To The Ends of the Earth Ministries

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1 To The Ends of the Earth Ministries presents Study Notes for Great Discoveries of the Bible Lecture #4 Copyright 2003, 2015 by Jeffrey J. Harrison Many Scripture verses have been translated or modified by the author to bring out details of the original Greek or Hebrew text. Otherwise: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright the Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 Used by permission. For more information on Landmarks of Faith Seminars, contact: Jeff Harrison To The Ends Of The Earth Ministries

2 GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE: Joshua and the Judges Lecture #4: Page 2 THE BATTLE OVER JOSHUA GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE Lecture #4: Joshua and the Judges 1) The unified migration view: This is the picture presented by the Bible itself, in which the Israelites came from Egypt all together at one time: a single, massive migration, led by Moses. 2) The multi-wave migration view: That different tribes came to Israel at different times, only some of whom came with Moses. Later, they say, the memory of all these different migrations were mixed together as a single event. 3) The peasant revolt theory: Slaves revolted from their masters in the Canaanite city-states and gathered together in the hill country. Here they invented a "unifying myth" to give themselves an identity: the myth of the Exodus and Conquest. Amarna Letters: Correspondence from the rulers of Canaan to the pharaohs of Egypt (Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV) that describe an invasion from the east of a people they call the Habiru (or Apiru). This invasion took place against the same cities and at the same time as Joshua's invasion of Canaan in the Bible. Amenhotep IV: Also known as Ankhenaton, or the heretic pharaoh because he suppressed the worship of Egypt s many gods and replaced it with the worship of one god, Aton, the disc of the sun. Tutankhamon: Also known as King Tut, the son of Ankhenaton, restored the worship of Egypt s many gods. Tel El Amarna: Site of Ankhenaton s new capital where the Amarna Letters were discovered (379 clay tablets). Quotes from the Amarna Letters: "Let the king my lord protect his land from the hand of the Apiru." "The chief of the Apiru has risen against the lands that the god of the king, my Lord, gave me." "The land of the king is lost; in its entirety it is taken from me; there is war against me, as far as the lands of Seir [Edom in the south] and as far as Gath-Carmel [Mt. Carmel in the north]." "Lost are the lands of the king! Do you not listen to me? All the governors are lost; the king, my lord, does not have a single governor left!... The Apiru plunder all the lands of the king!" Habiru (Apiru): Also appear in records from many other parts of the Middle East, which clearly are not referring to Israelites. The name is a general word used for displaced persons and mercenaries, similar to our word refugee. But this name would also apply quite well to the Israelites as they were seen by the Canaanites. The Kings of Canaan: Were rulers of small city-states, independent cities that were their own countries, like the tiny country of Luxembourg in Europe. CROSSING THE JORDAN Jericho: The initial point of Israelite attack across the Jordan River (see event on the map below). Central Benjamin Plateau (marked Benjamin on the map below, west of Jericho): An uplifted area in the center of the hill country of Canaan. This was a strong, defensible position. From here, the Israelites could expand out into other areas. Gen. 15:16: the iniquity of the Amorite... Josh. 5:14: And he said, No, for I have now come, the captain (or commander) of the army of the LORD, and Joshua fell on his face to the ground... Josh. 6:2: And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. Josh. 3:15,16: "And when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), that the waters that were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea (the Dead Sea), were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho."

3 GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE: Joshua and the Judges Lecture #4: Page 3

4 GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE: Joshua and the Judges Lecture #4: Page 4 Adam: A city 18 miles upstream from Jericho, where steep cliffs occasionally erode and fall into the river. If the mudslide is great enough, it can block the flock of the river for several hours. JERICHO Kathleen Kenyon: Controversial excavator of Jericho (in the 1950's) who declared that no one was living at Jericho in the time of Joshua. John Garstang: Previous excavator at Jericho (in the 1930's) who claimed that "City IV" had been destroyed in the time of Joshua. Tell: A hill-shaped ruin heap created by one city being built on the ruins of another over a long period of time. Bryant Wood: A young archeologist that has challenged the conclusions of Kenyon. He claims that the pottery evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusions of Garstang. Josh. 2:15: "Then she let them down with a rope through the window, for her house was by an (inner) surface of the wall, and she was living within the wall" Josh. 6:20: "...the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city" Jer. 10:10: "At his [God's] wrath, the earth quakes" Josh. 6:24: "And they burned the city with fire..." Kherem: Devoted to God, i.e. devoted to destruction. A city that was declared kherem belonged wholly to God. Its spoils could not be taken for personal gain. Josh. 2:6: "But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof" THE ALTAR ON MT. EBAL (Event on the map above.) Deut. 27:5: "You will build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you will not wield an iron tool on them...and you will offer on it burnt offerings to the LORD your God" Ex. 20:26: "You will not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed" SHECHEM Lab'ayu: The ruler of Shechem, mentioned in the Amarna Letters. "Lab'ayu...gave over the land of Shechem to the Habiru" (Letter of Abdi-Kheba, Canaanite ruler of Jerusalem, to Pharaoh; EA 289). Israel s ancient covenant with Shechem in the time of Jacob: Gen. 34:15, 24. Josh. 8:35: "...before all the assembly of Israel with...the strangers that were living among them" Also 8:33. (Josh. 17:2 also mentions that the Shechemites had a close relationship with Israel: "...for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families...and for the sons of Shechem...") COVENANT WITH GIBEON Josh. 9:6: And they (the Gibeonites) went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us. SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN (Event on the map above: starting at Gibeon) I II III IV V Tell

