This article delves into the biblical accounts of these encounters, the prophecies that foretold such events, and the pivotal role these interactions played in shaping the spiritual journey of Israel.
Nations Against Israel Bible Verse
1. Genesis 12:10
“Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.”
2. Exodus 1:8
“Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.”
3. 1 Samuel 13:19
“Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel because the Philistines had said, ‘Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!'”
4. 2 Kings 16:7
“Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, ‘I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.'”
5. 2 Kings 24:1
“During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled.”
6. Ezra 4:4
“Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.”
7. Nehemiah 4:7
“But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.”
8. Esther 3:8
“Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate.'”
9. Isaiah 36:2
“The king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.”
10. Daniel 1:1
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.”
Prophecies of Nations Rising Against Israel
11. Ezekiel 38:1-2
“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him.'”
12. Zechariah 12:3
“On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.”
13. Zechariah 14:2
“I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women violated. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.”
14. Psalm 2:2
“The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying…”
15. Isaiah 60:12
“For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.”
16. Joel 3:2
“I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”
17. Obadiah 1:1
“The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—We have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, ‘Rise, let us go against her for battle.'”
18. Micah 4:11
“But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, ‘Let her be defiled. Let our eyes gloat over Zion!'”
19. Jeremiah 4:16
“Tell this to the nations, proclaim concerning Jerusalem: ‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah.'”
20. Revelation 16:14
“They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”
Biblical Accounts of Israel’s Struggles with Adversaries
21. Judges 3:8
“The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.”
22. Judges 10:7
“The anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the people of Ammon.”
23. 1 Samuel 7:13
“So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.”
24. 2 Chronicles 12:2
“Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.”
25. 2 Chronicles 28:5
“So the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus.”
26. Isaiah 7:1
“When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.”
27. 2 Kings 15:29
“In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria.”
28. 2 Kings 17:5
“The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years.”
29. 2 Kings 18:13
“In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.”
30. Nehemiah 4:2
“and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, ‘What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble, burned as they are?'”
The Role of Nations in Israel’s Spiritual Journey
31. Judges 2:14
“In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.”
32. 2 Kings 17:7
“All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods.”
33. 2 Kings 18:14
“Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: ‘I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.’ The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.”
34. 2 Chronicles 28:23
“He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, ‘Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.’ But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.”
35. Nehemiah 9:32
“Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.”
36. Jeremiah 40:11
“Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them…”
37. Isaiah 65:3
“A people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick.”
38. Ezekiel 16:27
“So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct.”
39. Hosea 8:9
“They have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.”
40. Lamentations 4:11
“The Lord has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.”
Warnings and Blessings for Israel in Scripture
41. Genesis 12:3
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
42. Deuteronomy 28:15
“But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”
43. Isaiah 41:11-12
“Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.”
44. Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
45. Psalm 122:6
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you!'”
46. Ezekiel 37:27
“My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
47. Zechariah 2:8
“For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.”
48. Psalm 121:4
“Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
49. Leviticus 26:12
“And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”
50. Deuteronomy 30:3-5
“Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.”
Israel’s Resilience in the Face of Opposition
51. Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
52. Isaiah 54:17
“No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
53. Psalm 118:6
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
54. Joshua 1:9
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
55. Psalm 23:4
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
56. Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
57. Romans 8:31
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
58. 2 Timothy 1:7
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
59. Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
60. Psalm 34:17
“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”
Modern-Day Relevance of Nations Against Israel
61. Ezekiel 38:23
“So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
62. Zechariah 12:3
“On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.”
63. Isaiah 60:12
“For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.”
64. Psalm 83:4
“They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.'”
65. Joel 3:2
“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage, Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land.”
Conclusion
The pages of the Bible are replete with stories of nations rising against Israel, and while these events often brought turmoil and hardship, they also served as a backdrop against which the faith, resilience, and divine promises of Israel shone brightly. Whether it was the exile in Babylon, the conquest of Canaan, or the prophetic warnings of future conflicts, these narratives reveal the intricate tapestry of Israel’s journey.
The lessons drawn from these encounters extend beyond historical records; they underscore the enduring covenant between God and Israel and the profound spiritual messages embedded in these experiences. The Bible reminds us that even in the face of adversity and opposition, faith and trust in the Divine can lead to deliverance and restoration. The relevance of these narratives continues to resonate in today’s world, serving as a testament to the enduring power of faith and the promises of God.
