broke the rules in Deuteronomy 17. He wrote in Proverbs 3 an amazing lesson on how to stay in that right relationship that the Father wants. Solomon ended with the warning in verses 31 – 35; pretty much what Israel did to fall away with the Assyrians and Babylonians. His chosen heir, Rehoboam, did not do well and kept Judah down a bad road.  

Zechariah, Haggai, Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah all came after the Persian released the Jews to go back to Judah and Jerusalem. Even with these men setting Godly examples the Foolish Woman did not learn her lesson. If I may, Zechariah 7:8-14 and 8:16 are things that God told the people they were to be doing, which hints at what they were not doing.

Please, go and reread the three facts I gave. The Father has a plan and a purpose. Assyria came and carried out their purpose, but our El Shaddy had Zechariah write Chapter 10. Father will hold people accountable, but He will have Daughter Zion and the Church become the Bride of Christ.

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy – Cruelization

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Well, I will start by contrasting Cruelization and Civilization. (Yes, I made up a word.) As I have studied the ancient empires of the Hittites, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon then added in Persia, Greece, and Rome I really had to think about our modern term “civil”.

Yes, these empires have contributed to modern society. But have we put on rose-colored glasses because of these contributions and ignored why they were able to pass these contributions on? They were not “civil” in their “ization” of their contemporaries. Archaeology has found evidence of trade and the exchange of ideas and information in the Levant before the Assyrians. That is when Egypt and the Hittites were battling each other. Bullies, however, will be bullies and it was not limited to major empires; Abram faced that problem when he rescued Lot in Genesis 14. Elam is specifically mentioned in the bully group.

These empires not only battled each other; they learned from each other. (Who you listen to or read may spin things slightly different.) Egypt and the Hittites along with the lower Tigris and Euphrates River region seem to be the first major players in building societies. An unknown group referred to as the Sea People showed up from the west and plunged the Levant into a dark age; cities were destroyed, trade ended, and art-work stopped. Assyria rose up to fill the vacuum; they used iron/steel to make weapons (from the Hittites) and rose to great power. They also started a full-time army that did not have to go and gather crops. Add in writing on tablets, efficient routes of communication within the empire, and a consistent administration of the kingdom, Assyria forced themselves on the region. They took what they wanted by demanding tribute or they just wiped cities and people groups off of the map. They also practiced wholesale movement of conquered peoples to new areas, that type of slavery wiped out national identity. Besides taking what they wanted from you it also gave them control of trade from the east to the Mediterranean.

My Point of View

God made this world for His purposes. Adam and Eve messed that up. Even with our freewill, God has directed HIStory for His purpose. He gave us the Hebrew/Jewish people and His Word to give us insight into that plan. The rise and fall of these great empires should be proof of that and His timing.

Most of the experts I have watched or read acknowledge parts of the Bible and use it when it suits their purpose. The Prophets that reference these empires and especially Assyria are noted and sometimes agreed with on their historical facts. Many experts love to try and find things to disprove the Bible that is being sighted as fact. The timeline seems to be a favorite attack point; assign different dates that make it seem that the prophets are not telling what is to come but what has happened. Ground Number 2 in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) seems to fit many of them.

A Case in Point

Sennacherib (2 Chronicles 32, 2 Kings 18,19,20:20, and Isaiah 36+37, his Nineveh is also in Jonah) is a good study. He would have made a good poster child for socialist dictators. He built up his three major cities, even diverting a river to water his gardens and lake, with high walls and giant palaces. If he did not get what he wanted he went and took it. On one such excursion to Sidon and Tyre he kept going to Israel. His first stop was Lachish. He was so proud of the destruction it went on his palace walls in Nineveh. That relief shows whole families being carted off and people impaled on stakes. Archaeology attest to the devastation from the siege. (A moment of comparison. Vlad the Impaler/Dracula also put people on stakes, but Sennacherib has a better reputation. In Romania, Vlad is a national hero.)

The rescue of Jerusalem is documented by non-Bible sources, so his attitude and boasting did not help when he insulted God. It took several years but his sons did kill him. When the Assyrian Empire fell to the Medes it was not pretty or nice; bodies were left (and found) at the city gates were the warriors fell. No one moved them or buried them, no one was left, sand storms and time did the work.

Micah 1:13 is about Lachish. She was a source of sin for Daughter Zion. She is also mentioned again when Babylon invaded Judah.

