Archaeology And God’s WordINTRODUCTION

A. The science of archaeology has been a rich benefactor to the Bible student. 1. It has occasionally clarified obscure passages, and it has also frequently

demonstrated that the biblical record bears the marks of genuine history. 1) Indeed the two main contributions of archaeology have been

CLARIFICATION and CONFIRMATION.

I. SOME NOTABLE FINDS

A. The Dead Sea Scrolls.

1. The greatest manuscript discovery in modern times.1) Discovered in 1947-1956 in 11 caves.2) Contained an entire copy of Isaiah that dates to at least 100 BC

(Commentary on the first two chapters of Habakkuk).3) Paraphrase of the book of Genesis.4) Fragments of every Old Testament book (except Esther).5) Until this discovery, the oldest copies of the Hebrew Scriptures were

of the 9th and 10th century AD.6) The Dead Sea scrolls date up to 100 years before Christ’s birth.

2. This is critical, because some have tried to write off the prophecies regarding Christ as having been written after Christ. 1) Such is an absurd position to take when scrolls and fragments of

those books are dated before Christ’s birth. 2) This also contributes to the confidence in the integrity of the

transmission of the scriptures. 3) The copies of the Dead Sea scrolls are nearly identical to the later

manuscripts. 4) If little or no variation is seen in manuscripts that date over 1000

years in time, then what does that tell you about the care that was given to make copies?

5) What does that tell you about the reliability of our present translation of scripture? You can trust your Bible!

B. “Hittites” verified.1

1. 2 Sam 12:10: “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”1) Scientists once scoffed at the reality of such a people.2) In 1906 the Hittite capitol was discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey.

C. “Sargon” verified.

1. Isa 20:1: “In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it.”1) In the early 1800’s, the scholarship of the world asserted “Sargon”

was a blatant error on Isaiah’s part.2) Others stated that Isaiah had confused the name with someone else,

perhaps “Sennacherib”.3) In 1843 French archaeologist, Paul-Emile Botta discovered Sargon’s

palace 14 miles north of ancient Nineveh (at Khorsabad) palace-complex occupied 25 acres

4) In 1963 fragments of an Assyrian monument were found in Ashdod of this event.

2. So, while the scholarship of the world was barking against the Bible, unknown to them, a 25 acre palace of Sargon lay hidden. 1) You know, there is a lesson there. 2) In order to prove someone or something doesn’t exist, you would

have to be everywhere at all times to know whether they were there or not.

3) You would have to in essence be God. 4) Even if the palace was not found, that doesn’t mean Sargon never

existed; it doesn’t mean the Bible messed up. 5) People are quick to condemn the scriptures and then evidence

surfaces that slaps the scholarship of the world in the face.

3. Remember 1 Corinthians 1:19: “For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent’”? 1) Think of that the next time you hear someone seeking to desecrate

the integrity of God’s word.

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4. REMEMBER THIS: Israel Finkelstein, chairman of Tel Aviv University's Department of Archaeology, began championing a theory several years ago that the biblical accounts of Jerusalem as the seat of a powerful, unified monarchy under the rule of David and Solomon are essentially false. His book, The Bible Unearthed, wound up on the New York Times' best-seller list and he became the darling of a sympathetic media. He concluded that David and Solomon, if they existed at all, were merely “hill-country chieftains” and Jerusalem a poor, small tribal village. He claims that the myth of King David was the creation of a cult of priests trying to create for themselves a glorious history.

5. Another View from a Biblical Minimalist: Finkelstein is adamant in claiming there is no evidence of significant literacy in Israel, in Judah, in Jerusalem, before the eighth century BC, and no appreciable output until the seventh. Therefore, nothing in the Jewish scriptures can be dated before the eighth century. Fragmentary material from the ninth century is possible, but anything as early as the twelfth or eleventh centuries [prior to King Saul] is impossible. In the imaginary early period of the Israelite nation, up until about 900 BC [the Divided Kingdom], no sources are known other than a few isolated ostraca [pottery shards], and the Bible!

D. “David” verified.

1. 1 Kings 12:26: And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.”1) David was previously thought by many to merely be a legend of the

Hebrews.

2) “The House of David Inscription appears to be a fragment of a victory monument erected by a king of Damascus (Aram) during the 9th century BC, some 250 years after King David’s reign. The fragment specifically mentions victories over a “king of Israel”

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(probably Joram) and a king of the “House of David” (probably Ahaziah). The House of David Inscription (Tel Dan Inscription) currently resides in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.” (link: www.allaboutarchaeology.org)

3) It is a pretty significant find to have something extra-biblical about the most famous king of the Old Testament. It was found in 1993, I believe.

