Hazor
Hazor is
located about 8.5 miles north of the Sea of Galilee in the area known a Huleh
basin (or valley). At 200 acres, Hazor is the largest tell in Israel. As a
gateway city controlling the principal trade routes, the ancients recognized
its strategic value so that the site developed into a mighty fortress at
critical times in its settlement history.
We find Hazor in the conquest narrative of Joshua 11 when a
northern coalition of Canaanite kings led by King Jabin of Hazor organized a
counter-offensive to remove the Israelites from Canaan. This battle would become Joshua’s toughest
challenge yet. The gathered armies
represented an overwhelming threat “as numerous as the sand on the seashore” due
in no small part to the presence of horses and chariots – an eerie echo of Israel’s
old foe, Pharaoh of Egypt, who also challenged the people of Yahweh with
overwhelming force.
Following the victory, which included the permanent
disabling of Jabin’s armor (hamstringing the horses and burning the chariots),
the narrative adds that Joshua burned Hazor.
Yigael Yadin, a true legend among Israeli archaeologists of the post
World War II era, identified the Joshua destruction with Level 13 (a “layer” of
archaeological phasing) at Hazor, which corresponded to a date around 1200 B.C.. More recent excavations have uncovered
earlier destruction layers, including that of a Canaanite palace, which could
also be the result of Joshua’s destruction (1400 B.C.). The uncertainties of
assigning specific historical events to specific archaeological phases at a
site represents one of the many challenges in connecting the archaeological
record with the biblical record.
However, whether it was in 1200 or 1400, we do know it actually happened
since Scripture bears witness to the destruction of Hazor at the hand of
Joshua.
Hazor also features another famous battle of the Old
Testament in the story of Deborah and Barak in Judges 4-5. As in a previous generation, Canaanite
chariotry is involved and the hand of Yahweh intervened to secure victory on behalf
of Barak. As prophesied by the sitting
Judge of the time, Deborah, victory would ultimately be secured through the
“hand” (literally and figuratively) of a woman, Jael. In great detail, the account describes how Jael
killed Sisera the Canaanite commander.
Later on in Israelite history, Hazor features preeminently
as one of Solomon’s strong cities, along with Megiddo and Gezer – all
strongholds with the typical six-chambered gate. Under the rule of Ahab in the 9th
century B.C., Hazor would experience a settlement build up that can still be
seen today at the site: the water system and a large pillared building (perhaps
stables) attest to the might of the Omrides in the region during the 9th
century. However, these fortifications
would soon crumble under the heavy imposition of the Neo-Assyrians during the 8th
century B.C., starting with Tiglath Pileser III and his conquest of the northern
Galilee area in 745 B.C.. The writer of
the book of Kings makes it quite clear that the invasion of the northern
Kingdom (and the collapse of Hazor) was the direct result of Israel’s
unfaithfulness to Yahweh.
- Scripture References: Josh 11; Judges 4-5; 1 Kings 9:15, II Kings 15:29; 17
- Text References: AOT pp. 214-216, 230-231
- Pictorial and Map References: CBA maps 71-74
Dan
Moving further north past Lake Huleh, and with Mount Hermon in the
distance, we reach the northern edge of the land and the border stronghold of Dan. Oftentimes, the ancient Hebrews would describe
the north-south axis of the land by the phrase “from Dan to Beersheba.” Over
the course of Israelite history, Dan would take on a special significance as
the location of an illicit temple in the northern Kingdom (late 10th
century). Dan is often linked with another
counterfeit worship site in Bethel, situated at the southern border of the
northern kingdom of Israel, just a stone’s throw away from Jerusalem. Dan and Bethel and the sin of Jeroboam, Israel’s
first king of the breakaway tribes of the north, would become particularly
irritating to Yahweh and his prophets.
The chosen site for the true worship of Yahweh was Jerusalem and the
mountain of Zion and nowhere else. This
pattern of idolatry in the northern kingdom (and its capital, Samaria) is
directly connected to Israel’s great sin of idolatry at Mount Sinai, when Aaron
manufactured a golden calf at the request of the people.
While we don’t have evidence of the initial structure king
Jeroboam erected during his reign in the late 10th century B.C.,
excavations at Dan have uncovered a cultic installation under the reign of another Jeroboam – Jeroboam II in the 8th
century B.C. (Jonah was a prophet during his reign). Today, in Dan, the cultic platform remains,
along with a reconstructed “horned” altar at the High Place of Jeroboam.
Dan is also well known for two gate structures, one
corresponding to the biblical period of the monarchy, complete with a
reconstructed “seat” which reminds us of the biblical custom of public
gathering at the gate for judgment (see Lam 5:14; Prov 31:23). The other gate is associated with a
Canaanite period (first half of the 2nd Millennium B.C.) preceding
the Israelite settlement in the land. Excavated by Avraham Biram, another famous
Israeli archaeologist, this Middle Bronze Age gate made of mud brick, was found
in a remarkable state of preservation.
The gate (along with a similar one found at Ashkelon on the coast)
stands as a silent witness to what historians have called the “mighty Canaanite
city-states.” This sophisticated Canaanite culture in the land would become a
formidable foe to subsequent generations who encountered them in the field of
battle (e.g., at the time of Joshua).
The Tel Dan National Park and nature preserve will come to
us as a welcome rest with its lush surroundings. The park includes the springs of the Dan
River from which the Jordan River (among other springs) draws its waters. Not unlike the serenity and peace of the Galilee
where Jesus grew up, Dan has its own unique character and represents a favorite
stop in our exploration of the land in which redemption became flesh.
- Scripture References: Deut. 12, Judges 17-19; 1 Kings 12-13, Hosea 13
- Text References: AOT 296-300
- Pictorial and Map References: CBA maps 75, 79, 119, 130, 158
Caesarea Philippi/Banias
On our way across the Jordan valley into Jordan, we will
pass by Banias/ancient Caesarea
Philippi. Caesarea Philippi is most famously known in biblical history as
the site of Peter’s great confession about Jesus Matthew 16:13-20,
Mark 8:27–30
and Luke 9:18–20. While we do not have any sense where exactly
Peter’s great confession occurred, the place continues to reinforce for us the
appeal of being part of the story as we journey on toward the land of Gilead
and our next adventures.
- Scripture References: Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:18-20
- Text References: ANT, pp. 171-173
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