Podcasts about pentateuchal

The walls didn't fall from a fight. They fell from praise — and the praise came first, not after the win. Click here to read the sermon “Until the Walls Fall Down” Joshua 6:1–21 Oh, thank you, Brother Watson. That was so, so good. Friends, we are in the third and final week of this three-week series we have been in called Onward: Moving Toward the Uncharted. In this series, we have been looking at the story of Joshua's leadership of the people of Israel as they step into new ground, as they step into a brand new season, as they cross over the Jordan River into new lands the Lord has given them but of which they have not yet taken possession. There is a promise God has made to His people, but the people have not yet fully stepped into the promise. Two weeks ago, we saw this picture: that God had confirmed this promise, but it wasn't just a promise — it was a principle. And a principle is a promise that is user dependent, meaning the promise God makes to Joshua is, “I have given you every place the sole of your foot treads” (cf. Josh 1:3, HCSB) [see “A New Dawn, A New Day,” July 12, 2026]. Now that's a beautiful promise, but it also means that if Joshua and the people of Israel stay where they are on the eastern side of the Jordan River, that's all they get. But if they take steps of obedience, if they take steps of faith into a new land, if they follow a new journey and a new path to this new destination, God will be true to His promise to them. So we see it's not just a promise, but a principle — a user dependent promise. And last week, we saw this picture: how the people, after forty years wandering in the wilderness, had finally crossed the Jordan River (cf. Josh 3–4) [see “Walk This Way,” July 19, 2026]. They finally had crossed, and the Jordan River is not a huge river, but the Jordan River was an obstacle in the way of the promise. It was an obstacle in the way of stepping into the fullness of who God had called them to be. And so He gave very specific instructions as to how they were to cross the river, so that God would be praised and the generations to come would know that God is mighty, and He would be teaching the people to walk in wisdom. And so as we conclude today, we're going to do so with a message I have titled “Until the Walls Fall Down.” Until the walls fall down. Shock of all shocks, we're going to be looking at Joshua chapter six and the Battle of Jericho. Now, how many of you grew up in VBS, and you know the Joshua and the Battle of Jericho song? Come on: “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.” [Congregation sings along.] I want to write each and every one of your names up on the chalkboard and give check marks next to you. I don't think that means anything in heaven, but that's how proud of you I am that you all knew that song so well. Now, here's the thing. Many of us have heard the story of the Battle of Jericho in Sunday school and VBS growing up. But here are some of the things we may not have thought about when we were children hearing this story. Jericho is not a big city. Jericho was actually a relatively small town during this period of time. What Jericho had was two very important things, and in order to demonstrate those things, I need all of my youth in Passport shirts to come back up. I need all of your help. So youth and adults — if you're an adult here in a Passport shirt, I need you too. You are my wall. I need you all right here, right across the front. And by the way, I do want to see that special high five y'all worked on together. All right, so here we go — I've got my Passport teens and adults. This is my wall. Now, here's what's true about having a wall in front of you: I feel a whole lot braver with them in front of me, right? Because you can't get me — I've got the wall in front of me. Now, a wall is really great, but here's the problem: if I've got the wall in front of me and you are the encroaching army, you outnumber me, but I've got a wall, so I can just wait you out. But in order for me to wait you out — the same problem siege warfare has had for thousands of years is this: if you are the larger army and we've got a big wall, you don't have to tear down the wall. You just have to prevent anything I need from coming into the city. So the longer you surround the city, the more trouble I'm in. But Jericho had one thing going for it: Jericho had a spring in the middle of the city. So Jericho had fresh water and a wall. And if you've got fresh water and a wall, you don't need much else, because you can't get past my wall. And as long as I've got some animals and maybe some farming and fresh water, you can just keep hanging out out there — you don't bother me one bit. So, how many of you — raise your hands real quick, and then I'm going to dismiss the wall — how many of you have seen The Odyssey already? How many of you went to the theaters and saw the new Odyssey? Yes, excellent, you get it. So of course it's a bunch of men — Nolan made a new movie — that's how it goes. So here's the beauty of The Odyssey: The Odyssey is what happens after Homer's The Iliad, right? It's what happens after the Battle of Troy. And Troy was a walled city with a spring inside.1 So Troy could just wait out the opposing army — which is where the story comes from of the Trojan horse, because that was the only way you had to get someone to bring something into the city of their own accord. Otherwise, the people would just continue to wait and wait and wait — years waiting — because there was a spring and a wall. Y'all give it up for my wall! We're going to go ahead and let the wall fall down. Y'all can head back. “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.” But anytime you have siege warfare, the goal is to wait out the people inside. In fact, there are a lot of stories of siege warfare throughout history where no battle was ever actually fought — the people inside the city simply ran out of resources and ultimately died without a battle ever occurring. Jericho was not a large city. Jericho was a well-defended city. So we're going to read in Joshua chapter six, verses one and two — we'll go back, please: Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites — no one leaving or entering. And the LORD said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its fighting men over to you.” (Josh 6:1–2, HCSB) Now, they've always had a big wall, but it's “fortified,” meaning they are in a defensive posture. And the reason they're in defensive posture is that suddenly that eighty thousand to a quarter million people — the Israelites who crossed the river — suddenly that group is now surrounding them. So the people of Jericho are shut up inside. No one's entering, no one's leaving. And the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king and its fighting men over to you.” And if you're Joshua in that moment, you're thinking, “Not really — they seem to be doing just fine inside their walled city. They seem to be doing okay, God. You say You've delivered them to us, but here we are just hanging out outside. It doesn't look like we've been delivered much.” But this is why it's so important to remember that Jericho was not a big or powerful city — it was just well fortified. It's not a big or powerful city. It's just well fortified. And so this is our first point today that I want you to grab hold of: often in life, our obstacles are not large — they just appear insurmountable. Often our obstacles are not large. Often the obstacles you are facing are not crazy, they're not scary — you've just accepted that you can't do anything about them. Maybe that's where we are today as the church. It's easy to be the church in the world right now and look around and go, “Man, every church is declining.” It's