Jericho

Jericho. As is often the case, some of the subjects touched upon during our Sundays have a way of popping up throughout the week. It should not be a surprise that the same Jericho that has been in our summer sermon series in the book of Joshua appeared in last week’s international news. Part of this year’s 27 additions to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites is the ruin of the ancient city of Jericho (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/unesco-jericho-ruins-tell-es-sultan/index.html). You can read about how, at its unveiling ceremony for the prestigious UNESCO list, the United Nations officials snubbed Jericho’s official host nation, Israel, by stating that the award went to Palestine.

Nevertheless, the infamous wall can be seen in the news article, brushed away carefully of its dust and sand by the archeologists. Of course, the ruined wall that is visible today (dating from 10^th Century B.C.) is not the wall that fell at the trumpet blasts of the priests of Israel. The older wall was leveled in approximately 1400 B.C. Certainly, by the time of King David (reigned 1010-970 B.C.), Jericho was again populated (2 Sam. 10:5), though arguably without a fortified wall since there was an ominous curse placed on the fool who would venture to rebuild the city. “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates” (Josh. 6:26). Sadly, in stride with the idolatrous reign of King Ahab (874-853 B.C.), a man named Hiel rebuilt Jericho as a fortified city despite the curse. Predictably, the curse prevailed. “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 the son of Nun” (1 Kings 16:34). Jericho was also near to the site, just across the Jordan River, where Elijah skipped death and was translated into heaven (2 Kings 2:4).

In the New Testament, Jericho was the place to where the character in the parable of the Good Samaritan headed before he was robbed (Luke 10:30). Jericho was visited by Jesus where he healed two blind men, one of whom was named Bartimaeus (Matt. 20:29; Luke 18:35). Jericho was also where the tax collector, Zaccheus, lived and climbed a tree to better see Jesus as he passed through on his way to the cross (Luke 19:3).

So, be careful what you study, for you may begin to see traces of it everywhere you look. The more you study, the more you see; the more you see, the more you want to study!