5 GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE: Joshua and the Judges Lecture #4: Page 5 Josh. 10:3,4: Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel. Josh. 10:11: "As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon...the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword" Megacryometeors: Huge hailstones that fall out of a clear sky. Rev. 16:21: And a great hailstorm, with hailstones weighing about ninety pounds each, comes down from heaven upon mankind... Josh. 10:12,13:...O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon. 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. This miraculous day, in which the sun stood still, foreshadows the prophetic Day of the Lord mentioned by the prophets, a day that, according to the book of Revelation, will last a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-7). NORTHERN CAMPAIGN (Event on the map above: at Merom. Hazor is just to the east.) Josh. 11:1 Then it came about, when Jabin king of Hazor heard of it... Josh. 11:10: "...for Hazor formerly was the ruler of all these kingdoms" Josh. 11:5: "So all of these kings having agreed to meet, came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel" Josh. 11:7: "So Joshua and all the people of war with him came on them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and attacked them" Josh. 11:10,11: "Then Joshua turned back at that time, and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword... And he burned Hazor with fire" Hazor: Recent excavations have discovered a palace from the time of Joshua, with signs it was destroyed suddenly by an intense fire. Idols all over the city had their head and hands cut off. (The Amarna letters also mention Hazor. Abi-milki, the king of Tyre wrote (EA 148): "The king of Hazor has left his palace and has gone out to join the Habiru. May the king be apprised concerning this rebellious man, because he has given over the land of the king to the Habiru.") ISRAELITE SETTLEMENT Despite the words of conquest that appear in the book of Joshua, archeology and the Bible both make clear that many Canaanites remained in the land for many years. Evidence of the Israelite settlement: hundreds of small stone villages appear exactly where the Bible says the Israelites settled, often arranged in a circle. Judg. 5:24: "Most blessed of women is Jael...most blessed is she of women in the tent" Judg. 7:8: "Gideon sent all the other men of Israel each to his tent..." 2 Kings 13:5: "...and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly" (See also Psa. 78:55, 1 Chron. 4:41, 5:10; Jer. 30:18, 35:7.) Broadroom: A rectangular room with the entrance in the middle of one of its long sides. Four-room Israelite house (or "pillared house"): The standard house plan for Israelite homes had a broadroom at the back and three "long" rooms in front, the center one of which was usually a courtyard open to the sky. The other long rooms in front could be used for animals, workshops, or additional housing. Aliyah: Hebrew for "upper room." The Israelite houses sometimes had a second storey, as in 2 Kings 4:10: "Let us make a little walled upper chamber (aliyah)..."

GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE: Joshua and the Judges Lecture #4: Page 6 (4b) THE BOOK OF JUDGES SHILOH Though Shiloh was the worship center of Israel, it s hardly ever mentioned.