easy to go, “It's not looking good.” And we're not quitting — but we've kind of thrown in the towel on going further. We're still going to show up, we're still going to be faithful, but if we're honest, we've lost a little bit of hope that there's more to come. We've lost a little bit of hope that the best is yet to come. We've lost a little bit of hope that the next generation is going to go further than we ever thought possible. It's not because it's big or scary — we're just looking around at the trends, and it feels insurmountable. But this is why what God says to Joshua next is so important. If we continue reading, we read these words: March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram's-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. (Josh 6:3–4, HCSB) You know, I should have asked about this before — I don't think we have a trumpet here, do we? We have the players, but not the horns. If there are any trumpet players in the room, I want to give you a moment to practice. Will you give me the sound you'd need to create the trumpet sound? Let me hear it — all the trumpet players in the room, any horn players in the room, let me hear it. There we go — it sounds a little bit like an elephant, doesn't it? Sounds a little bit like an elephant. Now here's the thing: I want you to imagine seven of those going off nonstop as an entire army marches around a city seven times. That's big, and it's loud, and it's scary. We continue reading: When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear it sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. (Josh 6:5, HCSB) Let's practice our mighty shout. Here we go — three, two, one. [Congregation shouts.] You scared me! Let's try it again — three, two, one. [Congregation shouts again.] Okay, okay, all right. Now imagine that you are somewhere between fifty thousand and a hundred fifty thousand strong. Imagine that sound. Now, I'm from Florida — we have really great college football teams in Florida, and so that fifty to a hundred fifty thousand people screaming, I've heard a lot of that. Now here in Durham, I imagine we have to associate it more with college basketball — but imagine you're inside Cameron during Duke-UNC. It's tied with three seconds left. Can you imagine what it sounds like in that building? Can you imagine how loud it sounds? There's power in that. But here's what's interesting in God's command here in Joshua 6:3–5: nowhere is there a command to grab a weapon. Nowhere. God doesn't say, “Here's what I want you to do — I want you to spend some time, I want you to build the trebuchet, we're going to take that wall down.” He doesn't say, “I want you to get all the horses you can find, or the chariots you can find” — there's nothing military-related to what we're hearing. It's: walk around the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, walk around the city seven times. And what's going to happen? They're going to blow horns. Now, for the people of Israel, blowing horns was part of a celebration — it was part of praise to God. In fact, if you go through the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, you're going to find specific instructions for the horns that are supposed to be played during different parts of the worship service and the tabernacle. You're going to find different examples of how you are to worship and praise God.2 God does not command the people of Israel to pick up weapons of violence. He has them pick up weapons of praise. So we're going to skip ahead to verse twelve, and we're going to find out what Joshua does in response to God's command. “Joshua got up early the next morning” (Josh 6:12, HCSB). By the way, notice this in your Bible — whenever you're reading, especially in the Old Testament, you're going to find a continual pattern: when God gives a command to one of His people, the people who are our models of obedience tend to do this — they get up early the next morning. They get up early the next morning. Now, I don't know about you, but I like sleep. I really do — I love sleep. But on days when I'm really excited about something, on days when I know something good is going to happen, I'm that person who can't even stay asleep through my alarm. I'm up an hour earlier. There's so much energy, so much excitement — I'm so ready for what's about to happen. And we see this continually in Scripture: when people are excited about obedience, when they're excited about what God is about to do in their life, they get up early the next morning. They are preparing themselves to experience all that God intends. So Joshua got up early the next morning; the priests took the ark of the LORD, and the seven priests carrying seven trumpets marched in front of the ark of the LORD. And while the trumpets were blowing, the armed troops went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the LORD (cf. Josh 6:13, HCSB). On the second day, they marched around the city once and returned to the camp, and they did this for six days. Now imagine — you're the people of Israel. Joshua's received this command from God, Joshua has relayed this command to you, the people. And here you are, day after day, just going for a walk around the city. And you know God has commanded this, but let's be honest — you don't really understand it. And I can't be the only person in the room who has been led by God to do something that didn't really make sense to me. I can't be the only person in the room who has found themselves in a situation where obedience to God seems ridiculous in the face of whatever's going on in your life. And if we're honest, if we're real with one another, I think many of us have come face to face with that struggle. God is asking for obedience, and you're looking at the situation — you're looking at your bank account, you're looking at your relationships, you're looking at your marriage, you're looking at your kids — and you're going, “God, that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. God, I know You're calling me to be obedient here, but I'm struggling to get it.” And this whole series, this whole three weeks, has really been about the idea that God is calling us into a new land. God is calling us into a new territory. God is calling us into something we did not think was possible before. And so, in order for us to reach that new land, in order for us to reach that new destination, it's going to require some different things from us. And I think, first and foremost, it's going to require a different kind of faith — maybe than we've had before. It's going to require a faith that is deeper, a faith that trusts more. And another way to say that would be a faith that risks more — the kind of faith that says, “If You don't show up here, then I don't have any other options. You've called me into the kind of faith, God, where either You are who You say You are, or I've got nothing.” And if we want to reach a new destination, if we want to be a people who are following a new path, it will require of us a new kind of faith — because following a new path will require a new kind of faith. We've got to trust God enough to continue down a new path toward a new destination, even when it doesn't always make sense to us. In those moments, we've got to trust: God, You know what You're doing. God, You know what You're doing. Because if we're real — and I'm just being honest — I've been in ministry for twenty years, and I'm just telling you what I have experienced: most of the time, my faith looks like one foot in and one foot out. Most of the time, my faith looks like, “God, I'm really hoping You're going to come through, but I've also got a backup plan. God, I'm really trusting that You're going to come through, but please don't ask me to risk too much, or