Standing here in Ashdod, it is remarkable to realize how many layers of biblical history are beneath our feet. This is a city where the Philistines once carried the Ark of the Covenant as a trophy of victory, believing they had defeated not only Israel, but Israel’s God. Centuries later, the same city appears again in the New Testament—this time not as the place where an idol stood before the Ark, but as a place where the Gospel was being proclaimed. Ashdod’s story moves from Dagon falling before the presence of God to Philip arriving with the message of Yeshua. And through both stories, Scripture declares the same truth: God is greater.
That truth feels especially powerful today.
We live in a world where so many things appear strong—governments, armies, ideologies, wealth, influence, human certainty. Sometimes the things standing before us can seem immovable. Yet here in Ashdod, the Bible gives us a different perspective. What looks powerful to man is never beyond the authority of God. He does not need favorable circumstances in order to accomplish His purposes. He is able to work even through defeat, disappointment, and situations that seem completely out of our hands.
In 1 Samuel 5, Israel had suffered a devastating loss. The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and brought it here to Ashdod, placing it inside the temple of Dagon beside their idol. To them, the meaning was obvious: their god had conquered Israel’s God. But the following morning, they entered the temple and found Dagon fallen facedown before the Ark. They raised the idol and put it back in its place, but the next morning Dagon had fallen again—this time broken.
I love this part of the story because Israel was not there fighting the battle. There was no army surrounding the temple, no human strategy, and no one defending God’s honor. God defended His own name. The Ark had been captured, but the presence and authority of God had not. What appeared to be Israel’s humiliation became a revelation to the Philistines that the God of Israel could not be conquered, contained, or placed alongside another god.
Eventually, the Philistines wanted the Ark gone. They sent it from city to city until it was finally returned to Israel. What began as their trophy became something they could not keep. God had demonstrated that He alone is Lord.
And then, many centuries later, Ashdod appears again in Scripture—but many English readers may never notice it.
Acts 8 tells us the remarkable story of Philip and the Ethiopian official. After Philip shared the good news of Yeshua and baptized him, Scripture says that the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away and
“Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea”
Acts 8:40
Azotus is the Greek name for Ashdod.
Think about that for a moment. The city once known for the temple of Dagon became a city where Philip proclaimed the Gospel. The geography had not changed, but the story had.
And now, nearly two thousand years later, we are standing in Ashdod again. Jewish people have returned to the land of Israel, our congregation is here, and the message Philip carried through this city is still being proclaimed. We are sharing Yeshua, praying for people, seeing lives changed, welcoming believers from the nations, and continuing a story that began long before any of us were born.
There is something deeply encouraging in that continuity.
We sometimes read the Bible as though its stories belong to a distant world of prophets, apostles, ancient cities, and miraculous encounters. But the same God is still working. The places remain. His promises remain. His Gospel remains. And His people are still being called to carry His presence into their generation.
There may be things in our own lives and in our world that appear immovable—powers, circumstances, fears, even impossibilities that seem to have taken their place and refuse to move. Ashdod reminds us not to measure them by their size, but by the greatness of the God before whom even Dagon fell. We do not serve a God who needs us to make Him victorious. We serve the God before whom every false power eventually falls.
Our calling is to remain full of faith and the Holy Spirit, as Philip was, and faithfully carry the message entrusted to us. From ancient Ashdod to the Ashdod of today, the testimony remains the same: God is greater, Yeshua is still saving, and the story of His Kingdom is still being written.
From biblical Ashdod, blessings and shalom.
Pastor Israel Pochtar