2. “The inscription was created by King Hazael of Aram-Damascus in about 825 BC, and it relates to his father, Hadad II, being victorious in battle against Jehosaphat (c. 860 BC). The most important aspect of the text, however, is that it specifically relates to Hadad defeating the “foot soldiers, charioteers and horsemen of the King of the House of David.” (Laurence Gardner, http://graal.co.uk/houseofdavid.html)

E. Hezekiah’s Tunnel.

1. 2 Kings 20:20: “Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?”

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1) It was a remarkable engineering feat of 1750 feet that was intentionally built in the shape of an “S” with an average width of 2ft and an average height of 6 foot.

2) This alone would require precise engineering and keep in mind that we are speaking about man 2500 years ago. It further confirms the historical accuracy of the Bible as well as the smart strategic defensive maneuver by Hezekiah in time of war.

F. Jehu’s Black Panel of Obelisk.

1. He was a high-ranking officer in the Israelite army.1) Per God’s instructions, he destroyed the wicked dynasty of Ahab and

Jezebel and made himself king over Israel.2) He eradicated the idol Baal from Israel, but permitted worship of the

golden calves erected by Jeroboam.3) 2 Kings 10:31-32: “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of

the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin. In those days the Lord began to cut off portions from Israel; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel.”

2. The black obelisk is a picture of King Jehu bowing down (offering tribute) before Shalmaneser III.

1) This confirms the Bible account in 2 Kings 10:31-32, showing Israel’s weakness during the reign of Jehu.

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2) There are 3 Israelites bearing tribute for the Assyrian King.

G. The Moabite Stone.

1. 2 Kings 3:5, 26-27: “When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel... When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.”1) “Omri, King of Israel, had oppressed Moab for many days, because

Chemosh was angry with his land. 2) His son succeeded him and said, ‘I too will oppress Moab.’ 3) He said this in my time, but I triumphed over him and over his

house, while Israel has perished forever.”4) 2 Kings 3:5-27: This Moabite account gives credit to Chemosh,

whose ‘worship’ demanded child sacrifice.

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5) Again, the Bible accounts are verified through historical discoveries.

H. The Prism of Sennacherib.

1. This is the official record of Sennacherib’s conquests.7

1) It lists all of the conquered and has a detailed list of the spoils taken from each, with only one exception.

2) It does not list any spoils taken from Jerusalem.

2. 2 Kings 18:13: “Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.”

2 Chron 32:9-10: “After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying, 10 Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting that you are remaining in Jerusalem under siege?’”

2 Kings 19:32-36: “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city’ declares the Lord. 34 ‘For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.’ 35 Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh.”

1) The prism of Sennacherib mentions Jerusalem by saying, “I shut up Hezekiah in Jerusalem like of bird in a cage.”

2) This confirms the Bible account that Sennacherib did not capture or despoil the city.

I. The Uzziah Inscription.

1. 2 Chron 26:1-4: “And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. 4 He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done.”

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2 Kings 15:7: “And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son became king in his place”.

1) The Uzziah Inscription records, “Here we brought the bones Uzziah, King of Judah. Do not open.”

2) It was discovered near Jerusalem and dates to shortly before the New Testament period.

3) It marks the reinternment of Uzziah’s remains.

J. The Cyrus Cylinder.

1. The Cyrus Cylinder is a Persian copy of the decree recorded in 2 Chron 36:23 and Ezra 1:2-3 permitting the captives to return to their homelands.

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1) 2 Chron 36:23: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!’”

2) Ezra 1:2-3: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.’”

K. Accuracy of Acts.

1. Luke cites 32 countries and 54 cities without making one single mistake.

1) Compare that to the book of Mormon no cities, places ever found.

II. FLOOD ACCOUNTS – More than 270 flood stories/records of a world-wide flood.

A. Hawaii – Only “Nu-u” and family was saved.

1. This writing spoke of him building a great canoe with a house on it filled with animals.

B. China – “Fuhi” with wife and 3 children escaped.

1. There is an ancient temple in China where a painting shows “Fuhi’s boat” where dolphins are swimming around it and a dove with an olive branch is flying toward it.

C. Toltec (Indians of ancient Mexico) – 1st world lasted 1716 years and was destroyed by a great flood.

1. Few men escaped.1) They multiplied; built “zauali” (great tower); languages confused.2) People groups formed.

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2. Toltec’s started from a family of 7 friends who crossed great waters.

1) They lived in caves and wandered 104 years till they came to “Hue Hue Tlapalan” (southern Mexico) 520 years after the flood.

D. Gilgamesh Epic.

1. Similarities with the Genesis account.1) Story of flood.2) Seed of all creatures to be saved.3) Family and relatives aboard.4) All mankind died.5) Released a dove and raven.6) Sacrifice after leaving the ship.

2. Differences from the Genesis account.1) Polytheism vs. monotheism (Gen 6:13).2) Dimensions of ark (Gen 6:15).3) “Seven days” versus “forty days”.

* “When the seventh day arrived, the storm and flood ceased the war” (G. E.)

* “Seven days later the flood came on the earth” (Gen 7:10, GWV); “And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights” (Gen 7:12).

