Biblical Ashdod: The Philistine City that Defied the God of Israel! True God vs Dagon! Ark of God!

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Tel Ashdod, once a mighty Philistine stronghold, was one of the five great cities that opposed Israel in biblical times. Famous as the place where the Ark of the Covenant humbled the idol of Dagon (1 Samuel 5), its ruins still echo with stories of power, pride, and God’s intervention.

Contents:
0:00 - Intro
1:48 - Location
3:59 - Historical Background
7:52 - Ashdod In the Bible
13:58 - Faith Lesson

Location
1. Ashdod is located on the Mediterranean Sea and is the northernmost of the five Philistine cities.
2. It's about 18 miles (29 km) south of Jaffa and Tel Aviv.
3. Tel Ashod is just about 2.5 miles (4.5 km) inland from the sea. It remains in its natural form and has undergone some excavations, but not extensive ones.
4. It appears that the city was large and extended all the way to the sea, or had another part of the city that was by the sea.
5. During the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua and the Israelites, giants known as Anakim were found here (Josh. 11:22). Ashdod was allotted to Judah, but they failed to conquer it (Josh. 13:3, 15:46–47).
6. During the time of Samuel, Ashdod and the other main cities of the Philistines were still independent.
7. Ashdod was conquered and came under the authority of Assyria around 711 BC. Later, Babylon also conquered it around 605 BC.
8. In later times, the Ashdod-Yam Fortress (also called Qal’at el-Mina) was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik (685-705 AD) at the end of the seventh century AD on the ruins of a Byzantine settlement. The fortress was part of a coastal defense system designed to prevent a Byzantine invasion from the sea. The system consisted of a string of strongholds along the Mediterranean Sea situated in sight of one another. In times of danger, messages were conveyed using beacons of fire (by night) and smoke signals (by day). In 1033, the fortress was destroyed by an earthquake and abandoned. It was reconstructed and resettled during the Crusader Period (12th and 13th centuries AD). Its name was changed to Castellum Beroart. It was finally abandoned after the Crusaders were banished from the country in 1290.​

Places of Interest
1. Tel Ashdod
2. Ashdod-Yam Fortress​

Ashdod in the Bible
1. The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and took it to Ashdod, and placed it in the House of Dagon (1 Samuel 5:1-2). The Ark may have resided in the house of their false god, Dagon, which was located by the sea. From Ashdod, the Ark was taken to Gath.
2. God revealed Himself as the Lord of Lords to the Philistines by making their false god, Dagon, bow down and submit to Him (1 Samuel 5:3-4).
3. God struck the people of Ashdod with tumors to show them He was the true God (1 Samuel 5:6-7).
4. God prophesied that a people of mixed origins or nationalities would live in Ashdod and among the Philistines. This was indeed fulfilled in history and can even be seen today (Zechariah 9:6).
Isaiah 20:11, Amos 1:8, Jeremiah 25:20, and Zechariah 2:4, 9:6. However, Ashdod continued to be inhabited as the Jews intermarried with its inhabitants after their return from Babylon (Neh. 13:23–24).
5. In the New Testament, Ashdod is called Azotus.
Acts 8:40: But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through, he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Faith Lesson from Ashdod
1. God revealed Himself as the Creator and true Lord to the Philistines on different occasions so they would know He was the true God. God reveals Himself to everyone through His creation, so that no one can claim to be without excuse (Romans 1:18-20)
3. Any person from any nation was welcome to join in the Jewish faith, obtain salvation, and be right with God. The Philistines had this opportunity, like every other nation.
4. What about us? Are we right with God and letting our lights shine to a world that needs God and His salvation through Jesus Christ?