6 GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE: Joshua and the Judges Lecture #4: Page 6 (4b) THE BOOK OF JUDGES SHILOH Though Shiloh was the worship center of Israel, it s hardly ever mentioned. The first clear picture of worship there appears in 1 Samuel 1-4. (When Shiloh is mentioned in the book of Judges, the Benjaminites have to be given directions to find it: Judg. 21:19: "There is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah...") CANAANITE RELIGION Ugarit: Ancient Canaanite city in Lebanon (Ras Shamra; 14th/13th cent. BC). Thousands of clay tablets have been discovered. Baal: The Canaanite storm god. Yamm: The Canaanite god of the sea. Asherah: The mother of the gods, a personification of fertility, symbolized by wooden Asherah poles, some of which were probably living trees. The wife of El. Anat: The goddess of love and war. El: The Canaanite Creator God, whose position of authority was taken by Baal. Often called "Bull" El. 1 Kings 18:28: "So they (the prophets of Baal) cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them..." Gen. 15:16: "...the iniquity of the Amorite" Mt. Zaphon: The northern mountain of God where El rules over the "sons of God." Job 1:6: Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD... Psa. 82:1 (in Hebrew): "God (Elohim) takes his stand in the congregation of El, he judges among the gods" (See also Gen. 6:2,4; Psa. 136:2, 138:1.) Ezek. 28:14: "You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire..." Kothar wa-khasis: The craftsman-god, with western associations probably related to the rich copper trade with Cyprus. The battle of Baal and Yamm: "Swoop down in the hand of Baal [the club of Baal], Like an eagle between his fingers; Strike the back of Prince Yamm, Between the arms [i.e. the back] of Judge Nahar... The club swoops in the hand of Baal, Like an eagle between his fingers; It strikes the pate of Prince Yamm, Between the eyes of Judge Nahar. Yamm collapses... He falls to the ground" (James B. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East, vol. 1, Princeton U. Press, pp , lines 10-30). After Baal s palace is built: "Now, too, the seasons of his rains will Baal observe, The seasons...with snow; And he will peal his thunder in the clouds, Flashing his lightnings to the earth" (Pritchard, p. 102). "One lip to earth and one to heaven, He [Mot, the god of death] stretches his tongue to the stars. Baal enters his mouth, Descends into him like an olive-cake, Like the yield of the earth and trees' fruit [the fields and trees become barren]" (Pritchard, p. 108). "Straightway kindly El benign, Descends from the throne...and sits on the ground, Pours dust of mourning on his head, Earth of mortification on his pate; And puts on sackcloth and loincloth [all signs of mourning]. He cuts a gash with a stone, Incision with a rock [self-mutilation as prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel]. He gashes his cheeks and his chin, He harrows the roll of his arm. He plows his chest like a garden, Harrows his back like a plain. He lifts up his voice and cries..." (Pritchard, p. 110).

7 GREAT DISCOVERIES OF THE BIBLE: Joshua and the Judges Lecture #4: Page 7 "She [Anat] seizes the godly Mot [the god of death], With sword she cleaves him, With fan she winnows him, With fire she burns him [as chaff and straw], With hand-mill she grinds him. In the field she sows him. Birds eat his remains, Consuming his portions, Flitting from remnant to remnant" (Pritchard, p ) "In a dream, O kindly El benign, In a vision, Creator of Creatures, The heavens fat did rain, The wadies flow with honey. So I knew that Baal the strong was alive" (Pritchard, p. 113) DEBORAH AND BARAK (Event on the map above) Jezreel Valley: Large, fertile valley on a major trade route through Israel (the Way of the Sea). One of the great battlefields of history. Previously part of the power base of the Hyksos civilization. A center of Canaanite resistance to Israel. Sisera: Army commander for King Jabin of Hazor. He led the alliance against Israel, with 900 iron chariots. He lived in Harosheth-hagoyim (Judg. 4:2). el-ahwat: Recently identified site of Harosheth-hagoyim (towards the coast SW of Megiddo on the map). Shardana: One of the earliest of the Sea Peoples to invade the Eastern Mediterranean. Originally from Sardinia. Judg. 5:20,21: "The stars fought from the heavens, from their courses they fought against Sisera. The torrent of Kishon swept them away." Judg. 4:15: "Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot" GIDEON (Event on the map above) Judg. 8:21,26: "So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels' necks... besides the crescent ornaments...that were on the kings of Midian" Why was Gideon threshing grain in a wine press? (Judg. 6:11) Judg. 7:12: "The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore" Shofar: A ram's horn trumpet. One shofar was usually used for a whole division of the army. PHILISTINES Mycenaean Greeks: Fought the battle for Troy, recorded in the Iliad and the Odyssey: the most famous Greek writings of all time. After the war at Troy, many came to the Eastern Mediterranean, where they were one of the many Sea Peoples groups. Nostoi epics: Tell of Greeks who didn't return home after the Trojan war, but sailed the eastern Mediterranean founding cities. Dorian Greeks: Invaders from the north who expelled the Mycenaean Greeks. They are the ancestors of the modern Greeks. Ramses III: Fought an epic battle against the Sea Peoples (1170 B.C.). The fighting just barely succeeded in pushing the Sea Peoples back. One group, the Peleset, settled on the southern coast of Canaan. These are the Philistines of the Bible. (Philistine cities are marked with squares on the map in the bottom left corner.) Philistines: Actually had a sophisticated culture, unlike the modern implication of the word Philistine. They had iron technology. Samson: The stories about him in the Bible read like agreek epic. Samson is a Greek-style champion posing Greek-style riddles at a Greek-style banquet. This reflects the heavy Greek influence in the area where he grew up. In a battle near Aphek, the ark of the covenant was lost to the Philistines. (Event #11 on the map above.)

COALITION AGAINST ISRAEL

COALITION AGAINST ISRAEL Joshua: If God is For Us Passage: Joshua 10:1-43 Calvary Baptist Church Sunday, January 28, 2018 Pastor Ben Marshall Key Goals: (Know) God is in the heavens and does as He pleases. (Feel) We can feel confidence