The Jericho Walls

Historical Context

Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Occupied since the 10th Millennium B.C.E. (Mesolithic, Iron Age, and Persian Period) Located at Tel es-Sultan

Hellenistic through early Arab period site of Tulu Abu el-Alayiq.

Both sites are distinct from modern Jericho. (likely also hiding more archeological evidence)

Attraction for settlement because of a natural occuring spring as well as three wadis (a seasonal river in the rainy season). Thus supporting vegetation such as fruit trees.

Jericho in the Bible

Jericho was located on a major road from the ford of the Jordan to the hill country. Therefore it was in the direct path of the Israelites.

‎Modern-day Jericho. Archaeological excavations reveal that Jericho was violently destroyed sometime toward the end of the Bronze Age. The walls seem to have been thrown down by sudden force, as if by an earthquake. Charred wood shows that what was left of the city was burned. Excavators have also found food supplies buried in the destroyed city, which shows it was not captured by siege. Barry J. Beitzel, Copyright 2014 Faithlife / Logos Bible Software

Jericho was visited by the spies sent by Joshua. Rahab a prostitute assisted in hiding the spies from the king in exchange that her household would be saved. Her house was built into the outer wall of the city. She was to hang a red cord from her high window and stay in the house while the battle took place.

The Israelites marched around the city walls for 6 days and 7 times on the 7th day and with a mighty shout and blow of horns the walls crumbled and Israel took the city and burned it. They took nothing for spoil not even supplies.

Joshua cursed the remains that “at the cost of the first born its foundations be rebuilt and at the cost of the youngest son its gates would be rehung. Hiel of Bethl during the time of Ahab and Jezebel (300 yrs. later) rebuilt the city and thus fulfilled the prophecy with costing his own children. (Likely child sacrifice) 1Kgs. 16:34 “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho; he laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua son of Nun.”

Archeologists have found that the city was destroyed by around the end of the Middle Bronze Age (1560 B.C.E.)

No evidence of Jericho destruction in the late Bronze age.

. Titus Kennedy “Tel es-Sultan, located adjacent to modern Jericho is consistently identified by archeologists as the Old Testament Jericho. New Testament Jericho is a different location.

Scarabs found from the Bronze Age. Journal article authored by Dr. Kennedy.

West side of the Jordan River, below sea level. A constant spring. Early houses were round in shape. Early Bronze Age City in which people built a wall around. Suffers from major earthquakes. Middle Bronze Age 3 (1600 BCE) Stone and mudbrick, on top of this was a city wall, 20 ft tall. Gates on both east and west entrance. A tower over the spring. A palace was present on the Acropolis. Covered 17 acres. (13 to 14 football fields. A football field is 1.3 acres.) City was destroyed and for centuries was not reinhabited. Iron Age 2 9th Century BCE was rebuilt. 6th century BC it was destroyed by the Babylonians. During the Hellenistic period the city was moved.

Dr. Titus Kennedy: Evidence

According to earlier archeologists like Kathleen Kenyon and Italian/ Palestinian excavations, “the mudbrick wall on top of the stone retaining wall had collapsed and fallen in front of the retaining wall around most of the city and had essentially formed a pile of sloping bricks resembling a ramp.”—Titus Kennedy

Following the collapse of the walls a massive fire engulfed Jericho, and including a collapse of buildings in the city. “it is as if a massive earthquake, rather than a battering ram or other seige equipment.”

Typical seige warfare in the Middle to late Bronze Age would be the exploitation of a weak section of the surrounding city wall and the army would enter the city through that point. The wall did not fall into the city but away from it. Evidence suggests that most of the wall around the city fell at the same time. It occured in Middle Bronze lll or Late Bronze l

Evidence of burning sealed in the top layer of the excavation, blackened walls and floors, fallen brick, charred debris, and burned remains. Evidence of the burning being so thorough that it is consistent with intentional arson. This is further evidenced by the abandonment of the sight for an extended period of time.

Joshua 5:10, 19-20, precious metals were looted as well. As consistent with the Joshua account.

The event of Jericho’s destruction is not under dispute but the when and by who are.

Most scholars believe the story of Jericho and the Joshua Conquest is etiology. The prevailing view of modern archeologists is that the Biblical story of Joshua and the conquest of Jericho is a “Romantic Mirage” Most scholars who cite the nonexistence of the Joshua Conquest of Jericho comes from an academic and world view issue.

