Volume 22, Issue 4 (January 26, 2020)
Biblical Events upon the Iraqi Battlefield
By Kyle Pope
In 2003, coalition forces began a push to disarm the
Iraqi regime led by Sadam Hussein. When that happened, many Americans became
glued to their televisions, radios, and newspapers following the events as they
unfolded. As I began consulting a map to track the stages of the war, I began
to realize that the places described hold a great deal of significance to
students of the Bible.
Al Furat and Dijlah Rivers.
Two
rivers cut through the heart of Iraq, the Al Furat (or Euphrates)
and the Dijlah (or Tigris) rivers. These two rivers are the
lifeblood of this region, forming the “Fertile Crescent.” Virtually all of the
major cities of Iraq lie on or are connected to these rivers. In ancient times
the Persian Gulf came further inland covering the modern cities of Umm Qasr and
Al Bosrah. The Bible, in describing a preflood geography vastly different from
what we know, describes the Euphrates and Tigris (or Hiddekel) as
flowing from Eden (Gen. 2:8-14). This association with early human history is
part of the reason this area is called the Cradle of Civilization. In
the New Testament, Stephen mentions Abraham’s home using the Greek
name for this area, Mesopotamia, meaning literally “between the
rivers” (Acts 7:2-4).
An Nasiriyah. Early in the conflict,
coalition forces moved against the Iraqi city of An Nasiriyah in order to
establish a river crossing on the march towards Baghdad. On the western side of
the Euphrates some thirteen miles from Nasiriyah stand the ruins of the ancient
city of Ur. Some scholars believe this site was the city of Abraham’s birth.
The Bible states that God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, to go to a
land that the Lord would give his descendants as an inheritance (Gen.
11:26-12:5; 15:7). The New Testament writer of the book of Hebrews offers
Abraham’s faithfulness as an example of seeking a better, “heavenly country”
(Heb. 11:8-16). The ruins near Nasiriyah are not universally accepted as the
biblical Ur of the Chaldees. Some place Abraham’s birthplace in northern Iraq
or eastern Turkey.
As Samawah. Sixty miles north of An
Nasiriyah in the town of As Samawah coalition forces encountered resistance in
the early stages of the war. Twenty-one miles east of Samawah are the ruins of
the town of Uruk (biblical Erech). The Bible says this city was built by
Nimrod, a descendant of Ham, described as a “mighty hunter.” He built a
number of cities including Babel, Erech, and Accad (Gen. 10:6-10).
An Najaf. As coalition forces pushed
north, a suspected chemical weapons factory was seized near the city of An
Najaf, about 96 miles south of Baghdad. About half-way between Najaf and
Baghdad are the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon. The Hebrew name for this
city is Babel. Babylon is its Greek name. When Assyria carried away the
northern kingdom of Israel, residents of Babylon were brought to live in
northern Palestine (2 Kings 17:24). In part, these people would become the
ancestors of the Samaritans of the New Testament. Not long after this, Babylon
assumed an ominous place in biblical history. During the time of the Judean
king Hezekiah, Isaiah prophesied a time when Babylon would destroy Jerusalem
and carry off its inhabitants (2 Kings 20:12-18). When Nebuchadnezzar rose to
power, this prophesy was fulfilled. In Babylon Daniel, Shaddrach, Meshach and
Abed-Nego were brought to the royal court where they maintained their
faithfulness (Dan. 1:8). In this city Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
of four earthly kingdoms destroyed by an eternal kingdom (Dan. 2:44).
Christians believe that this kingdom is the church. Here Nebuchadnezzar was
humbled when he exalted himself (Dan. 4:28-37) and Belshazzar, the final co-king
of Babylon, saw a hand write his own judgment upon the wall. While Belshazzar
drank from objects taken from the temple in Jerusalem, the Medes and Persians
took the city (Dan. 5:1-30). The horror of Babylon was still remembered in New
Testament times as the name became a synonym for the oppression of Rome (Rev.
17:5, 18).
Ad Diwaniyah. Some coalition forces
pushed north through the region between the Tigris and Euphrates coming to the
town of Ad Diwaniyah. Twenty miles east of Diwaniyah are the ruins of the
ancient city of Nippur. In ancient times (as today) a canal ran from Erech,
north to the ancient city of Sippar, near modern Baghdad. The Bible calls this
canal the “river Chebar,” after its Akkadian name Kabaru. Nippur
sat on the shore of this canal. Although it is not mentioned by name in the
Bible, it was to cities like Nippur, along the Chebar that many of the exiles
from Judah were brought during the Babylonian captivity. Along the Chebar,
Ezekiel received his vision recorded in the book which bears his name (Ezek.
1:1-3).
Mosul (Al Mawsil). In northern Iraq bombing
occurred regularly at a town on the western banks of the Tigris named Mosul.
According to the Bible, after Nimrod moved north of Babel and Erech he built
two other cities near Mosul. Nineteen miles south, on the east side of the
river, is Nimrud, called Calah in the Bible (Gen. 10:11-12). Just opposite
Mosul, on the other side of the river, are the vast ruins of Nineveh. The Bible
tells us Jonah was told to go and preach to Nineveh (Jonah 1:1-3). Although he
first ran in the opposite direction, he ultimately preached to them and they
accepted his warnings (Jonah 3:1-10). Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian
empire during the time of Sennacherib, who was murdered by his sons after
returning from his Palestinian conquest (2 Chron. 32:21). The prophet Nahum
declared God’s judgment upon the city because of its corruption (Nahum 1:1-3;
3:5-7).
Early in the opening
stages of the war, coalition special operation forces together with members of
the Kurdish resistance worked to secure an important oil field near the city of
Karkuk. About seven miles west of Karkuk lie the ruins of the Nuzi. Over 4000
texts have been discovered at Nuzi, which reflect legal practices common to
many seen in the book of Genesis. At Nuzi we see examples of the transfer of
one’s birthright in exchange for goods, and a father’s dying blessing treated
as a legally binding declaration, both of which occurred with Jacob and Esau
(Gen. 25:30-34). In Nuzi texts, we also see handmaids given to a new bride, and
given to a husband to bear children if the woman was childless. When Abraham
and Sarah failed to trust God’s promise to give them a son, they were likely
simply following the customs of their former homeland by bearing Ishmael
through Sarah’s handmaid Hagar (Gen. 16:3).
MODERN DAY IRAQ