God Used Assyria

It may seem strange to say Assyria was enemy of Israel and that God used them. God wanted a righteous relationship with Israel and still does. When you read through the “Prophets” it is easy to see that many in Israel was not following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They would obey the call to follow God for awhile and then go back to worshipping the demon gods of the countries they interacted with. The northern Tribes had even made their own gods and priest. You have to wonder if they kept any part of the Law of Moses. God sent many prophets to warn them and bring them back. When they refused, He had Assyria take them away from His Land and out of His sight (Isaiah 8). Sennacherib did some of this in the attack of Judah, especially Lachish. Isaiah 10:5-19 talks about Assyria and their punishment for going overboard on attacking nations.

Much of the “sin” Judah did was in the time of Assyria. These sins had finally reached the breakpoint under Babylon. Babylon beat Assyria and Egypt and inherited Judah; they carried out the punishment on them when Jerusalem was destroyed. Christians, we need to wake up and not do what ancient Judah did, God wants us to have a righteous relationship with Him.

-ization suffix – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy – A Little History

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In this series of posts, I want to study Assyria. They were for several hundred years and many Books of the Bible, an enemy of Israel. Christians tend to focus of Egypt and Babylon and ignore Assyria. If Egypt and Babylon have lessons to teach us, so does Assyria. Many of the prophesies about the coming Messiah are in Books that were penned while Assyria was coming against the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Assyria starts with the time of Ahab (not in the Bible) and is still mentioned in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Nehemiah. Several kings of Judah had dealings with the kings of Assyria, they include Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh. The Assyrians are the ones who took captives and relocated the northern Tribes and parts of Judah (Lachish, 2 Chronicles 32:9).

Egypt is Israel’s oldest enemy in the Bible; they started with Abraham and go to Jeremiah’s time. In movies and print there is a lot of information about Egypt. Babylon is mentioned in Genesis, but really is a problem for Judah after Hezekiah. They were one of the four major empires of the ancient world. The Bible is HIS STORY, and how he deals with the descendants of Abraham through his grandson Jacob. There is a lot of historical mentions of other kingdoms. Some of them have major impacts on the Hebrews, while some have minor or indirect effects on the land and people of Israel. Israel’s neighbors are written about many times and frequently they at war with the Twelve Tribes.

Biblical figures, places, events, and Books of the Bible are referred to in documentaries and scholarly writings. It is one of the oldest historical writings. With that said, many scholars seem to fit our Bible into their work as it pleases them. I have heard references to the Garden of Eden, Jonah, and the Torah that do not match the biblical time frames. Secular scholars do not ignore the Bible; they just don’t want too valid it too much. I feel who is paying for their grants and projects may have a lot to do with it. Using God’s Bible might mean you have to believe all of it and change how you are living.

Well, with that written, you may have noticed I have not given references. In my studies I never thought I would be writing about some of this. I may add references as I view some of the documentaries again; this is a study not a finished thesis. For weeks I have been looking up names, cities, kingdoms, and regions and have seen these references in the Bible written about in extra-biblical publications and movies. So yes, this post will be changing.

Neighbors

The Land of Milk and Honey is in the Fertile Cresent and is part of the greenway along the Mediterranean coast. Some of the countries are “family” because of Abraham, Isaac, and Lot.

  • Moab and Ammon – Lot’s sons by his daughters (Genesis 19:36).
  • Edom – Esau’s family. Esau married a daughter of Ishmael, so that is also part of his family tree. Seir is the land they settled in.
  • Ishmael and the sons of Keturah (Genesis 25) – Many people groups are children of Abraham through these men; they stretch all the way to the Tigris River and into the desert. Midian is a notable tribe that was an enemy of Israel.
  • Aram/Damascus – There is much history here with Israel.
  • Tyre and Sidon are north of Israel and were allies and enemies.
  • Byblos is north of Sidon and is also associated with Phoenicia. The Sea People figure into this mix.
  • Philistia is a well-known enemy and also associated with the Sea People.
  • Hamath is an area that is part of the curve in the Crescent. Some of its history is associated with Nebuchadnezzar.
  • Kadesh – There is a town/area in southern Judea with that name. Kadesh in Hamath is the site of great battles. This was a very wealthy, important city that controlled trade from the east to the Mediterranean.  