give too much, or do too much. God, don't ask me to take on a position that is outside of my comfort zone. God, don't lead me to volunteer for a ministry where I don't really know what I'm doing.” For most of us, faith looks like, “God, I really, really believe You about sixty percent of the time.” And that's not — please, please don't hear a judgment in that. Please don't hear me say you've only got sixty percent faith. I'm saying I'm there with you. I'm a pastor, and I'm there with you. But what I also know from my own testimony, what I also know from your life, is that the moments your faith has deepened the most have been the moments where you have trusted God in such a way that there was no Plan B. There was no backup. It's “God, I am one hundred percent all in with You. God, I'm not holding anything back. I'm not being careful about what I'm going to do if this doesn't work out. God, I am believing that Your way is the best way. So I'm going to live in such a way that the whole world will know: he really believes that God is faithful.” That's not what my life looks like most of the time. But I know that when God has moved the most powerfully, those are the moments I have trusted Him fully. There's a pastor who passed a few years ago — I mean, we could talk about his influence on my entire generation of Christians. His name was Dr. Charles Stanley. And Dr. Charles Stanley said these words, and I love them: God will take full responsibility of the life fully entrusted to Him.3 And I know in my life, those rare moments — those rare moments where I've had a new kind of faith, those rare moments where I say, “God, I am trusting You fully” — I have seen Him take full responsibility and do more than I ever thought was possible. Church, if we want to reach a new destination, if we want to follow a new path, it will require from us a new kind of faith. As we continue reading, we're going to read verses fifteen and sixteen, and then we're going to skip to twenty: Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priest blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.” (Josh 6:15–16, HCSB) So, church — one more time. We've made our way around this city seven times. The priests have blown the trumpets. Let me be Joshua for a moment, and you be the people of Israel: “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!” [Congregation responds.] The Lord has given you the fortified city. Let's try it again: “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!” [Congregation shouts.] So the people shouted, and the trumpets sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpet, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The people advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. (Josh 6:20, HCSB) Now: seven times around the city, trumpet blasts, the people shout. Trumpet blast, the people shout — and then what happens? “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.” Now here — Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho? The walls didn't come down because of a fight. The walls came down because of praise. You see, praise — the praise preceded the victory. The praise preceded the victory. And let's be honest — come on — how many of us are waiting for the victory to give the praise? How many of us, time and time again, in every circumstance and situation we face in life, we're waiting for the victory? “God, once You bring me the victory, I'll give You the praise. God, once we have won, I'll give You the praise.” That's not how the Battle of Jericho goes. Praise precedes the victory. Praise precedes the victory. What would your life look like if you brought to mind the biggest obstacle you're facing — if you brought to mind the biggest battle that's ahead of you, if you brought to mind the biggest fear, the biggest anxiety, the biggest worry you have — bring that to the forefront of your mind. And what would happen if right now, here in this place, you said, “God, I'm not waiting for the victory to give You praise. I'm not waiting for the win to declare Your glory. God, I'm not waiting until this church is overflowing with people and we're doing four services — I'm not waiting for that to give You praise right now.” Let's be honest, church, I know where you're at. How about, “God, I'm not waiting until we have it all figured out and all the answers to give You praise.” What would it look like? What would it look like for you to say here and now, “God, You get every bit of my praise. You get every bit of my praise, You get it here and now. I'm not waiting for the victory to give You praise.” Because here's what's true — here's what's true. No matter what battle you are facing in this life, no matter what circumstance you are coming up against, what is true is that death has already been defeated. Sin has already been defeated. The blood of Jesus has already purified you from all unrighteousness. You are covered in the grace of God before a bit of victory has been given in the circumstance you're facing in this moment. You've already got more victory than you could ever ask or imagine. You have already won. So yeah — you might be facing some confusion about what comes next for you as a church. You may be facing some tough decisions in your personal life regarding your finances. You may be battling — I mean, man, at this point, you can be battling just by ordering a salad. It's bad out there, y'all. Whatever battle you are facing — you've already won. Church, hear me when I say this: you've already won. You've already got the victory. Yes, there are situations in your life that you're afraid of. Yes, there are situations in your life you're nervous about. There are circumstances going on in your friends and in your family that you are worried about. But I want to let you know: in the middle of that anxiety, in the middle of that worry, in the middle of the unknowns for what comes next, we can praise God right now — because praise precedes the victory. Praise precedes the victory. And here's what the enemy wants for you: the enemy wants you to forget that you've already won. The enemy wants you to forget you've already been victorious. The enemy wants you to forget what God has already done for you — and to get you so wrapped up with the thing that is five feet in front of you that you become blinded to everything else. That's all the enemy wants. But church — what would happen? What would happen in your life if you said, “I've already won. I am praising God”? And victory may or may not come in this situation, but I'm praising God either way, because I'm already victorious. Church, are you willing? Are you willing to give your praise before the victory? Are you willing to give your praise before the victory? And here's the thing that I don't understand — there's so much in Scripture that I don't get. I don't understand how, in God's economy, ninety percent goes further than a hundred percent. I don't understand how, in God's economy, six days goes further than seven. I don't understand how it is that in God's economy, sometimes when we praise, victory follows. It's backwards to the way the world works. Church, God has called you to be a different kind of people, following a different kind of path, with a different kind of faith. Church, are you willing to give your praise before the victory? Because I believe — I believe for Yates Baptist Church, and I believe for every man, woman, and child in this room right now — I believe if you will give your praise, you have no idea what God will do next. If you will give your praise, I believe there is a victory headed your way, church. I don't want you to miss it. I don't want you to miss it. I don't want you to miss out on the destination. I don't want you to miss out on the new lands. I don't want you to miss out on the life that is ahead of you if you're willing to give your praise first. If you're willing to be a people of praise, no matter the situation, no matter the circumstance, I believe that victory comes quickly on its heels. Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, Jesus — we give You praise in this place. We give You honor and glory in this place. God, we're going to hear music in this place. God, we're going to sing songs of praise in this place. And so, God, we're not holding back. God, we're going to give You praise today like victory is dependent upon it. We're going to give You praise today as a people who have already won. We're going to give You praise today like a people who know that if we praise until the walls fall down, we will see Your victory. We will experience Your grace and Your mercy and Your goodness. Jesus, we want a taste of Your victory, and so we give You praise here and now. We don't know what the future holds, but You do. We don't know what the next step is, God, but You do. So God, would You give us the kind of faith that praises You before the victory? Would You give us the kind of faith that is obedient in such a way that if You don't come through, God, we have no hope? Would You give us the kind of faith that fully entrusts our lives to You, believing that You will take full responsibility of that life? Jesus, we pray this in Your name. Amen. Endnotes 1 The image of “a spring in the middle of the city” draws loosely on Homer's description of twin springs feeding the Scamander near Troy's walls (Iliad 22.147–152: “κρουνὼ δ' ἵκανον καλλιρρόω· ἔνθα δὲ πηγαὶ / δοιαὶ ἀναΐσσουσι Σκαμάνδρου δινήεντος,” “they came to the two fair-flowing fountains, where well up the two springs that feed eddying Scamander”). Homer locates these springs outside the city walls, on the plain, not within the citadel, and describes two springs (one warm, one cold) rather than one. Archaeological excavation at Hisarlık, the site identified with ancient Troy, has not confirmed a spring inside the fortified citadel matching this Homeric image. Excavated water features there consist chiefly of cisterns and a rock-cut channel rather than a documented intramural spring. 2 The trumpet/horn vocabulary sits in three Pentateuchal locations: Numbers 10:1–10, where the instrument is חֲצוֹצְרָה (chatzotzerah, “[silver] trumpet”) and the war-signal is תְּרוּעָה (teru'ah, “shout, alarm-blast,” Num 10:9); and Leviticus 23:24 and 25:9, where the instrument is שׁוֹפָר (shofar, “ram's horn”), again paired with teru'ah. Joshua 6 itself uses shofar for the priests' horns (שׁוֹפְרוֹת הַיּוֹבְלִים, shofrot ha-yovlim, “ram's-horn trumpets,” 6:4) and teru'ah for the people's shout (תְּרוּעָה גְדוֹלָה, teru'ah gedolah, “a great shout,” 6:5, 20). This is Leviticus's pairing, and the same shofar/teru'ah pairing recurs as a holy-war type-scene in Judges: Ehud sounds the shofar to muster Israel (וַיִּתְקַע בַּשּׁוֹפָר, Judg 3:27); Gideon does the same to summon his army (Judg 6:34), and; At the battle against Midian the shofar blast and accompanying cry again precede the enemy's collapse rather than follow it (Judg 7:16–22) The repeated formula forms the same liturgical praise-before-victory pattern the preacher interprets from Jericho. 3 The challenging line, “God will take full responsibility of the life fully entrusted to Him,” conflates language from two sources rather than quoting either: Andrew Murray (“God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him”), commonly attributed to Murray in devotional compilations though without a confirmed primary-text citation, and Charles Stanley's Life Principle 11 (“God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him”), as taught through In Touch Ministries. A third variant, “God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to Him,” also circulates under Stanley's name in popular quotation collections. Rendered in the body as the preacher's own synthesis of these related sayings. Works Cited AZQuotes. “God Takes Full Responsibility for the Life Wholly Devoted to Him.” AZQuotes, https://www.azquotes.com/quote/735429. Accessed 26 July 2026. Bible Apologetics. “Andrew Murray – Quotes for a Deeper Walk with Jesus.” Bible Apologetics, 23 Sept. 2024, https://bibleapologetics.org/andrew-murray-quotes-for-a-deeper-walk-with-jesus/. Accessed 26 July 2026. The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible. Holman Bible Publishers, 2004. Homer. The Iliad. Translated by A. T. Murray, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1924. The Odyssey. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Universal Pictures, 2026. Stanley, Charles F. “Life Principle 11: His Promise to Provide.” In Touch Ministries, https://www.intouch.org/watch/sermons/life-principle-11-his-promise-to-provide. Accessed 26 July 2026. “Troy: New Data from Old Excavations.” Archaeological Institute of America, 9 Nov. 2023, https://www.archaeological.org/troy-new-data-from-old-excavations/. Accessed 26 July 2026. © 2026 Rob Stone. All rights reserved.

Today's Messianic movement really does not know what to do with Pentateuchal source criticism.

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”— Galatians 3:11-12 CALL OUT: Shout out to Mark Lerom, who is hosting me at Men's Advance this year. I am excited to be with you, 700+ guys. Let's see what God does! These verses may sound a bit cryptic if you only read them once, but if you read them multiple times, Paul is saying there are two ways to salvation. Yep, you read that right. This text contains two quotes from Old Testament Scriptures. The first is from Habakkuk 2:4, and the second is from Leviticus 18:5. The operative connecting phrase is "shall live by," which is found in both. The first declares justification by faith, while the second declares justification by works. The first is humanity's only possible means of salvation, and the second is Jesus Christ's means of providing salvation, who is "The one" of the text. So yes, there are two ways to salvation. One way, the second way, would require someone to fulfill the entire works of the Pentateuchal law, with its 242 positive commands and 365 prohibitions. Only this person could stand before God at judgment and be justified on the basis of his performance. That person, of course, was Jesus (Matthew 5:17). This way is impossible for us. The first way is our only hope. Therefore, we have only one possible way to salvation: "by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Paul is going to beat this point to death, hoping that the Galatians will see the hopeless nature of a doctrine of justification by works. He is trying to beat this out of their minds. The effort he makes is notable. It is exactly what we should do when we encounter questionable ideologies. We should test them against Scripture. Then, we should test them again against the work of Jesus Christ. If they don't pair up, we need to refuse and remove them from our minds and lives because our only hope is faith in Jesus. Put your faith in him today. #FaithVsWorks #JustificationByFaith #SalvationThroughChrist #GalatiansInsights #HopeInJesus ASK THIS: How does understanding the contrast between justification by faith and justification by works impact your daily walk with Christ? In what areas of your life do you find yourself relying more on your own efforts rather than trusting in God's grace through faith? DO THIS: Have faith. There is only one possible way. PRAY THIS: Father, help me to fully grasp the depth of your grace and the significance of justification by faith alone. Guide me to place my trust entirely in Christ, knowing that my salvation rests solely on His finished work on the cross. Amen. PLAY THIS: Faithful God.

