“Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say:
Jeremiah 4:5-6
‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’
Raise the signal to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north,
even terrible destruction.”
The third day of our Galilee trip led us north. The Rift Valley runs north and south of the Sea of Galilee. To the north a few miles lies the city of Hazor. This was a major city 3000+ years ago, forming one of the protective barriers of the northern entry into the country. The Israelite city there wasn’t very large, but the older Canaanite city spread out for 200 acres. By comparison, Jerusalem in David’s day was about 10 acres.
Farther to the north was the city of Dan, named after the tribe that inhabited it. Even in this dry time of the year (we’ve received a little rain, but nothing significant), water gushes out of springs through the nature preserve here. This formed the northern boundary of ancient Israel, which was often characterized by the phrase “from Dan to Beersheba”. King Jeroboam set up a golden calf idol here in order to keep his people from worshipping the Lord in Jerusalem. This was the beginning of a long descent into idolatry and problems for ancient Israel. From Dan we looked north into Lebanon, the border lying only a couple miles away. Just as Lebanon today is near Dan, so the ancient invading armies (like Assyria and Babylon) came from this direction, trampling northern cities like Dan and Hazor first.
Nearby was the New Testament city of Caesarea Philippi. We read about Jesus coming to the region of this city (Matthew 16). There was a large cult center here dedicated to the god Pan, the half goat, half man Greek god.
We ascended east into the Golan region. This area was taken by Israel in the Six Day War in 1967. Ancient, extinct volcanoes dot this basalt-covered land. (Basalt is rock formed from lava flows) We ascended one of those volcanoes: Mt. Bental. One part of the rim of it has eroded, leaving it in a horseshoe shape. On top is an abandoned Syrian military base, offering a great view of the region. We could see Syria in the distance. We explored the base and appreciated the strange metal sculptures on top before heading back to our hotel.
