Episode 249 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 4 – Amazing Accuracy Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 2 Kings, Chapter 18, verse 28, English Standard Version

******** VK: Hello! Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. Today we’re moving on in the series we began a few episodes ago called “Archeology and the Bible.” Archeology as a science can be very helpful to show an unbelieving world that that the Bible is true. The Bible is a book that is firmly set in place and time. It contains a large body of history and, despite the doubts of some, the history contained in the Bible has been shown repeatedly to be reliable. And one way the reliability of the Bible’s history has been demonstrated is through archeological finds and artifacts. So, to help us continue our discussion today in the studio we have RD Fierro, who is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, one of the big points that we are trying to make in this that archeological finds can be a valuable source of support for the accuracy of the history that the Bible reports. Can you give us an example of that? RD: Absolutely. But before I do that I would also like to say “hi” to everyone and welcome them to Anchored by Truth. So, here is a quick example that will lead us into today's discussion. Most people who have read the Bible know that the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles are historical books. They describe the history of the nation of Israel after the period of the judges ended. VK: As a quick refresher just about everybody knows that at one time the Hebrews lived in Egypt for a period of hundreds of years. Then around 1445 BC, plus or minus a few years, Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt. After a period of 40 years of wandering in the desert the Hebrews finally entered Palestine and displaced many of the Canaanites who had been living there. Well, for the first 400 or so years after they entered Palestine the Hebrews lived a loose confederation of tribal states under a succession of judges. And the book of Judges in the Bible describes this time period. But around 1100 BC Saul was anointed king and the Hebrews lived in a monarchial system for the next 500 years or so. Under Saul, David, and David’s son, Solomon, Israel had a united kingdom. But after Solomon died the kingdom split into the northern and southern kingdoms. The northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern kingdom was called Judah. RD: Yes. Well, chapter 17 of the book of 1 Samuel describes the epic encounter between David and Goliath. The encounter took place in the Valley of Elah which is very near the boundary between the Philistines and Israel. Today there is a site called Khirbet Qeiyafa which is the site of an ancient fortress city overlooking the Elah Valley of Israel. It’s about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem and 7 miles from Goliath’s hometown of Gath. Since 2007, excavations by Yosef Garfinkel of The Hebrew University and Saar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority, have uncovered a large number of artifacts at Qeiyafa. One of the artifacts they found was a jar with the name “Eshbaal” on it. Eshbaal was one of the sons of Saul. 1 Chronicles 8:33 says “Ner became the father of Kish; and Kish became the father of Saul; and Saul became the father of Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.” VK: And what is interesting is that Garfinkel has dated the find to about the time that Saul would have been the king. But you’re not asserting that this jar actually belonged to Saul’s son, are you? RD: No. But what the find does point out is that the name “Eshbaal” was in use around that time. Furthermore, Garfinkel thinks it likely that the evidence at this site is indicative of a stronger government and nation at that point in Israel’s history than has been commonly thought. Part of the reason they think this is because the excavators at the site found out that the city at the site had two gates. According to an article on PatternsofEvidence.com “This has caused them to propose that the site was biblical Shaaraim, which means “two gates” in Hebrew and this settlement/fortress is also mentioned as being near the site of the David vs. Goliath confrontation in the Bible’s account.” The English Standard Version of 1 Samuel 17:52 says this “And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.” We’ll put a link to the article in the notes that accompany the podcast version of this episode. VK: So, these archeological finds are entirely consistent with the Biblical record of the encounter between David and Goliath and they are consistent with the timing and location of the encounter. As we’ve said before, this does not rise to the level of conclusive proof but it does mean that there is evidence that what the Bible says about the confrontation between the Philistines and the Hebrews, and the fight between David and Goliath, has significant historical support. RD: Right. And that’s a good lead into what I wanted to talk about today. Names and titles tend to change through times and they vary from nation to nation and culture to culture. So, if we find out that a writer uses names and titles correctly, that their use is consistent with the time, place, and surroundings, we can have confidence that the writer has been accurate