Topical Bible: The Wind: Often Blighting

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In the biblical narrative, the wind is frequently depicted as a powerful force, often associated with divine intervention, judgment, and the natural order established by God. While the wind can be a symbol of the Holy Spirit or God's breath bringing life, it is also portrayed as a destructive force, bringing blight and desolation as a form of divine judgment or natural calamity.

Old Testament References

The wind's blighting nature is vividly illustrated in the Old Testament. In the book of Genesis, the east wind is described as a force that brings devastation. During the account of Joseph in Egypt, the east wind is responsible for withering the healthy grain, as Pharaoh recounts his dream: "Then seven heads of grain, withered and thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them" (Genesis 41:23). This imagery underscores the wind's role in bringing about famine and hardship.

In the book of Exodus, the east wind is again depicted as an instrument of God's judgment. It is the east wind that brings the plague of locusts upon Egypt, as described: "So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD sent an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts" (Exodus 10:13). Here, the wind serves as a vehicle for divine retribution against Pharaoh's hardened heart.

The prophet Hosea also speaks of the destructive power of the wind, using it as a metaphor for the consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness: "An east wind will come—the wind of the LORD rising from the desert. Then his spring will fail, and his well will dry up. The wind will plunder his treasury of every precious article" (Hosea 13:15). The east wind, in this context, symbolizes the impending judgment and loss due to the nation's idolatry and rebellion.

New Testament Context

While the New Testament does not emphasize the blighting aspect of the wind as prominently as the Old Testament, it does acknowledge the wind's power and unpredictability. In the Gospels, Jesus uses the wind as a metaphor for the mysterious and sovereign work of the Spirit: "The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Although this passage highlights the wind's role in the spiritual realm, it also alludes to its uncontrollable and sometimes fearsome nature.

Symbolism and Interpretation

Throughout Scripture, the wind serves as a multifaceted symbol. Its blighting aspect is often associated with divine judgment, serving as a reminder of God's sovereignty over creation and His ability to use natural forces to accomplish His purposes. The east wind, in particular, is frequently linked to desolation and hardship, reflecting the consequences of disobedience and the reality of living in a fallen world.

In a broader theological context, the blighting wind can be seen as a call to repentance and a reminder of the need for reliance on God's provision and protection. It underscores the transient nature of earthly security and the ultimate authority of the Creator over all elements of the natural world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 103:16
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 40:7
The grass wither, the flower fades: because the spirit of the LORD blows on it: surely the people is grass.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Surely Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow Me all the Days of My Life ...
... Like reeds shaken by the wind, like houses built on ... How often did He accuse them
reproachfully of their ... or gradually given up, and the blighting influences of ...
/.../callan/the shepherd of my soul/xi surely goodness and mercy.htm

The Note of Pity.
... in upon a reluctant spirit, but because the wind happens to ... love seems like to bring
is the blighting of her ... their results in life and character, often make it ...
/.../jackson/the message and the man/chapter ii the note of.htm

Creation's Groans and the Saints' Sighs
... understood." However, dear friends, we have often found that ... too deep for travelling,
and the wind is howling ... winds to cause him injury, no blighting heats to ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 14 1868/creations groans and the saints.htm

Psalm LXXVIII.
... but by bringing over the South Wind from Heaven ... of these crooked and embittering
persons, "How often they exasperated ... For it is a blighting air which doth work ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxviii.htm