This class covers the annual cycle reading known as MiKetz (Genesis 41:1-44:17). It is part of the popular series of Pentateuchal studies and the second in the Joseph Saga. In this teaching, we discuss the texts from Pharaoh's dreams through the meeting in Egypt between all Israel's sons. The class provides insights into the connectedness […]

The Bible Its Pentateuchal Structure by F W Grant

Origin-of-life research got a boost with the recent publication of a massive new computer program that was designed to model early chemical evolution. At least, that's what the headlines say. Dr C explains that things are only getting worse for the evolutionary story of how life arose and how these problems tie into the study of genetics. Location: Pickett's Mill Battlefield State Historic Site, Dallas, GA. Links: Tan, C. and Stadler, R., 2020. The Stairway to Life: an origin-of-life reality check, available on Creation.com. Remember to add "I love Biblical Genetics" to the comment section on your order! Evolution's Achilles' Heels (book and documentary), available on Creation.com. Ditto about the comment! The main paper being discussed: Wolos A, et al. 2020. Synthetic connectivity, emergence, and self-regeneration in the network of prebiotic chemistry, Nature 369(6511):eaaw1955. Popular-level summary from MSN.com: Starr, M. 2020. A New Chemical 'Tree of The Origins of Life' Reveals Our Possible Molecular Evolution. Video: New “Allchemy” Software Helps Chart Chemical Origins of Life Uracil synthesis link: DeGraw, J. 1990. Synthesis and antifolate properties of 10-alkyl-5,10-dideaza analogs of methotrexate and tetrahydrofolic acid, J Med Chem 33:673–677. Grigg, R. 2012. Did Darwin become a Christian before he died? on Creation.com. There is also an audio version of this article available. Jacob's Livestock Breeding Experiment, Biblical Genetics (episode 22) July 1, 2020. You can copy and paste these quotes into any search engine to find the proper reference or the larger context: Letter from Darwin to Joseph Hooker in 1863: “But I have long regretted that I truckled to public opinion & used Pentateuchal term of creation, by which I really meant ‘appeared' by some wholly unknown process.—It is mere rubbish thinking, at present, of origin of life; one might as well think of origin of matter.” Darwin's Origin of Species last page: “Authors of the highest eminence seem to be fully satisfied with the view that each species has been independently created. To my mind it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes, like those determining the birth and death of the individual.” Darwin's Origin of Species last sentence: “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Darwin's 'warm little pond' quote in another letter to Joseph Hooker, 1871: “But if (and oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sort of ammonia and phosphoric salts,—light, heat, electricity present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes, at the present such matter would be instantly devoured, or absorbed, which would not have been the case before living creatures were formed”

Origin-of-life research got a boost with the recent publication of a massive new computer program that was designed to model early chemical evolution. At least, that's what the headlines say. Dr C explains that things are only getting worse for the evolutionary story of how life arose and how these problems tie into the study of genetics. Location: Pickett's Mill Battlefield State Historic Site, Dallas, GA. Links: Tan, C. and Stadler, R., 2020. The Stairway to Life: an origin-of-life reality check, available on Creation.com. Remember to add "I love Biblical Genetics" to the comment section on your order! Evolution's Achilles' Heels (book and documentary), available on Creation.com. Ditto about the comment! The main paper being discussed: Wolos A, et al. 2020. Synthetic connectivity, emergence, and self-regeneration in the network of prebiotic chemistry, Nature 369(6511):eaaw1955. Popular-level summary from MSN.com: Starr, M. 2020. A New Chemical 'Tree of The Origins of Life' Reveals Our Possible Molecular Evolution. Video: New “Allchemy” Software Helps Chart Chemical Origins of Life Uracil synthesis link: DeGraw, J. 1990. Synthesis and antifolate properties of 10-alkyl-5,10-dideaza analogs of methotrexate and tetrahydrofolic acid, J Med Chem 33:673–677. Grigg, R. 2012. Did Darwin become a Christian before he died? on Creation.com. There is also an audio version of this article available. Jacob's Livestock Breeding Experiment, Biblical Genetics (episode 22) July 1, 2020. You can copy and paste these quotes into any search engine to find the proper reference or the larger context: Letter from Darwin to Joseph Hooker in 1863: “But I have long regretted that I truckled to public opinion & used Pentateuchal term of creation, by which I really meant ‘appeared’ by some wholly unknown process.—It is mere rubbish thinking, at present, of origin of life; one might as well think of origin of matter.” Darwin's Origin of Species last page: “Authors of the highest eminence seem to be fully satisfied with the view that each species has been independently created. To my mind it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes, like those determining the birth and death of the individual.” Darwin's Origin of Species last sentence: “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Darwin's 'warm little pond' quote in another letter to Joseph Hooker, 1871: “But if (and oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sort of ammonia and phosphoric salts,—light, heat, electricity present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes, at the present such matter would be instantly devoured, or absorbed, which would not have been the case before living creatures were formed”

This is a lecture in the Introduction to the Bible series. In this presentation Dr. Wolthuis explores how to read and apply the Pentateuchal Law and history.

