From Libnah, Joshua proceeded with all Israel to Lachish; he encamped against it and attacked it. GOD delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel. They captured it on the second day and put it and all the people in it to the sword, just as they had done to Libnah.
Yehoshua 10:31-32
We then drove South to have lunch at Tel Lachish. Lachish was the second biggest and most important city in Judea after Yerushalayim.
We learned a lot about the famous conquest of Lachish at the hands of Sancherib during the times of Chizkiyahu Hamelech. There was a huge amount to learn and see. We watched the beautiful historical video about the Lachish mural in the palace of Sancherib in Ninveh and we went out to see the actual siege mounds.
But for our tour, the main interest was going back even further. We know that Lachish was one of the 5 cities Yehoshua conquered when defending the Givonim. From that time it remained unsettled for 200 years until it was resettled by Israel and remained and important fortress.
We spent time looking at the 6 room gatehouse which we had seen before at Gezer.
One of the incredible things about this gatehouse was the inner chamber of the 6th room which contained a broken double alter and a toilet seat. We learned about the challenges of remaining isolated from Canaanite culture and Jews serving Hashem and also Canaanite Gods. We learned about how various kings like Yehu and Chizkiyahu destroyed and defiled pagan deities which is what we saw in Lachish.
And if you tell me that you are relying on the ETERNAL your God: is this not the very one whose shrines and altars Hezekiah did away with, telling Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship only at this altar in Jerusalem’?
II Melachim 18:22