4) Who closed the door.* “I boarded the ship and closed the door” (G. E.).* “and the LORD shut him in” (Gen 7:16).

E. Reflections.

1. These accounts, while contradictory in some details still sustain one fact of which all agree—1) There was a universal flood which eliminated all the living on dry

land in the past in which one family was saved from whom all peoples came from.

2. “In many ways this account is very similar to the biblical record of the Flood, and it is a definite reflection of the fact that there must have been a flood.” (Joseph P. Free, Archaeology and Bible History, p.39)

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3. To embrace modern science regarding the age of the earth and its repudiation of a global flood is to reject all ancient literature that speaks on the subject from men who lived thousands of years ago. 1) Again, to prove that it didn’t happen, you must have been

everywhere at all times. 2) Science fails in defining history because it rests on too many

unknown assumptions. 3) Thus science is limited to the present with present processes. 4) And even then, there is still a risk of improbability that can be

injected into many of the statements made.5) This is why oil may be struck on your neighbor’s property but not on

your property even when it looks probable that oil is there.

III. THE BIBLE IS THE HISTORY BOOK OF THE UNIVERSE

A. Gen 2:4: “This is the account (history, NKJV) of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.”

1. For the Bible’s theological statement to be true, its historical statements are required to be true!1) Skeptics seek to dismiss the theological mandates of scripture by

often trying to undermine the Bible’s historicity.2) Christianity is founded upon great historical facts given in scripture.3) It is foolish accepting the New Testament religion and yet deny the

New Testament’s history.

2. One can easily see how the Christian religion rests upon historical actions of old. 1) If Abraham was only a legend, then what about Jesus? 2) If Adam never existed, then what about Jesus?

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3) If there was not a real king David who slew Goliath and conquered the enemies of God, then why should we believe in Jesus who defeated the giant of all skeptics, Satan?

3. You see, people in the past have said, “Abraham was only a legend.” 1) They shouted “There is no evidence to really believe in a dynasty of

David.” 2) They challenged Isaiah saying that he goofed in calling some

Assyrian king “Sargon.” 3) They would remind their students that they found lists with every

Assyrian king on them and “Sargon” was never mentioned. 4) Then “boom” Sargon’s 24 acre palace is found. They say the book of

Judges is just a book with good stories in it but has no historical truth contained it.

B. They used to say that the wealth of Solomon was an exaggeration and therefore the Biblical record was untrustworthy.

1. Some poorly studied atheists may still argue such today. 1) Then King Tutankhamun’s treasure was found. 2) King Tut had died within 100 years of Moses’ lifetime. 3) The wealth of this “nobody king” of Egypt is seen to be exquisite.4) Among other things, he had a solid gold coffin that weighed about

2430 lbs! 5) Ex 38:24: We read that Israel donated almost 30 talents of gold for

the tabernacle. 6) Alan Millard calculated the weight of such as about 1980 lbs

(Treasures From Bible Times, p. 70). 7) Skeptics argued that such was ridiculous. Where could they get that

gold? 8) Do we see any place today with that much gold? 9) Again, understanding the past is not by understanding the present.

We must go back to ancient Egypt.

2. Bible critics failed to recognize the Bible’s teaching when it spoke of Israel plundering Egypt when they departed (Ex 3:22). 1) Further, it was prophesied they would take out “great possessions”

from them (Gen 15:14). 2) Where did they get the silver and gold for the Tabernacle? Egypt. 3) They didn’t have any gold when they were slaves. 4) It was given to them as they departed (Ex 3:21-22).

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5) This doesn’t even take into the account of all the wealth that came into Israel during the time of David and Solomon.

6) King Tut’s grave, as massive as that was, helps us understand the wealth that was attained by ancient kings.

3. Why do people say these skeptical things and what effect do such statements have on the hearers? 1) Is it not a breeding ground for skepticism?

2) One reason lessons periodically on evidences are valuable is to assure people of what they have not been told by the television and internet skeptics and to assure them that the Bible is trustworthy and accurate.

3) We can easily see the result of unchecked skepticism.

4. The Bible is accurate in history and it’s accurate in theology. 1) Because Adam was real, I can fully believe that Jesus was real.2) Because Jesus was real I had better know why He died and what

ramification that has on my life. 3) If the cross of Christ is disconnected from the Old Testament, it is

just another cross. 4) The cross cannot be disconnected from the history of the Bible.

CONCLUSION

1. John 3:12: “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I told you heavenly things?”1. If Bible History (earthly things) is unbelievable – then heavenly things will

also be unbelievable.1) 1 Cor 2:14: “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit

of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (examined).”

2. The study of archaeology shows a pattern of faith.1) It is reasonable to put faith in the Bible, even when tangible evidence has

not yet been discovered.

2. John 3:3-5: Spiritual birth – when you B + R + C + Baptized=Born again.

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