This podcast is designed to help you better understand the Word of God — both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the story of the Covenant which God made with His chosen people Israel. And the New Testament is the story of the Cross which signifies the fulfillment of the Old Covenant with Israel and the formation of a New Covenant with redeemed people from many nations.
We always like to start out with the Word of God, and today’s passage of Scripture is from Joshua 4:13-14 which reads: “About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.”
Regarding this passage, Dr. R.C. Sproul notes in the Reformation Study Bible:
The crossing of the Jordan River, the river marking the boundary of the Promised Land, was an occasion of wonders comparable to the crossing of the Red Sea. The great significance of these wonders is indicated in Joshua 4:24. They were to remain a testimony for all peoples and for all time that the hand of the Lord is powerful. The prominence of the ark of the covenant relates the power of God to the promises of God that are at the heart of the covenant. Chapter 3 gives the events in order; chapter 4 returns to and elaborates on several points, especially the memorial of stones at Gilgal. Joshua’s exaltation is in fulfillment of Joshua 3:7. God’s powerful faithfulness to His promises has the effect of exalting the one whose leadership is based on those promises.
Today’s Covenant & the Cross quote about the Bible is from Augustine of Hippo. He said: “The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.”
Our topic for today is titled “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho — and Hazor Too (Part 6)” from the book, “The Promise and the Blessing” by Dr. Michael A. Harbin. And, I want to remind you to take advantage of our special offer. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to purchase a copy of this book — “The Promise and the Blessing” by Dr. Michael A. Harbin. It is available on our website for just $20.
— DIGGING UP JERICHO
Jericho illustrates the problems involved in archaeology. This city has been excavated twice, with different conclusions. John Garstang, who excavated part of the city in the 1930s, concluded that the evidence corroborated the biblical account. He dated the destruction of the uppermost major layer, called City IV (showing evidence of a Late Bronze Age culture), to about 1400 BCE (primarily based on pottery, Egyptian scarabs found in graves, and the absence of imported pottery from Mycenea). The walls had fallen outward, indicating destruction of the type associated with an earthquake. Grain that had burned but not been looted was found stored.
In the 1950s, Kathleen Kenyon excavated another part of the city. She never overturned Garstang’s evidence and agreed that City IV had been destroyed violently. But she argued that he had interpreted the data incorrectly. She ignored the Egyptian scarabs, dated the fallen walls to the Early Bronze Age, and argued that there was no evidence of Late Bronze ruins for Joshua to attack.
More recently, other archaeologists have raised serious questions regarding Kenyon’s work. For example, John J. Bimson carefully evaluated a number of her assumptions and concluded that the pottery evidence pointed to a destruction in the fifteenth century. Bryant Wood came to similar conclusions based on four lines of evidence. One of the most telling is a quotation from Kenyon’s report that shows how the bricks from the wall fell outward and down the slope. Another is a radiocarbon dating of the destruction layer to 1410 BCE ± 40 years. The crux of the matter is that the ruins in Jericho show the characteristics that would be expected if the biblical account is accurate.
Lord willing, we will continue this topic in our next broadcast.
Let’s Pray —
I am your host, Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. This podcast is designed to help you better understand the Word of God — both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the story of the Covenant which God made with His chosen people Israel. And the New Testament is the story of the Cross which signifies the fulfillment of the Old Covenant with Israel and the formation of a New Covenant with redeemed people from many nations.
***
Before we close, dear friend, I want to remind you that the most important thing you should know about the Bible is that it is the story of God working to save humanity from sin and the consequences of sin. He did this by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins and take the punishment that we deserve on Himself. Romans 5:8 says, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you want to get to know Him today, here’s how.
All you have to do is believe “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” and you will be saved. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will.
Until next time, remember the word of God is the foundation to a successful life. God bless.
***
Before we close, dear friend, I want to remind you that the most important thing you should know about the Bible is that it is the story of God working to save humanity from sin and the consequences of sin. He did this by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins and take the punishment that we deserve on Himself. Romans 5:8 says, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you want to get to know Him today, here’s how.
All you have to do is believe “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” and you will be saved. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will.
Until next time, remember the word of God is the foundation to a successful life. God bless.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
The Covenant & the Cross 