Famine, a severe shortage of food resulting in widespread hunger, is a recurring theme in the Bible, often depicted as a consequence of various factors, including the devastation wrought by enemies. This entry explores instances where enemy invasions and attacks led to famine, highlighting the spiritual and moral dimensions of these events as understood within the biblical narrative.

Biblical Instances of Famine Due to Enemy Devastation

1. Siege of Samaria: One of the most striking examples of famine caused by enemy action is the siege of Samaria by the Arameans. In 2 Kings 6:24-25, the Bible recounts how Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, mobilized his entire army and besieged Samaria, leading to a great famine in the city. The severity of the famine is illustrated by the desperate measures the inhabitants resorted to, including the consumption of unclean animals and even cannibalism. This event underscores the dire consequences of enemy sieges, which cut off food supplies and led to extreme scarcity.

2. Babylonian Siege of Jerusalem: Another significant instance is the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, which resulted in a devastating famine. In 2 Kings 25:1-3, the narrative describes how Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, laid siege to Jerusalem, leading to a prolonged famine. The text states, "By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food." This famine was a direct result of the Babylonian military strategy to weaken the city by cutting off its resources, ultimately leading to its fall.

3. Prophetic Warnings: The prophets often warned of famines as divine judgments for the people's disobedience and idolatry, sometimes involving enemy invasions. In Jeremiah 14:12, the Lord declares, "Although they fast, I will not hear their cry, and although they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and famine and plague." Here, famine is linked with the sword, indicating that enemy attacks would be a means through which God executed judgment.

Theological Implications

From a theological perspective, famines caused by enemy devastation are often portrayed as instruments of divine judgment and calls to repentance. The biblical narrative suggests that such calamities are not merely natural or political events but are deeply intertwined with the spiritual state of the people. The invasions and resulting famines serve as reminders of the covenantal relationship between God and His people, where obedience brings blessing, and disobedience leads to curses, including famine (Deuteronomy 28:15-24).

Moral and Spiritual Lessons

The accounts of famine due to enemy devastation in the Bible carry moral and spiritual lessons. They emphasize the importance of faithfulness to God and reliance on His protection. The narratives often highlight the role of repentance and turning back to God as a means of restoration and deliverance from such dire circumstances. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, God promises, "If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."

In summary, the Bible presents famines caused by enemy devastation as multifaceted events with physical, moral, and spiritual dimensions. They serve as both a consequence of human actions and a divine call to return to righteousness and faithfulness.Deuteronomy 28:33,51
The fruit of your land, and all your labors, shall a nation which you know not eat up; and you shall be only oppressed and crushed always:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Concerning Theudas and the Sons of Judas the Galilean; as Also ...
... Under these procurators that great famine happened in Judea, in which ... I mean of that
Judas who caused the people ... Now as this devastation was making, one of the ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 concerning theudas and.htm

Women who Witnessed the Fall of Rome
... At a time of famine when all strangers were banished ... Or that Herodias caused John
the Baptist to be ... into Italy, spreading a pathway of devastation and misery ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/vii women who witnessed the.htm

Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures ...
... see some beginnings of a fearful devastation in the ... when pestilence begins to stalk
abroad, or famine or war ... abstained from drinking water, and caused sweet and ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 of the discipline.htm

The Fourth Book
... [197] Nothing causes greater devastation in the ... by that very love he has caused us
to ... neither tribulation nor distress nor persecution nor famine nor nakedness ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the fourth book.htm

Of Civil Government.
... land of Egypt as his hire for the devastation which he ... saith the Lord, with the sword,
and with famine, and with ... peace of the city whither I have caused you to ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 20 of civil government.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... follow in its train, and complete the work of devastation. ... Famine had only to present
itself to desolate the ... the judgment of the gods: I caused Khasisadra to ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... caused to be carried solemnly round the city walls to render them impregnable. Croesus
did not succeed to the throne of his father without trouble. His enemies ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

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