The Four Great Early Empires and Elam and the Medes

  • Egypt was a great nation before Abram, Joseph, and Moses. Most of its history with the Hebrews is not good and there are many prophesies about and against it. At the time of Josiah Egypt and Assyria were allies against Babylon (2 Chronicles 35:20).
  • Babylon the city is ancient and has been a religious center for millennia. The city we think of may not have been the tower of Babel; Ur may have that ziggurat. Babylon has been destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout history.
  • Hitties – Their capital city of Hattusha was in Turkey. They had a powerful empire built on conquest and fear. They controlled much of the Fertile Crescent. Once they marched down to Babylonia, leveled it and marched back. They had a battle with Egypt at Kadesh in 1270 BC. Who won? It depends on what ancient chronical and expert you read. Their empire fell apart from within; civil war within the family. Hitties are mentioned several times with Abraham and Esau; some scholars do not think they are related to Hattusha. From what I have seen, they, or their minions, did control that much territory. Battle of Kadesh – Wikipedia
  • Assyria or Asshur – This is the first Iron Age empire in the Fertile Crescent. They learned from and made improvements over other empires. A huge thing for them was a year-around standing army. There are six named Assyrian kings in the Bible. Like leaches and fire, they wanted more and usually took it. For many years they controlled or directly ruled over Babylon and fought with Egypt. Asshur is also a name of several different men in the Bible.
  • Elam is a country you will find in the Bible. They were not a major empire, but they did their share of destroying other nations. Frequently, they waited until an enemy was in a weaken state and then rushed in. Ur was beaten and razed to the ground by them and do not forget the looting.
  • Medes – They may be best known for joining with the Persians and defeating Babylon.

Elam and Media may not have been major empires, but they caused plenty of trouble in the area.

If you think about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream statue, there was Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy – Kings

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This post is about the kings of Assyria, Judah, and Israel (northern kingdom). The rulers are how we label and set times (years) for the actions we see in the Bible. The Bible has many historical notes in it that sometimes we miss, but it is one of the non-Assyrian sources that talks about the conquest of the Assyrian kings. There are many preserved texts of clay tablets, stones, and wall reliefs that tell stories of this period. With that said, some of this material is not just from our Bible.

Aggressions, conquest, and Temple news is in our Bible and the writings of the Assyrian kings. We know there were documents that have been lost to history about Judah and Israel. Even with Assyria in control, the kings of smaller countries attacked and held campaigns against each other. We can see this with Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Damascus against Judah and King Ahaz. King Amaziah did this against Edom and stole their gods.

Taking conquered kingdoms gods was a practice that Assyria did regularly; they took Marduk of Babylon and held a trial and found him guilty. Tribute and captivity of the people to other lands are how they controlled the kingdoms they conquered. Gold, silver, and other valuables, like wool and sheep, are mentioned many times in the Bible. The Temple and palace treasuries were emptied many times.

My search terms were Assyria and Ninevah. I will give the Assyrian king then kings from Judah and Israel; some biblical kings do not have direct mention with Assyrian kings, but they were in the same time periods. This is just a brief look and not a comprehensive list of interactions. From my Background post many of the prophets were writing in this period and may mention Assyria or Ninevah but not a specific biblical king. Pronouncements of Assyrian judgment are found in many places in the Bible.

  • King Ahab fought Assyria at Qarqar in 853 BC Battle of Qarqar – Wikipedia  This is not found in the Bible.
  • Tiglath-Pileser/Pul 745-727 – Ahaz 2Kg 16, Menahem 2 Kings 15, Pekah
  • Shalmaneser 727-722 – Hezekiah, Hoshea 2 Kg 17
  • Sargon 722-705 – references in Obadiah 20 and Isaiah 20
  • Sennacherib 705-681 He built up Ninevah making it his administrative capital – Hezekiah and Manasseh. 2 Kings 19 and 2 Chronicles 32
  • Esarhaddon 681-669 – Mentioned in Ezra 4, Isaiah 37:38
  • Ashurbanipal 669-631 – King Josiah. Ashurbanipal and Pharaoh Necho were beaten by Babylon.

The Assyrian Conquests (853 bce–612 bce) | Encyclopedia.com

Sepharad – Encyclopedia of The Bible – Bible Gateway in Obadiah, refers to exiles from Judah

List of Assyrian kings – Wikipedia  look at the bottom

List of Assyrian Kings – Bible History

Kingdoms of the Arabs – Kedar / Kedarites

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy – A Little Background

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Spiritualizing the influence of Egypt and Babylon has been done many times, I really cannot remember a sermon about the evils of Assyria. From my background studies I will say they were not nice and taking populations captives or razing whole cities to the ground was common, Assyria did it to Babylon twice.

Assyria/Ninevah and the Books of the Bible that cover that time period.

This would be my order of reading for a timeline.

Kingdoms

There was history going on outside of Israel. Some of these major players are in the story of God’s People some are not. There were many other kingdoms that do not make it into Scripture, but they were there. This is just a list, their interactions and treaties were complex and changed through the years.