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Israel Diary Tel Lachish
Visiting Lachish for the first time was an exciting experience. The pastoral setting of the Tel did not indicate its importance. We parked the car on a gravel road and walked up to the top of the Tel. The view towards the coastal plain to the west is magnificent. To the north Mareshah is clearly outlined and to the east we could see the hills of Hebron. Lachish guarded the land route from the sea. It is easy to understand why this area was so important to Judah from the time of Rehoboam until the fall of Judah in 587 BC.
Lachish was the first city that Assyria destroyed in the Judean Kingdom on their march to Jerusalem in 701 BC. They were an efficient war machine. The horror and suffering at Lachish was terrible. The Bible says that the Lord sent an angel to kill the Assyrians when they turned toward Jerusalem. They had threatened Hezekiah and cursed God.
Lachish was rebuilt after Assyria left Judah. It thrived again. Then, because of the sins of the nation, the Lord sent Babylon to destroy Judah. They started with Lachish. Sitting in the car looking at Lachish it was hard to comprehend their history. Once a thriving metropolis, it is now a graveyard covered with grass. Lachish never committed itself to the Lord. Their wealth was a result of the relationship that David developed with the Lord. They thought their wealth was a result of their hard work and trade.
I think that we often underestimate the blessings of the Lord. Good times come, our hearts grow cold and our focus becomes ourselves. If we forget the Lord, we too could wind up a graveyard like Lachish. They received the blessings of God in this life and missed an eternal relationship with the Living Lord.
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Tel Lachish