Scholars have dated wares like pottery, oil lamps, wood, and numerous other artifacts. Most recent excavations strongly parallel the events detailed in the Bible’s book of Joshua.

Kennedy writes “When all of the chronological data from Jericho IV is assessed and assembled, including specific pottery wares and forms of Late Bronze I, 18th Dynasty Egyptian scarabs concluding with Amenhotep III, a cuneiform tablet dated tentatively to the 15th century BC, and radiocarbon samples that would at least allow the possibility of a destruction around the Late Bronze IB period, the destruction of the final walled Bronze Age city of Jericho appears to have occurred near the end of the Late Bronze I period around 1400 BC.

The mudbrick wall falling upon itself all around the city, similar to an earthquake rather than a specific point of entry, an apparently intentional fire that consumed the entire city, the many storage jars of grain that were not looted, and the timing of the attack soon after the spring harvest all agree with the specifics of the Joshua account regarding the methods of destruction.

An abandonment of Jericho following its destruction until Iron IIA, except for a palatial residence briefly occupied in Late Bronze IIA, also matches the narratives and sequences in the books of Joshua, Judges, and Kings. Thus, archaeological excavations and analysis at Jericho appear to place the destruction of the final Bronze Age city ca. 1400 BC in a manner consistent with the account in the book of Joshua”

‎Modern-day Jericho. Archaeological excavations reveal that Jericho was violently destroyed sometime toward the end of the Bronze Age. The walls seem to have been thrown down by sudden force, as if by an earthquake. Charred wood shows that what was left of the city was burned. Excavators have also found food supplies buried in the destroyed city, which shows it was not captured by siege. Barry J. Beitzel

Main Point: We can trust the Bible and its accuracy. We can trust the promise God has made to Joshua and to us.

Could you imagine being Joshua? A general, leading a nation against a fortified city but asked to fight in a way foreign to any people? What kind of fighting is walking in a circle around the walls of your enemy? It is easy to doubt, to turn back, to walk away, or to forget how you were told to fight and fight the way you want. Joshua had to learn and so did the people to trust God, not only in what God had done for them in the past but now with Moses gone that God will be with them even now. God was proving to the people that He could be trusted if they chose to listen.

How God calls us to fight: God has a fight strategy that appears in a few ways on our behalf. Whether it is getting involved, sitting back to watch, but it always requires our obedience.

Each of us has a blessing waiting for us from God but sometimes there is a battle in-front of the blessing.

I remember:

Proverbs 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” .

God called the people to be faithful and the Angel was waiting to see if the Israelites would push forward. God is there to bring victory but expects us to step forward in obedience. The Wilderness was the training ground. Now its time for God’s people to enter the battleground.

When my last church was going through discernment of either sliding down the slippery slope of death or to make a radical change we had to ask a question of ourselves. Were we willing to be obedient knowing God had a promise for our church or would we walk away in the trench of clinging to the same old same old?

Sometimes it is walking around the problem and not noticing a change, it may feel like walking in circles but footsteps of obedience bring earthquaking power against the enemy.

Psalm 20:7 “Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.”

People on the other side may hurl insults at us but our focus is on the one we trust. It is not about how we perceived by the adversary but how we are seen by our commander.

Romans 8:37–39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Conclusion: We can trust in the power of God because we can trust the words of the Bible. The promise God gave to us are with us and in Christ Jesus we have received the ultimate victory. The Satan, the opposer of God is trying to get you to run away from the promised land. Satan wants you to see the enormity of the city wall, the shear terror of the battle before you because he hopes you won’t fight, only run.

But God did not leave us abandoned to fight on our own. Phil 2 tells us God stepped out of heaven into this world to lead his people from the ground. Phil. 4:19 tells us that God will supply our every need, this includes our needs in the battle.

Finally Eph 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The peopleof Jericho didn’t realize that they were not in a battle with God, they thought they were against a people. In the same way, the world is at odds with the Christian but the world doesn’t realize that the battle belongs to God! God will win the day. Just like when the Israelites hit their seventh round and blew their horns and let out a shout that caused a mighty earthquake, so the whole earth will shake on the great and terrifying day when Christ returns to usher in the fullness of his victory. Until that day, be obedient, do the faithful work, focus on the victory, hold to the promise of God, and keep marching forward for the battle is the LORD’s!