We visited Dan and Caesarea Philippi today, two sites that had seemed unconnected to me until today. But there’s a mighty word from Godthat can be heard in both sites.
Dan is the site of the Canaanite town with the city gate still standing that Abraham would have walked through. As one person in our group announced, "That is crazy good." Dan isalso the site of one of the two temples that Jeroboam built to keep his peoplefrom going to the temple in Jerusalem. The ruins of the temple are still there.However, it’s not a holy site. Not only did Jeroboam build a temple, he createda golden calf for worship (see 1 Kings 12:25-33). Jeroboam tried to take on therole of God by creating his own temples, altars, and even his own worshipfeasts. Those worship feasts, including the dates they were celebrated, hadbeen dictated by God. In response, God allowed the Assyrians to capture the tentribes in northern Israel, including Dan. God tolerates no one trying to assumeHis role.
Caesarea Philippi was a city also in northern Israel that was the headquarters of Philip and a major pagan worship center. Fourteendifferent gods were worshipped there, including the Greek god Pan for which thecity was originally named. It wasn’t even a Jewish city. Today the site has theruins of temples and the remains of what was once a bottomless pit that wasused for pagan sacrifices. The worship of pagan gods by non-Jews could not havebeen more obvious. But it’s at this site that Jesus intentionally used toidentify Himself as the messiah (see Matthew 17:13-20). Interesting that Jesuschose a pagan site to reveal God’s plan, a plan that included Jews andgentiles, you and me.
What a reminder that God is God and will not accept our trying to take His place.
Margie Williamson
Community Manager
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