And you thought Joshua was bad! In this episode I undertake to persuade Dad that the other-least-popular book of the Old Testament is not just an arcane collection of burnt offerings and sin offerings and wave offerings but in fact is the metaphysical substrate of the gospel itself. (Spoiler alert: he is won over.) Have a listen for a new perspective on "detestable" animals, mixed fibers, death on account of blasphemy, liver lobes, and so much more! Notes: 1. As mentioned before, Dad has a forthcoming commentary in the Brazos series on the book of Joshua. 2. Dad mentions the stroke he had two years ago in this episode; in case you missed it, a bonus episode from last year recounts that experience 3. Ephraim Radner, Leviticus 4. Luther’s commentary on Deuteronomy (specifically ch. 7) deals with the question of who exactly the commands in the Bible are addressed to 5. The only two appearances of Leviticus in the Revised Common Lectionary are Epiphany 7 and Proper 25, both in Year A, both from ch. 19 6. Mary Douglas, Leviticus as Literature 7. The hymn is indeed “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” but the author is William Cowper, not Isaac Watts. 8. More enthusing from me about Leviticus: “Learning to Love Leviticus” (yup, I loved the alliteration so much I stole it from myself to give this episode the same title); a brief review of Douglas’s Leviticus as Literature (scroll to the bottom of the page); commentary on the intra-Pentateuchal discussion between Jesus and the scribe in Mark 12:28–34; and an issue of my e-newsletter Theology & a Recipe devoted to “Discerning Walls with Leviticus” (plus an awesome pair of recipes for Hot Quiche and Cold Tomato Soup!). More about us at sarahhinlickywilson.com and paulhinlicky.com!

In this episode, we accentuate the tragedy of Samson by highlighting his potential role as a Messiah/King of the Jewish People and the partnership between his tribe of Dan and the tribe of Judah (Yehudah). We then continue with a brief introduction to the two judges from the Book of Samuel: Eli the Kohen and Shmuel the Prophet. Afterwards, we look back at all the Shoftim and seek out each one's redeeming qualities and summarize our findings regarding their tribal affiliations. We also return to the idea of judges in general and contrasted the role of the judges with that of the kings (and, in doing so, offered Pentateuchal support from the Torah as to the very concept of judges). Finally, we visit the blessings that Jacob (Yaakov) gave to his children on his deathbed and saw how those blessings offer hints to the various judges who were destined to descend from those sons and the tribes they progenated.

In this episode, Tim and Jon trace this theme through the Old Testament. In part 1 (0-19:45), the guys briefly recap their discussion so far. Tim notes that Eve’s reaction in Hebrew between the birth of Cain and the birth of Seth are decidedly different. Tim says that Eve takes an arrogant stance by naming Cain, seeming to place herself alongside God. However, she takes a humble stance when she names Seth, seeing that God has granted her a son. Tim quotes scholar Umberto Cassuto: “The first woman in her joy at giving birth to her first son, boasts of her generative power, which in her estimation approximates the divine creative power. The Lord formed the first man, and I have formed the second man. Literally, ‘I have created a man with the Lord,’ by which she means, ‘I stand together equally with the Creator in the rank of creators.’” (Umberto Cassuto, Commentary on the Book of Genesis: Part I - From Adam to Noah) Tim notes that in the Bible, there are many stories of parents who abuse the gifts that God gives them in the ability to reproduce and have children, or they take undue parental pride in the gift of children. In part 2 (19:45-25:45), Tim and Jon discuss the theme of God choosing one over another. Tim points out that God’s choosing of one over another is actually a desire to bless all through the exaltation of the one. God says Cain will be exalted if he only obeys. Instead, Cain chooses to bow to his sinful desires. In part 3 (25:45-32:30), Tim moves onto the story of the Tower of Babel. Humans were called to spread out and rule the earth. Instead of embracing that gift, the humans decide to build a towering city. In part 4 (32:30-44:15), Tim dives into the story of Abraham. God chooses one family, the family of Abraham. Tim says that the Promised Land is God’s “gift” to Abraham’s family: Genesis 12:1-3
 Now the Lord said to Abram,
 “Go forth from your country, And from your family
 And from your father’s house, 
To the land which I will show you;
 And I will make you a great nation,
 And I will bless you,
 And make your name great;
 And you shall be a blessing;
 And I will bless those who bless you, 
And the one who treats you as cursed, I will curse.
 And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:7 “To your seed I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to Yahweh who appeared to him.” Jon points out that sometimes famines come along. Sometimes, there isn’t enough. This tension does exist in the Bible, Tim notes, between God’s abundance and the existence of chaos. God didn’t create a perfectly safe world. He created a world where humans were to learn to co-rule with him, creating order from chaos. In part 5 (44:15-end), Tim notes that God keeps giving the Promised Land to Israel, and they keep misusing the gift. He cites two passages from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 11:8-14 “You all shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land... so that you may prolong your days on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden. But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year. 
