#8 … Sunday – May 4th [The Mt. Hermon region]
Yesterday we
enjoyed the most beautiful and lush portion of the land of Israel. We headed to the North and Northeastern part
of the country in the shadow of snowcapped Mount Hermon, which is the source of Jordan
River and most of the fresh water in Israel.
Here is what we just did today:
First – Dan.
The city of Dan was, practically speaking, the Northernmost city of
Israel in the Old Testament. When
writers of Scripture wanted to speak of all of the land of Israel, they would
say “from Dan to Beersheba” (way down South).
The original
name of the city was Leshem or Laish, a Canaanite city from the 1700s
B.C. Lahish was captured by the tribe of
Dan, who renamed the city after their own tribe who bore the name of one of
Jacob’s sons.
The tribe was the last to receive its territorial
inheritance when Israel invaded and captured the Promised Land. According to the biblical narrative, the
tribe had originally tried to settle in the central coastal area of Canaan, but
due to war with the pagan tribes who had already settled there, were only able
to camp in the hill country overlooking the Sorek Valley (Joshua 19:40-48).
We further read in Judges 1:34 “The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into
the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain.”
Because of
inability and lack of desire to drive the people out, they felt the land was
too small for their tribe --- and thus took things into their own hands.
Rather than continue fighting and
claiming the promise of God that this was their inheritance, the tribe of Dan abandoned
hopes of settling the central coast. Instead,
they migrated to the Northernmost part of the country. In Judges 18 we
read that they claimed this land because it was easy … v.27 “and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and
unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city
with fire.”
Judges
18 tells us how the
people of Dan wooed and hired into service a Levite who had set up idolatrous
worship in a household in Ephraim. They
took this priest with them and after capturing Laish, they establish a site of
pagan worship (Judges 18:30-31). This city, which was on the border with
countless pagan cultures grew and became a center for paganism, and it was here
that King Jeroboam later set up one of his golden calves (1
Kings 12:28-33). Remains of this worship center have
been uncovered; along with a four-horned (the
picture shows a metal frame used to picture what this would have looked like).
The people of Dan thought they would
be safe from conflict with those who lived on the coastal plain. They believed they could live in peace and safety
by ignoring what God had told them and by staying far from the action of the
South. In fact, they built a fortified
city just to be sure that they would be secure.
A massive four-towered gate allowed them to monitor those who entered
the city and the remains of this are called Tel Dan (Tel being the name of an archeological dig). The photo shows an artist’s construction of
what the ruins would have looked like, back in the day.
But instead,
they became the first tribe to be on the receiving end of the judgment of God
upon their idolatry --- The Assyrians and the Babylonians wiped out them out
and over the course of history, countless others have marched across their
idolatrous bones. (see Jeremiah 1:13-16; 8:esp
– vv.15-17)
- A simple lesson is that if we think we can take the easy way out in life, be disobedient to God, and allow idols to become part of our lifestyle --- God will teach us differently by allowing us to suffer the consequences of our choices!
Second – Caesrea Philippi – The Gates of
Hades. Near the city of Dan, in its setting of a
lush paradise, is another place filled with beautiful ponds and lush
woods. This area is fed by another
tributary of the Jordan River, the Banias (the
Arabic pronunciation of Paneas).
This gem of a site is set against the rough cliffs of Mount Hermon. In antiquity, the large rock hewn cave and
the nearby niches contained statutes of Pan, the Greek god of hunters, flocks and
shepherds.
More about
the history of the city can be found on the following website:
The
excavations near the cave have revealed foundations of large buildings, the
temple of Augustus Caesar mentioned by Josephus (the picture is an artist’s rendering of what these would have looked
like, based upon the ruins).
It was here
at Caesrea Philippi that the disciples understood Jesus’ true identity. Here he taught His disciples for the first
time that His mission was to got to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised
up on the third day. This weeklong
teaching session was capped by and event witnessed only by Peter, James, and
John: the Transfiguration (Matthew 16:13-23). It was here that Jesus put together for His
disciples the twin truths of His humility (humanity)
and His glory (Deity).
·
See
this site for more understanding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9xkwDc0ThA
What makes
this even more interesting is that Caesarea Philippi was
referred to as the The Gates of Hades (notice the large temple to the left of the
picture) – “To the pagan mind, then, the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi
created a gate to the underworld. They believed that their city was literally
at the gates of the underworld—the gates of hell. In order to entice the return
of their god, Pan, each year, the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in
horrible deeds, including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans
and goats – EVEN SACRIFICING THEIR CHILDREN IN THE POOL OF WATER LOCATED IN
THAT LARGE CAVERN.”
The following website provides some great insight to this
nickname and offers a challenge for our lives today:
Third – Church of the Primacy - Tabgha.
Two miles
west of Capernaum is what Josephus referred to as the "well of
Capernaum." Famous for its "seven springs," Heptapegon (today the name has been corrupted to Tabgha)
is the traditional location for several episodes in Jesus' ministry.
The seven springs that emerged at Tabgha (today only six have been discovered) produced water warmer than
that of the Sea of Galilee. This warmer water helped the production of
algae, which in turn attracted the fish. Fishermen thus have frequented
this area for thousands of years.
The current
church, at this site, [Church of the Primacy] was built in
1933 and incorporates parts of an earlier 4th century church. At the base of
its walls, opposite the main altar, foundations of the 4th century church are
visible.
In John 21, Jesus met with the disciples for the "last breakfast." Here
he restored Peter to himself after the disciple's three denials by asking him
three times if Peter loved Jesus
On the back side of the church is a rock that signifies the
traditional place where Jesus stood and called out to the disciples.
Beneath the rock are the "Twelve Thrones", a series of heart shaped stones, which
were placed along the shore to commemorate the Twelve Apostles.
A great point of application for our lives can be found
at this website:
Here we had
a great time of reflection as we considered Jesus’ words to the disciples (and
us) --- do we really love Him?
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