Idolatry within the city gates

There's more to the story of Tel Hazor than meets the eye.

The size and expanse of the site is incredible, and there's so much to learn—which I did on my first visit there. But on my 2nd, I learned to look for the small details that tell an even greater story—a story with implications that last millennia, even to this day.

As I stated in the last blog, Hazor was a significant city guarding the Via Maris. Joshua 11:10 calls it "the head of the kingdoms of Syria and Babylon" because of its important location.

There was a lower city and an upper city. The tel is the upper city, and the lower city is underneath this field. At the entrance from the lower city to the upper, is a dark stone.

It's obvious it's cracked, but it's several thousands of years old. No big deal, right? That's what you'd expect to see. Except... that's not why the stone is cracked. No, it's because during Joshua's campaign in the early chapters of Joshua, God commanded them to destroy everything, to kill everything that breathes, and to destroy all the high places and places of idolatry.

That dark, rectangular stone is cracked because it was where idols were placed at the entrance of the city. 

It's not accidental destruction or decay because of the march of time, or even earthquakes. 

It was intentional.

An act of obedience. 

Needless to say... I completely lost my chill. But my guide wasn't done.

He took us into the palace, sitting next to one of the excavated walls. He spoke to us about the history of Hazor, and its later appearances in the Bible: 

Jael drove a spike through Sisera's temple (the general under the king of Hazor). 

Solomon later built up to city in the same way as Megiddo and Gezer, and it became an Israelite city. 

And then, in 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."

Since the Assyrians burned everything, it makes sense that archeologists find evidence of that fire in the remains—which they have.

But... wait... it looks like there are 2 sets of burn marks, and the distance between them shows quite some time passed between the fires. Why?

Are you ready for this?

Joshua 11: 10-11: At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed, and he burned Hazor itself.

That, right there, is evidence to support the record in God's Word. 

And... I lost my chill again. WOW!

But, why did the destruction of Hazor by the Assyrians in 732 BC have to happen at all? 

Further up the ancient city is lies the reason why God allowed for first the Assyrians and then the Babylonians to invade Israel and takes its people into captivity:

That standing stone is a base for an idol. It is well within the city gates, in the area dating to the time of the Israelites.

Despite God's command to have no other gods before Him, idolatry had crept back into the land. 

Tel Hazor: Ancient guard of the Via Maris

Once the largest fortified city in Israel, Hazor, or Chatzor, sits right on the ancient Via Maris, or "Sea Road" that traders used when crossing through Israel. Joshua 11:10 calls it the 'head of the kingdoms of Syria and Babylon' because of its important location. 

Now, there is an ancient tell on the site, much like Megiddo. And I was so excited to visit!

Dating back to 2500 BC, many civilizations called Hazor home, and this is evident from the expanse of its lower city (over 175 acres) and the upper city (over 30 acres). That's a lot of land... all with an incredible view of Mount Hermon!

When you first walk into the upper city, there's an incredible view of the plain where the lower city is buried (above). Then, the iconic, Solomonic 6-chambered city gates!

Directly behind them are the ruins of an ancient Canaanite temple.

Then the ancient palace, where you can walk through the throne room!

The line in the walls separates the original walls from what's been rebuilt to give people an idea of what the building looked like inside.

From there, it's on to the water system. WOW! It's over 45 meters deep! It reminds of me of the water system at Megiddo- I still need to go and walk through that!

And after that, more of the upper city:

This is a pretty cool guard tower that looks over the valley (below the field). I love the statue of the sentry, because it helps us see what it could have been like to watch over this stretch of the Via Maris.

Tel Hazor fell in 732 BC, when Assyrian King Tiglath-Pilieser III invaded northern Israel. The defences fell, the townspeople were carried away, and the city was burned.

It remained in this state for millennia, until an archeological expedition in the 1950s went to the area and began uncovering its secrets...but only some of them. I'm sure there are more beneath the surface!