“It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul, that he will give the rain for your land in its season, the barley and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.” Tim then cites scholar Joshua Berman, saying that Israel’s economy was an “Exodus-style” economy: “A key theological claim at work in these laws is that of God’s identity as the liberator of slaves. He forms a people out of those who were deemed to be people of no standing at all by the political and economic leaders who oppressed them. The egalitarian streak within Pentateuchal law codes accords with the portrayal of the Exodus as the prime experience of Israel’s self-understanding. Indeed, no Israelite can lay claim to any greater status than another, because all emanate from the Exodus—a common seminal, liberating, and equalizing event… This notion of God’s sovereignty as creator and liberator animated the biblical laws aimed at preventing Israelites from descending into the cycle of poverty and debt.” (Joshua Berman, Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought, 88) Deuteronomy 24:19-22 “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the immigrant, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the immigrant, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.” Thank you to all our supporters! Have a question for us? Send an audio recording around 30 seconds to our team at info@jointhebibleproject.com. Show Music: Defender Instrumental by Tents Quietly by blnkspc_ Mind Your Time by Me.So The Pilgrim by Greyflood Show Resources: Umberto Cassuto, Commentary on the Book of Genesis: Part I - From Adam to Noah Joshua Berman, Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought Show Produced by: Dan Gummel Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.' Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.’ Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.’ Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.’ Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.’ Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.’ Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.’ Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some two hundred years now, Pentateuchal scholarship has been dominated by the Documentary Hypothesis, a paradigm made popular by Julius Wellhausen. Recent decades, however, have seen mounting critiques of the old paradigm, from a variety of specializations, not only in Biblical Studies, but also in the fields of Assyriology, Legal History, and Linguistics. In a recent international meeting, scholars across these fields came together and presented papers, each one calling for a paradigm change in Pentateuchal research. Join us as we speak with one of those scholars, Richard Averbeck, about his contribution to Paradigm Change in Pentateuchal Research, edited by M. Armgardt, B. Kilchör, M. Zehnder (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019)—his chapter is titled ‘Reading the Torah in a Better Way.’ Richard Averbeck teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), and Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of Kentucky Computer Science Professor Brent Seales caused a worldwide sensation when he and his team were able to use non-invasive scans to unlock writings on the ancient En-Gedi scroll to reveal the earliest copy of a Pentateuchal book — Leviticus — ever found in a Holy Ark. Now he’s turning his expertise to more ancient texts, this time from the lost Roman city of Herculaneum.

An exploration of the major themes of Rosh Hashanah; Malchiot, Zichronot and Shofarot in the context of Ancient Near Eastern New Year festivities and rites.   Source Notes: What’s new about the Jewish New Year The three components of Rosh HaShannah Malkhiot – Kingship - מלכיות Zikhronot -  Remembrances - זכרונות Shofarot – Shofar Blast - שופרות 1. Source in the Mishnah one says avot and gevurot and kedushat Hashem, and [then] includes malkhiot with kedushat hayom, and [then] blows [the shofar; then] zikhronot and [then] he blows; [then] the ‏shofarot‎ and [then] he blows [a third time]; We may not have less then ten [verses] of malkhiot‎, ten of zikhronot‎ and ten of shofarot‎‎.  (Mishneh Rosh Hashanah 4: 5-6) 2. Source in the Torah Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation.  דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר:  בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם שַׁבָּתוֹן--זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה, מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ Leviticus 23:24 Rashi: a remembrance of Scriptural verses dealing with remembrance and Scriptural verses dealing with the blowing of the shofar (R.H . 32a) זכרון פסוקי זכרונות ופסוקי שופרות   Where is the source for Malkhiot – Kingship – מלכיות ?         Where is the source for the New Year?              Where is the source for repentance and new beginnings?   Review of Last year’s session…. The Kingship of God is the core message of Judaism. 3. מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקים I give thanks before You, Living and Eternal King 4. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱ-להֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם  Blessed art You Lord our King… 5. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' הא-ל הָקדוש בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' המֶלֶךְ הָקדוש 6. The 9th and 10th proof text for Malchiyot: The 9th proof text brought for malchuyot (kingship) is the verse from Zechariah  14, 9 used to close the Aleinu prayer. [Some believe Aleinu was written by Tanna Rav in 3rd century Babylonia for Rosh Hashanah services.]  וְהָיָה ה' לְמֶלֶךְ, עַל-כָּל-הָאָרֶץ; בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, יִהְיֶה ה' אֶחָד--וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד And the LORD shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall the LORD be One, and His name one. The 10th and last proof text: שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל: ה' אֱ-לוהֵינוּ, ה' אֶחָד Hear Oh Israel the Lord your God, the Lord is one. 7. The whispered [subversive] proclamation said out loud... ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever. 8. אבינו מלכנו א'ן לנו מלך אלא אתה “Our father. our king we have no king other than you. [author: Rabbi Akiba - Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 25b  highpoint of Selichot services leading up to Yom Kippur and of the Yom Kippur service itself and the closing prayer at the Neila service] 9. Biblical rejection of a human king But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said: 'Give us a king to judge us.' And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel: 'Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be king over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken Me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. ( see Samuel I 8: 4-22)    כִּי לֹא אֹתְךָ מָאָסוּ, כִּי-אֹתִי מָאֲסוּ מִמְּלֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם. כְּכָל-הַמַּעֲשִׂים אֲשֶׁר-עָשׂוּ, מִיּוֹם הַעֲלֹתִי אוֹתָם מִמִּצְרַיִם וְעַד-הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, וַיַּעַזְבֻנִי, וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱ-לֹהִים 10. The New Year The four new years are: On the first of Nisan, the new year for the kings and for the festivals; On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei, the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees according to the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says, on the fifteenth thereof. [Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1] Rabbi Chisda said, 'They only taught [that the year begins in Nissan] this in regard to Jewish kings. But for the kings of the nations of the world, we count from Tishrei, (Babylonian Talmud 3a)   א"ר חסדא לא שנו אלא למלכי ישראל אבל למלכי אומות העולם מתשרי מנינן  11. Babylonian New Year - Akitu - Akkadian: rêš-šattim, "head of the year") 21 Adar - 1 Nisannu. There were twelve days of public ritual which according to Henri Frankfort in his seminal work: Kingship and the Gods, was a time of purification, of renewal of the vegetation. It was also a time of dramatic reenactments, it was at this time that the destinies of both gods and mankind were fixed, and the king began his reign on new year’s day. Highlights: 4th day - During the day the Epic of Creation Enuma Elish would be recited. The Enuma Elish, is most likely the oldest story concerning the birth of the gods and the creation of the universe and human beings. It then explains how all the gods united in the god Marduk, following his victory over Tiamat. The recitation of this Epic was considered the beginning of preparations for the submission of the King of Babylon before Marduk on the fifth day of Akitu. 