Topical Bible: Forests: Often Destroyed by Enemies

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Forests in biblical times were significant both ecologically and symbolically. They provided resources such as timber for construction and fuel, as well as habitats for wildlife. However, forests were also strategic assets that could be targeted and destroyed by enemies during times of conflict. The destruction of forests by adversaries is a theme that appears in various biblical narratives, reflecting the broader context of warfare and divine judgment.

One of the most notable references to the destruction of forests by enemies is found in the book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the Assyrian army as an instrument of God's judgment, likening their advance to the felling of a forest: "Behold, the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, will lop off the boughs with great power. The tall trees will be felled, and the lofty ones will be brought low. He will clear the forest thickets with an ax, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One" (Isaiah 10:33-34). This imagery underscores the devastation that the Assyrians would bring upon the land, symbolizing both physical destruction and divine retribution.

The destruction of forests is also mentioned in the context of military campaigns. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet describes the judgment against Egypt, where the Lord declares, "I will dry up the streams of the Nile and sell the land to evil men. By the hand of foreigners I will lay waste the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken" (Ezekiel 30:12). While this passage does not explicitly mention forests, the broader context of environmental devastation includes the potential destruction of wooded areas as part of the judgment against nations.

Forests were not only physical resources but also held spiritual significance. The cedars of Lebanon, for example, were renowned for their grandeur and were used in the construction of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 5:6). The destruction of such forests by enemies would have been seen as an affront to the divine order and a loss of sacred resources.

In the historical books, the strategic importance of forests is evident. During the reign of King Saul, the Philistines sought to control the land of Israel, which included its forests. The Philistines' encroachment and the subsequent battles would have threatened these vital resources, impacting the Israelites' ability to sustain themselves and maintain their defenses.

The destruction of forests by enemies serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of natural resources in times of conflict. It also reflects the broader biblical theme of divine sovereignty, where God uses nations and their actions to fulfill His purposes, often bringing judgment upon those who oppose His will. The imagery of forests being cut down by enemies is a powerful symbol of both human conflict and divine intervention in the biblical narrative.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 19:23
By your messengers you have reproached the LORD, and have said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 37:24
By your servants have you reproached the Lord, and have said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 46:23
They shall cut down her forest, said the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Armour of God
... calls them"who enslaved and destroyed the reason ... think clearly and calmly,"how often
desperation and ... mountain ranges, through trackless forests, from Africa ...
/.../kingsley/discipline and other sermons/sermon xi the armour of god.htm

The Waldenses.
... the words he had left behind could not be destroyed. ... falling before the murderous
Cain was often repeated. ... were hidden, shut in by mighty forests and pinnacles ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /4 the waldenses.htm

The Waldenses
... the words he had left behind could not be destroyed. ... falling before the murderous
Cain was often repeated. ... were hidden, shut in by mighty forests and pinnacles ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 4 the waldenses.htm

The Suicide of Thought
... Giants that tread down forests like grass are the ... the idea of Divine authority we
have largely destroyed the idea ... We often hear it said, for instance, "What is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/orthodoxy/iii the suicide of thought.htm

The Woman of Samaria
... is such, that two crops can often be grown in ... without number may find pasture; great
forests of timber ... In their madness they had destroyed their brethren, the ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxvi the woman of.htm

The Acceptance of the Christian Conception of Life Will Emancipate ...
... is this than the possibility of being destroyed by victorious ... are sent to work in
the forests, some are ... fact that these non-compliant persons often belong not ...
/.../tolstoy/the kingdom of god is within you/chapter ix the acceptance of.htm

David's Strength
... scattered them: he cast forth lightnings, and destroyed them ... God, and therefore have
been too often prayers to ... for his life in Transatlantic forests; the pauper ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/david/sermon ii davids strength.htm

The Land and the People.
... province was once thickly covered with forests, cultivated fields ... Jerusalem, often
besieged and destroyed, and as often ... the time of Jesus and often since, the ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 17 the land and.htm

Paul's First Prayer
... the man who comes against him be utterly destroyed, suffers him ... had not been praying
at all; he often said his ... they came into the midst of the forests; and you ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/pauls first prayer.htm

The Barbarian Desolation
... by rivalry or ambition (this have I often seen and ... fastnesses of the Atlas, the
Barbarians destroyed the harvest ... And they set fire to the forests which covered ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/iii the barbarian desolation.htm