Foundations of Faith
THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES (III)
7. The Bible is consistent with archaeological findings. (“Archaeology” is the study of the life and culture of ancient peoples by the excavation of the remains of their cities, etc.)
During the past two or three centuries, so-called “higher critics” of the Bible have called into question many of the historical references given in the Bible because they did not find confirmation of them in other written histories of the ancient world. However, since the advent of modern archaeology in 1798, a large body of external evidence has been literally “dug up” that agrees with biblical history.
This evidence is of two kinds- general and specific. Let us first consider examples of evidence that gives general insights into the culture and practices of biblical times. Recent excavations of the ancient city of Ebla in northwestern Syria have provided a rich source-nearly 17,000 clay tablets-of information and insights into life in the Middle East around the year 2,300 B.C., prior to the time of Abraham. On these tablets are found personal names such as Adam, Noah, Israel, Esau, Michael, and David that previously had been found only in the Bible. (This is not to say that these references are to the specific personages of the Bible.) There is also mention of familiar Palestinian place names such as Jerusalem, Lachish, Megiddo, and Gaza that authenticate the antiquity of these places.
Many slanderous statements have been made against God for His alleged cruelty in decreeing the utter destruction of the Canaanite nation (Deut. 20:17). But God had righteous reason for this-the extreme idolatry and abominations practiced by these people (Gen. 9:25; 15:16; Deut. 20:18; 2 Ki. 21:11). The late Dr. William F. Albright, foremost archaeologist of Palestine, has reported that nowhere has there been found such a concentration of figures of fertility goddesses-many distinctly obscene-than in ancient Canaan. Worse yet, both in Canaan and in Carthage, Africa which was founded by Canaanites, thousands of urns containing the burned remains of small children have been found, evidence of the horrible practice of infant sacrifice (Lev. 18:21; 2 Ki. 23:10). On the other hand, while images of gods and goddesses can be found in practically every archaeological excavation in the Middle East, no one has yet reported finding an image with the name “Yahweh” or “Jehovah” inscribed on it. (See Assignment 11)
Let us now consider a few of the specific correlations between archaeology and the Bible. In 1868 the famous Moabite stone was discovered at Dibon, east of the Dead Sea. It was erected by King Mesha of Moab around 840 B.C., and confirms the biblical account of Moab’s subservience to Israel under King Ahab’s rule, and their subsequent rebellion against Israel (2 Ki. 3:4-9). As a bonus, this stone also contains the statement, “The men of Gad dwelt in the land of Ataroth from of old,” in direct agreement with Num. 32:34.
A clay prism has been found which gives a lengthy narrative by Assyrian King Sennacherib of his campaign against Jerusalem. This agrees closely with the biblical account (2 Ki. l8:13-19:36). It is interesting to see how Sennacherib made as good a story as possible out of the siege by writing, “Hezekiah … like a caged bird, I shut up in Jerusalem.” However, he carefully avoided any mention of the final outcome. (See Assignment 12)
In 1960, the Israeli scholar Yigael Yadin discovered that the Gate of Megiddo and the Gate of Hazor were both built during the time of Solomon (judging from pottery fragments) and were both built following a single master plan. (See Assignment 13)
We have space for just one New Testament illustration. During the excavations of Corinth in 1929, a pavement dating back to the first century A.D. was found inscribed, “Erastus, curator of public buildings, laid this pavement at his own expense.” It is quite likely that this is the same person the apostle Paul speaks of in his Epistle to the Romans, written from Corinth:”Erastus the chamberlain [or manager] of the city salutes you” (16:23).
In summary, it must be stated that we cannot prove by archaeology that the Bible is the Word of God. Rather, it is the Holy Spirit who confirms in our hearts the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God. However, the archaeological discoveries of the past 200 years have served to blunt the attacks of the Bible’s critics, and “discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details [of the Bible], and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history” (William F. Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, 1960).
(Further details on this subject of archaeology and the Bible can be found in the March-April 1993 issue of the periodical Words of Truth.)
Running the Race
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDYING THE BIBLE (III)
6. It is always well to read and study with pen in hand. Sir Francis Bacon said, “Reading maketh a full man … writing, an exact man.” It is useful to keep a small book in which to jot down notes whenever you are reading the Bible. These may be disconnected thoughts, outlines of verses or chapters, or questions that occur to you–hundreds of matters that would escape your memory if they were not thus recorded.
7. As you engage in your daily Bible reading, keep an eye out for key verses that would be good ones to memorize. Write or type out such verses on 3″ x 5″ index cards or slips of paper. Then try to set aside a few minutes each day for memorizing these verses. In this way, in the course of a few years you will have committed to memory several hundred verses that will help you to show others the way of salvation, to defeat Satan when he tempts you, and to have a ready resource of guidance and encouragement in times of perplexity and trial.
If you have already memorized many verses, take time regularly to review them and make sure your mind has retained each verse. (If you memorize a verse on a particular day and then never go over it after that, it is as good as gone!) And don’t ever stop memorizing new verses!
If you have never done much Bible memorization before, it is not too late to start. It may be well to ask a Christian friend to help you, remind you, listen to you recite, and light a fire under you.
Assignment 11: Why do you think no images of Jehovah have been discovered? (See Exod. 20:4.)
Assignment 12: What does 2 Ki. 19:35,36 say about the outcome of Sennacherib’s campaign against Jerusalem?
Assignment 13: What verse in 1 Kings 9 relates to this find?