5th day - The submission of the king of Babylon before Marduk. The king would enter to the Esagila accompanied by the priests, they would approach all together the altar where the high priest of the Esagila impersonates Marduk then he approaches the king, begins to strip him of his jewelry, scepter and even his crown then he would slap him hard while the altar would kneel and begins to pray asking for Marduk's forgiveness and submitting to him saying: "I have not sinned O Lord of the universe, and I haven't neglected your heavenly might at all"... Then the priest in the role of Marduk says: "Don't be afraid of what Marduk has to say, for he will hear your prayers, extends your power, and increases the greatness of your reign". The removal of all worldly possessions is a symbol of the submission the king gives to Marduk. After this the king would stand up and the priest would give him back his jewelry, scepter and crown then slaps him hard again hoping for the king to shed tears, because that would express more the submission to Marduk and respect to his power. When the priest returns the crown to the king that means his power was renewed by Marduk, thus April would be considered not only the revival of nature and life but also to the State as well. [i] 12. Egypt there was theSed Festival The Egyptian Sed Festival held in the Fall and celebrated the continued rule of a pharaoh. The ancient festival might, perhaps, have been instituted to replace a ritual of murdering a pharaoh who was unable to continue to rule effectively because of age or condition. … They primarily were held to rejuvenate the pharaoh’s strength and stamina while still sitting on the throne, celebrating the continued success of the pharaoh.   The Sed-festival developed into a royal jubilee intended to reinforce the pharaoh’s divine powers and religious leadership. 13. When was Kingship introduced to the Jewish New Year? In the critical view, the Pentateuchal legislation in which the festival appears belongs to the Priestly Code (P) and, therefore, to the post-Exilic period, when the Babylonian influences had become particularly pronounced. The older critical views consider the whole institution to be post-Exilic, pointing out, for instance, that there is no reference to it in the lists of the feasts in Deuteronomy (16: 1—17). More recently, however, Sigmund Mowinckel has advanced the suggestion that there existed in pre-Exilic Israel an autumnal New Year festival on which God was “enthroned” as King (analogous to the Babylonian enthronement of *Marduk). (Encyclopedia Judaica; Louis Jacobs article “Rosh Hashannah’) 14. Earliest significance to Tishrei 1 -10 (Leviticus 25) Then shalt thou make proclamation with the blast of the horn on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall ye make proclamation with the horn throughout all your land. 15. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. And if thy brother be waxen poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee, thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant. 40. As a hired servant, and as a settler, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee. 41. Then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. 42. For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as bondmen. For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. In the Talmud Tishrei 1 -10 (Babylonian Talmud Rosh Hashana 8b) According to the Talmud, servants were formally freed on the 1st of Tishri, but were allowed to remain on the homesteads of their former masters and to enjoy themselves for ten days, until Yom Kippur, when the trumpet was blown (Lev. xxv. 9) as a signal for their departure, and for the restoration of the fields to their original owners (R. H. 8b). 15. Significance of remembering the sound of the Shofar (Exodus 21) If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 5. But if the servant shall plainly say: I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free; 6. then his master shall bring him unto God, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 22b Now, why was the ear chosen to be bored out of all the organs of the body? According to Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai The Holy One Blessed be He said said: The ear that heard on Mount Sinai, “For the children of Israel are slaves to Me ” (Lev. 25:55) and not slaves to slaves… and [then] went and acquired a master for himself, [this ear] shall be bored.  “You shall not steal” (Exod. 20:13) and [then] went and stole, shall be bored. And if [the text is referring to] one who sold himself [into servitude, the reason is that] רבן יוחנן בן זכאי היה דורש את המקרא הזה כמין חומר מה נשתנה אזן מכל אברים שבגוף אמר הקב"ה אזן ששמעה קולי על הר סיני בשעה שאמרתי (ויקרא כה, נה) כי לי בני ישראל עבדים ולא עבדים לעבדים והלך זה וקנה אדון לעצמו ירצע Conclusion 17. Eric Fromm – You Shall be as Gods pp73 – 75 “Obedience to God is also the negation of submission to man.” “The idea of serfdom to God was, in the Jewish tradition, transformed into the basis for the freedom of man from man.  God’s authority thus guarantees man’s independ ------------------ [i] Compare to the accounts of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies:   The first mishna in Yoma stipulates that the Kohen Gadol must be sequestered for one compete week prior to Yom Kippur to purify himself and prepare for the holiday. Prior to entering the Holy of Holies the Kohen Gadol removed his golden garments, immersed in the mikvah, and changed to a new set of linen garments, again washing his hands and feet twice.   There was good reason for the High Priest's decision not to elongate his prayer at this particular time: many a High Priest was struck down dead while in the Holy of Holies. Although the First Temple stood for 410 years, in all there were only 12 High Priests during that entire period; because they were very righteous, they were blessed with longevity. However, the Second Temple, which stood for a total of 420 years, was presided over by more than 300 High Priests. This is because in the spiritual decline of those days, many of these men were corrupted, and bought their office through influence. The Zohar, mentions that a rope was tied around his foot, to drag him out in case he dies.   Additionally, if he would change any detail of the incense service within the Holy of Holies (as we mentioned with regard to the Sadducees), he would also die. With this is mind, it is understandable that the eyes of all Israel awaited the exit of the High Priest with bated breath. Being aware of his people's agitation, the High Priest's first concern was that he should not cause them any unnecessary anxiety... and the longer he stayed within, the more Israel's apprehension grew. Thus the High Priest saw fit to forego the opportunity to engage in a long personal prayer, and recited the shorter version so as to exit the Sanctuary with reasonable speed.