There are places in Israel where the distance between the Bible and the present suddenly feels very small. Ashdod is one of them.
Most Bible readers know Ashdod because of what happened there after the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. They carried the Ark into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside their god as a trophy. Israel had been defeated, the Ark had been captured, and from a human perspective it appeared that the Philistines had won. But God was about to show them otherwise. The next morning, Dagon was lying facedown before the Ark. They put the idol back in its place, only to find it fallen and broken the following morning.
What strikes me about this story is that God needed no one to rescue Him.
Israel’s army was nowhere to be seen. There was no battle plan and no human intervention. God demonstrated His authority all by Himself. The Ark could be captured, but the God of Israel could not.
But Ashdod’s biblical story does not end there. More than a thousand years later, after Philip shared the Good News of Yeshua with the Ethiopian official, Acts tells us that:
“Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea”
Acts 8:40
Azotus is Ashdod. The same city that once housed the temple of Dagon later heard the Gospel of Yeshua proclaimed through Philip. One chapter of its history shows an idol falling before the God of Israel. Another shows the message of Israel’s Messiah going forth.
And today, the Gospel is still being proclaimed here.
Nearly two thousand years after Philip passed through Ashdod, Jewish believers in Yeshua are once again living and worshiping in this city. Israelis are hearing the Gospel, opening the Scriptures, coming to faith and being discipled. For those of us who love Israel and believe the promises of Scripture, there is something profoundly encouraging about this. God has not abandoned His story.
The cities we read about in Scripture are not merely archaeological sites. Israel is alive. The Jewish people have returned to their ancient homeland, and in places where prophets walked and apostles preached, the name of Yeshua is being proclaimed again. This does not mean that everything we see in Israel today is the fulfillment of every biblical promise, nor does it mean the work is finished. Far from it. So many Israelis still do not know Yeshua as Messiah, and that is precisely why this moment matters.
Paul wrote,
“My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved”
Romans 10:1
That same longing continues today. The Gospel that went out from Israel to bless the nations is being carried back to the people from whom it first came. And perhaps that is one of the lessons Ashdod gives us: God is not intimidated by what appears immovable.
Dagon looked immovable. Rome once looked immovable.
Two thousand years of history could make the idea of Jewish people returning to Israel and believing in Yeshua seem impossible. Yet God continues writing His story. So when we look at circumstances in our own lives—or at a world filled with powers that seem permanent—we should remember Ashdod. Human strength has never been the measure of God’s ability to accomplish His purposes.
Today, from the same city where Dagon once fell and Philip later preached, we can testify again: God is greater. His Word still stands. And the Good News of Yeshua is still going forth from Israel.
Thank you for standing with us as that story continues.
Blessings and shalom from Israel,
Pastor Israel Pochtar