in their reporting. VK: For instance at one time Elsie was a very common woman’s name in America and Horatio was a common men’s name. Horatio Alger was one of the best known authors of the late 19th century. But you never hear of parents naming their children “Elsie” or “Horatio” today. So, if you see those names you can be pretty sure they weren’t born in the late 20th century or early 21st century. Same thing is true with titles. In England the highest governmental executive officer is called the “Prime Minister.” In American the title “President” is used. So, if a writer were to write an account and call an American office holder the “Prime Minister” we could be reasonably sure that some, if not most, of their account was inaccurate. In ancient Egypt the ruler was called “Pharaoh.” In Rome before Julius Caesar came to power the leaders of the Roman government were called “counsels.” After Julius Caesar made himself dictator most of the men who succeeded him also went by the title Caesar. We could date the reign of Roman rulers at least somewhat by what title applied. Names and titles tend to be location, time, and culturally dependent. RD: Right. So, let’s take a look at a specific example of a Biblical account that gets even obscure titles right. In 701 BC the southern kingdom of Judah was threatened by the Assyrian Empire under their king named Sennacherib. Sennacherib is a name found in 3 books of the Bible: 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah. Sennacherib began to reign 710 BC and even though he only reigned a few years he was prominent in the Bible because of his threats to Judah. VK: Hezekiah who was the king of Judah at the time had freed Judah from the Assyrians. As a consequence Sennacherib marched an army against him, and took all the strong cities of Judah except Jerusalem. Hezekiah, realized the predicament he was in and sent ambassadors with tribute to Sennacherib [SIN-AT-CHUR-RIB], who at the time was besieging and destroying another city in Judah. Sennacherib accepted his tribute, but refused to depart, and he sent some of his senior officials with an insulting message to Jerusalem. Hezekiah then prayed to the Lord, who sent a destroying angel against the Assyrian army, and killed a 185,000 of the Assyrians in one night. Sennacherib then retreated to his capital city of Nineveh. But two or three years after his return from Jerusalem he was murdered by two of his sons.

RD: Right. All of that history is contained in the Bible. But the Bible’s account has been confirmed by records that were found in the ruins of Nineveh. The ruins of Nineveh are in a mound called Kouyunijik, which is outside the current city of Mosul, Iraq. The mound has been explored and excavated and the excavation has uncovered the remains of a huge palace of the type that would have been built by a powerful king. Inside the palace are huge stone tablets which formed the walls of its various apartments. These tablets are covered with bas-reliefs and inscriptions and while they have suffered over time some large portions remain intact. The fragments that remain are very important. One series of tablets recounts the Sennacherib exploits, who calls himself "the subduer of kings from the upper sea of the setting sun to the lower sea of the rising sun." In our language that would be from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. VK: For those of us who are interested in the Bible the most important of these mural pages recount the history of Sennacherib’s war against Syria and the Jews, in the third year of his reign. In his campaign region he fought with an Egyptian army, sent to help King Hezekiah. Sennacherib defeated the Egyptians and conquered a number of cities in Judah. One inscription on a tablet says "Hezekiah king of Judah, who had not submitted to my authority, forty-six of his principal cities, and fortresses and villages dependent upon them, of which I took no account, I captured, and carried away their spoil. The fortified towns, and the rest of his towns which I spoiled, I severed from his country, and gave to the kings of Askelon, Ekron, and Gaza, so as to make his country small. In addition to the former tribute imposed upon their countries, I added a tribute the nature of which I fixed." RD: Now it’s importance to note that in this boast Sennacherib does not claim to have conquered Jerusalem itself. He claims to have carried away Hezekiah's family, servants, and treasures, with a tribute of thirty talents of gold and eight hundred talents of silver. The amount of gold Sennacherib mentions is the same reported in the Bible narrative. The amount of silver claimed by Sennacherib differs from the amount in scripture. Scripture just mentions three hundred talents of silver. So, it is possible that Hezekiah gave Sennacherib 300 talents of silver because that was all the silver money he had. The five hundred additional talents claimed in the Ninevite record may include the temple and palace treasures that Hezekiah gave when he tried to buy Sennacherib off. VK: The Bible describes these events this way, “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: ‘I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.’ The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace. At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.” That’s 2 Kings, chapter 18, verses 13 through 16 from the New International Version. You know it’s interesting that the Bible doesn’t record Hezekiah seeking help from the Lord until Jerusalem itself was threatened. RD: That is interesting and I think it points out something important. From archeological records and artifacts we can learn much of what happened in history. But it’s only from the Bible that we can see the interactions between God and his people. Of course it’s important to have confidence that the history in the Bible is accurate but it’s more important to know what God wants us to learn from that history. Hezekiah and Judah endured a lot of loss before Hezekiah finally sent some of his court officials to the prophet Isaiah to ask the Lord for help. VK: 2 Kings, chapter 19 verses 5 through 7 say, “When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, ‘Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.” Then in verses 32 and 33 the Lord tells Hezekiah through Isaiah “He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city …” Those quotes are from the New International Version. RD: This is a great lesson for us all. At one point the southern nation of Judah was subject to the dominion of the Assyrian Empire. Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, had put them in that position because Ahaz had asked the Assyrians to help him against a confederation that was composed of the kings of the northern nation, Israel and one of the neighboring states, Aram. The Bible tells us that Ahaz was a wicked, ungodly king. Ahaz was so wicked he even practiced child sacrifice. So, rather than seeking help from the Lord, Ahaz looked to the wicked pagan power of Assyria for help for Judah. He got the help but it made Judah subject to Assyria. VK: But unlike his wicked father the Bible tells us that Hezekiah was a righteous king. Hezekiah led a reformation within Judah and eventually Hezekiah was able to achieve a measure of independence for Judah. The Bible tells us that for 14 years of Hezekiah’s reign the Assyrians did not attack. But then this new Assyrian king, Sennacherib, ascended the throne and he appears to have resented the fact that Judah had broken away. So, he attacked Judah. And despite that fact that Hezekiah was a very good king he apparently did not seek the Lord’s help until the Assyrian campaign had progressed quite a bit. RD: And that may be because in the years after he assumed the throne and before the Assyrians attacked Hezekiah appears to have formed a relationship or an alliance with Egypt and Ethiopia. Hezekiah may have been counting on his earthly alliances more than his heavenly father. Again, this is a lesson for us. As it’s sometimes put, we need to make “prayer our first response and not our last resort.” In Hezekiah’s case he appears to have made an appeal to the Lord his last resort because he didn’t send his officials to Isaiah until Sennacherib had conquered much of Judah and was threatening Jerusalem. VK: I think a lot of us are like that – even many Christians. We think God is there or at least we hope He is. But when troubles come our way we almost behave as if He isn’t. We try to handle our problems using our own resources, strength, and plans. All too often we don’t immediately go to prayer and start petitioning the Lord for Him to intercede. And, all too often we certainly have been consulting with the Lord before we got into trouble to ask him what we should be doing that might have kept us out of trouble to begin with. RD: And part of the reason we permit this to happen is because we haven’t studied the Bible to see how God has dealt with His people throughout history. This is a serious weakness in the faith of the modern church. We attempt to build our faith on what we think the Bible says and not on what it actually does say. But I am persuaded that a large part of the reason we treat our faith this way is because too many Christians really aren’t persuaded that the Bible is the inspired word of God. At least that what the surveys tell us. VK: Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Books collaborate every two years and do surveys to determine what they call the “state of theology.” One of the statements they test is: “The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.” In 2014 only 41% of adult Americans agreed with this statement. In 2022 53% of adults agreed with the statement. That’s an alarming trend. RD: Less than half of adult Americans think that the Bible is literally true. I don’t know for sure but I suspect when I was a kid in the 1960’s the percentage would have been in the 70’s or even 80%. And part of the reason the percentage of adult Americans who believe the Bible is literally true is because the Bible has been under an unrelenting assault. That’s why seemingly arcane details about archeology are important. These details help us to assure ourselves, first and foremost, that the Bible is true and then they help us to convey that to others. We won’t rely on our faith if we’re not confident in our faith. And we’re not going to be confident in our faith if we don’t have assurance that the written source of our faith, the Bible, is true. An assured faith is a faith that will turn to God in trouble and frankly will please that God more than a faith that is built on 2nd hand knowledge. So let’s go to one final example today of how the Bible has been validated by archeology. VK: We