I am thrilled whenever a biblical archeological discovery is reported by the secular news. Here are four reasons why people with faith in Almighty God should celebrate such reports.
First, “affirming” physical evidence makes the Word of God less of a “fairy tale” — a phrase used by my deceased atheist sister, to describe the Bible. (God rest her soul.)
Second, excavations can spark biblical interest among academics or anyone who enjoys ancient history — even those without faith who would never pick up a Bible.
Third, a repeat from Vol. 126: ”What the Bible Says about Burnt Offerings” — relevant to today’s study passage:
“Decades ago, I heard a mega-church pastor say, ‘Archaeology has never disproved the Bible,’ and it resonated with me. Then, researching this study [Vol. 126], I found two confirming articles. First from Smithsonian Magazine: ‘An Archaeological Dig Reignites the Debate Over the Old Testament’s Historical Accuracy’ — and a quote grabbed my attention:
“ ‘This trend of archaeology corroborating Biblical accounts continued so consistently that in 1959 Rabbi Dr. Nelson Glueck declared ‘no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.’ Since then, the evidence has kept coming.
“The second article is from Newsweek (of all places), by celebrated writer Eric Metaxas titled, ‘Is Archaeology Proving the Bible?’ Metaxas wrote: ‘Archaeology has been pointing to the accuracy of the Hebrew scriptures for 170 years.’ “
Fourth, as technology advances, expect new techniques to yield more discoveries confirming the Bible. (Maybe even the “Ark of the Covenant,” but without Harrison Ford.)
And, on a personal note, this past summer in Jerusalem, my husband and I visited the Pool of Siloam, thus more excavations are welcome news.
Now, let’s take a quick dip into the Pool of Siloam and discuss the key takeaways from John: 9 — a miraculous two-part story. First, “Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind,” the subhead for verses 1-12. The second subhead for verses 13 – 41 is “The Pharisees Investigate the Healing.”