January 4, 2025
“After this, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem,” (2 Chronicles 32:9).
—The final stop on our Shephelah tour is the Lachish Valley. Perched on the west end, the city of Lachish was massive for ancient standards—and very important.
—Sennacherib famously besieged Lachish on his conquest of Judah during Hezekiah’s reign. The Bible highlights the campaign and how Sennacherib left the Lachish siege to move against Hezekiah in Jerusalem. As we know, God destroyed the Assyrian army and Sennacherib returned home (2 Kings 19:35-36).
—The Assyrian king bragged that he shut Hezekiah up “like a bird in a cage,” as recorded on the Sennacherib Prism. Notably he could not claim to conquer Jerusalem. But Lachish was so important that he supposed the taking of that city was proof of a successful campaign, based on wall carvings known as the Lachish Reliefs found at his palace in Nineveh. Ultimately Sennacherib’s boast was not received well as his sons killed him and Esarhaddon reigned in his place (2 Kings 19:37).
—In the picture you can see a walkway up to the city gate complex, which is quite well preserved compared to many other ancient cities in Israel. Close by are the remains of a siege ramp that Sennacherib built to attack Lachish. If you dig around in the dirt above and below the siege ramp, you might even find an Israeli or Assyrian arrowhead left over from the battle!
—On the eastern side of the valley you can search caves at Makkedah, the place where five kings hid from Joshua after the time when the sun stood still (Joshua 10:16-21).
—The Shephelah is an area with many important places, home to great events and people of the Bible. Not many tourists go there (other than the Elah Valley to collect their own smooth stones), but be sure to explore the wonder of its valleys if you ever make a trip to Israel!
—Adam Keim
Pastor Daniel McCabe, Shalom Y’all Ministries, 104 County Road 1633, Cullman, Alabama 35058, US