The Book of books ever retains its unique place of supremacy – necessarily so, since every word is "God breathed and profitable." Its divine origin is a guarantee of its accuracy in every detail, and though the critic in his vaunted wisdom and infidelity constantly assails its trustworthiness, denying the correctness of its historicity and chronology, proofs are constantly forthcoming from the discoveries of the archeologist, that our Bible facts can be fully trusted.

It would be difficult to ask a better confirmation of the correctness of Old Testament history and chronology, than that which has lately been given through the discovery of the site of ancient Kirjath-sepher, by the archeological party under the leadership of Dr. Melvin Grove Kyle, whose name is well known to many. Some few years ago Dr. Kyle brought to light much interesting detail regarding Sodom and Gomorrah. Last summer with a party of scientists, he made further excavations in Palestine. This time, the ancient site of Kirjath-sepher (City of Books) was uncovered, with very remarkable results. The following account is taken from the New York Times:-

"The expedition uncovered a mound containing ten distinct cities, one above the other, linking Abraham's arrival in Canaan from Chaldea to the period of Nebuchadnezzar, who raided Canaan.

"These excavations give the world in so remarkable a way a history of the culture in Palestine that it is possible to read alongside Biblical history as the supreme test of its trustworthiness. Only real events leave anything which can be dug out of the ground.

"The fortress at Tell Beit Mirsim, thirteen miles directly southwest of Hebron, which is the ancient Kirjath-sepher, proves to be a mound of ten cities, each separated by burned levels. These ten cities represented only five civilizations. Civil wars accounted for the destruction of the cities.

"The first city dates from 2000 B. C., perhaps earlier, which is Abraham's time in the Scriptures. The same social and political conditions of the story of Lot and the angels are reflected, in the ruins of this first city which approximates the civilization at that time, and not the time of the kings of Judah in the eighth and seventh centuries B. C." (As asserted by critics.)

"There was only one city in the early bronze age, but in the middle bronze age, about 1900 to 1600 B. C., there were six different cities, one above the other, the first two representing the transition from the early to the middle bronze age, the next four being typically middle bronze. These were definitely distinguished by their pottery.

"The turmoil evidenced by these six burnings in the middle bronze age approximates the turmoil of the Hyksos period in Western Asia. The Hyksos kings seemed against everybody except the Israelites, who were royally favored in Egypt.

"In the later bronze age, 1600 to 1200 B.C., there was a city destroyed by Othniel (Joshua 15:17). At the time of the Israelites and the Canaanite conquests in the early Iron age, there is evidence of terrific warfare, shown in a great layer of ashes.
"Naturally, the Israelites, in coming to Canaan after forty years of nomadic life in the wilderness, built a very poor city. This city in turn was destroyed about 900 B.C., undoubtedly, by Pharaoh Shishak, who smashed Judah's defense fortresses, according to the Scriptural account and according to Shishak's inscription on the Karnak Temple in Egypt.

"The last city on the mound was the city of the kings of Judah, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, as is conclusively testified to by the discovery of stamped jar-handles which served as tax receipts from King Jehoiakim, who reigned a few years before Nebuchadnezzar's destruction. See Joshua 15; 2 Chron. 12."

The most exacting could not ask better confirmation than this of Old Testament history, especially regarding the chronology of the Bible! Critics have made much cheap wit out of the various dates given in the Word for the events recorded. Even when forced by circumstantial evidence to admit certain recorded incidents as true and historical, there has often been the positive assertion that such events could not take place at the time when according to Scripture, they did occur. Therefore, when it is possible to prove unquestionably both the actuality of the event and correctness of chronology, the infidel critic is completely routed.

This is what makes these latest excavations of Dr. Kyle's so valuable. Adding up dates, it is evident that Abraham lived about 2000 B. C. And when the ruins of the city extant at that time are uncovered, they give a familiar picture of conditions, as given in the Bible, when Abraham and Lot lived.

It has been asserted by critics that the story of Lot was written as late as 700 B.C. These discoveries contradict that assertion. It would be impossible for a writer living 1300 years later than the time alluded to, when social and political conditions were entirely different, with no published history of former days, to describe with such exactness what existed 1300 years earlier! "The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away; but the Word of the Lord endureth forever" (1 Pet. 1:25). Man may impotently seek to get rid of the Scriptures by annihilating the Book, or by modernistic onslaughts upon its trustworthiness; but it still remains and will remain, the Book of books!

"Recently in the city of London, England, a Department store sold 10,000 copies of a beautifully bound Bible in six weeks. The demand increased so that the store gave an order for 100,000. This is the largest single order placed for a book. The Manager declared:'There is only ONE book of which any firm would dare order 100,000 copies.' " -From Literary Digest.

"The Word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is not a creature unapparent before Him, but all things are naked and laid bare to His eyes, with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:12, 13, N. T.). J. W. H. Nichols
'HEAVENLY POLITICS'