At Tel Gezer we learned how controlling this city provided the most strategic control of access to Jerusalem. When Joshua conquered Canaan, his conquest began from the backside or the north side of Israel. The first city he conquered was Jericho, of course, but he continued to drive the Philistines out of the Promised Land, through the Central Benjamin Plateau, down the Aijalon Valley and as far as Gezer. Because Gezer is a high place, it remained a watchpost for the valley.
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| Panoramic View of Tel Gezer |
It was in the Aijalon Valley where God rained down hailstones to kill the Philistines so recognizing how great a day this was, Joshua prayed and God made the sun and moon stand still to Joshua’s army could finish their conquest. (Joshua 10)
When the Philistines heard that David was anointed King, they attacked Israel, perhaps because he was the one who had killed their champion, Goliath, or perhaps thinking that this new king wasn’t skilled yet in warfare. But God was with David and he too defeats the Philistines all the way back to Gezer. (1 Samuel 5:25)
Solomon received the city of Gezer as a dowry in a political alliance with Egypt. (1 Kings 9:16)
At Gezer we saw the remains of Solomon’s famous 3 chambered gate design. This is one of three locations where this gate design can still be seen today. The other two locations are Tel Hazor and Megiddo.
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| Solomon's Three Chambered Gate |
Ten monoliths were set up about 1800 BC and scholars believe these were erected to serve as a venue where alliances between ten tribes or city states were forged or renewed. This is a similar concept to the LORD's instructions to Moses in Exodus 24:4-6.
Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.
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| 10 Monoliths |
Evidence of child sacrifice has been discovered and the altar still remains.
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| Altar for Child Sacrifices |
We also saw evidence of the great stone tower built in the 17th century BC. It was 50’ wide and linked to a 14’ wide wide and the city gate. It's difficult to see, however, from the photo below, but it's the best one I have of the tower area.
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| Tel Gezer |
Tel Gezer also has the largest and oldest water system in the ancient Near East. We climbed down a flight of stairs to look deep into the system. The water system is comprised of a keyhole-shaped entrance measuring 26 feet high and 15 feet wide, a long shaft stretching down at a 38-degree slope and a basin for water collection. Over the course of the excavation, the archaeologists have removed over 550 tons of thick, rock-filled mud and have dug about 145 feet underground. But it is estimated that perhaps another 550 tons of mud would need to be removed to get to the bottom of the system.
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| Tel Gezer Water System |
In 2017, a team of archaeologists in Israel unearthed the human remains of three individuals, almost 3,200 years after its catastrophic destruction by the ancient Egyptians. Excavations at the site have revealed enough evidence that appears to verify the speculations of historians that Pharaoh Merneptah invaded and eventually destroyed Gezer in the 13th Century BC. The heavy destruction suggests that the Egyptian pharaoh encountered much resistance from the Gezerites.
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| 3,200 Year-old Remains Discovered at Tel Gezer |
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