heard in our opening scripture that it was not the king of Assyria that spoke directly to the residents of Jerusalem in making his threats, but one of his designated officials. And as we mentioned at the start of our episode getting the names and titles right when reporting history gives us confidence the writer was reporting things accurately. Well, archaeology has validated the biblical terms used for the Assyrian officials who confronted Hezekiah. RD: Right. From the Judean city of Lachish, Sennacherib sent some of his high-ranking men, together with a delegation of his army, to Jerusalem. They presented a message to Hezekiah as a means of intimidation. Three Assyrian officers who brought Sennacherib’s message are listed: “the Tartan, the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh” That’s 2 Kings 18:17. Up until the ruins of Nineveh were explored these titles were obscure and puzzling to Bible commentators. But all three terms have since been found in ancient Assyrian records. The Assyrian records mentions the Tartan—the senior military commander who ranked next to the king. They also mention the slightly lower-ranked Rabshakeh, which means ‘chief of princes’. The Rab-saris, another of the king’s close officials (possibly chief eunuch), is mentioned in a small contract document. VK: And while we don’t know everything about the exact duties performed by these officers, the preservation of their titles is one of many examples where the details in Scripture, though otherwise lost from secular history, have been verified by archaeological discoveries. RD: Right. And let’s remember from the opening scripture we heard that the chief spokesman for the Assyrians when they threatened Jerusalem was the Rabshakeh, a slightly lower officer – not the military commander. This is very similar to what we see in today’s governments where announcements are usually made by designated spokesman, not the actual leader. Think about the press briefings that are conducted in the White House or Pentagon. VK: And it is interesting to hear that the spokesman for the Assyrians was like a lot of political spokesmen today. He didn’t just confine himself to asking the Hebrews to surrender. Instead he can’t help but do some boasting. He actually said: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. … And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?’” That’s 2 Kings, chapter 18, selected verses from 28 through 33. But the Lord did deliver Jerusalem from the hands of the Assyrians. They made a big mistake when they exhibited disdain for the almighty God. They treated the almighty, everlasting God as if he were just one of the other gods – who were not gods at all but just idols made by human hands. That was not smart. And just as Isaiah had prophesied Sennacherib never conquered Jerusalem and was murdered a short while later. RD: Right. Sennacherib and the Assyrians were like all people who oppose the Lord. They enjoy some earthly success for a while but they are long term losers. Less than a hundred years later the Assyrians were conquered by the Babylonians - and as we have discussed – disappeared so completely that for 2,000 years nobody even new where Nineveh (their capital) once stood. But Hezekiah and the people who trusted in the Lord survived. So, the details of this encounter show the precision and reliability of the Biblical record. You know it’s one thing for records to be able to get the “big” names and titles right. People remember the names of famous kings or queens or the titles of rulers. But it’s another thing when the writers get the titles of lesser officials right. That demonstrates an attention to detail and a concern for accuracy. But that’s what we see in the Bible. And it’s why the assertions that the Bible is not true, filled with myth and fairy tales, or was written hundreds of years after the events that it records are so easily shown to be wrong. VK: And that is what we wanted to point out in this episode and in this series. Archeological discoveries have repeatedly supported the history contained in the Bible. And when they supposedly don’t – when purportedly a discovery shows how the Bible is wrong - we need to stop and think. As we discussed in a previous episode in this series we need to examine the worldview and axioms of the group making the discovery and they need to research and consider the Biblical alternative. All archeologists look at evidence in present and try to determine what it says about the past. Often later discoveries will result an initial opinion being revised. Quite often when that happens we find out the Bible had it right the whole time. Well, This sounds like a great time to pray. Today let’s listen to a prayer that our communities and nations would repent of our departure from the worship of the One True God. The God that saved Hezekiah and the Hebrews from the Assyrians still rules today and He will still help all those who turn in trust to Him. ---- PRAYER FOR RESTORATION OF THE WORSHIP OF THE ONE TRUE GOD VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Bible Quotes from the English Standard Version and New International Version) 2 Kings, Chapter 18, verse 28, English Standard Version

David Battles Goliath: Is There Evidence That David Won (patternsofevidence.com)

When God rescued King Hezekiah, part 2 (creation.com) Topical Bible: Sennacherib (biblehub.com)