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.