By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Atheistic and agnostic critics reject the Bible’s theology so strongly that they also dismiss its historical record, seeking to undermine any evidence that supports the truthfulness of God’s Word.
One of the most sustained attacks on the Bible’s historical accuracy targets the legitimacy of—and even the existence of—the Kingdom of Israel. Some critics go so far as to claim that David and Solomon were not real historical figures.
These attacks on Israel’s ancient legitimacy are also attacks on the foundations of Christianity. Even today, Marxists and Communists who oppose Israel’s existence seek to weaken Christianity.
Yet despite the ideological and political theater, archaeological discoveries increasingly refute Christianity’s critics and affirm the biblical account of history.
DAVID & SOLOMON
Critics have long argued that the historical record is silent about David and Solomon, claiming that both men were either fictitious characters or inconsequential to history.
However, these arguments were largely blunted in 1993, when an archaeological team digging in northern Israel, discovered three fragments of a stone slab that contains a chiseled record of the victories of the king of Aram, Israel’s ancient neighbor to the north.
While boasting about slaying 70 kings who harnessed thousands of chariots and horsemen, he then specifically names two kings, presumably the most powerful among his adversaries.
“I killed Jehoram, son of Ahab, king of Israel, and I killed Ahaziahu, son of Jehoram, king of the House of David.”
This statement likely made some critics’ jaws drop, because not only does it identify David with an honorific title, but it does so in context of the kingdom he built as being a militarily powerful nation – which also implies Israel was a wealthy nation.
As for Solomon, none of the critics give him credit for building a temple that was “exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries” (1 Chronicles 22:5, NKJV), owing that none of it remains to this day.
However, a clay tablet known as the Babylonian Chronicle recorded the plunder of the temple and palace Solomon built in Jerusalem, noting that Nebuchadnezzar “took its heavy tribute and brought them to Babylon.”
Moreover, just last year an archaeological team discovered a layer of ashes dating to the time of this destruction, proving that the Bible is correct in stating that the Babylonian forces “burned the house of the Lord” (Solomon’s temple) as well as the palace he had built, and “all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire” and that they “broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around” (2 Kings 25:9-10, NKJ V).
Moreover, other digs in the last decade have validated the biblical account of Solomon’s empire building, with discoveries of:
— great gates and fortified walls at Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer, which correlate to Solomon’s efforts to protect these cities that he annexed into an expanding kingdom (1 Kings 9:15); and
— a 3,000-year-old wall in Jerusalem which corresponds to Solomon’s work to expand the footprint of Jerusalem and bring Mount Moriah (Temple Mount) inside its protected boundary (1 Kings 9:15-19).
FAITH NOT SIGHT
For the longest time, skeptics decried the Bible’s trustworthiness, calling it error-riddled because it repeatedly mentions the Hittites, but no evidence could be found to verify this nation’s existence.
That is until late in the
19th century, when archaeological teams discovered the ruins of this nation’s capital city and then in the early years of the 20th century, found 10,000 clay tablets that revealed the Hittites as a powerful nation who rivaled Egypt.
Yet, Bible critics did not relent or repent about their wrong-headed opinion that the Bible was untrustworthy.
But remember this point about apologetics: Although we are told to hold the truth of Scripture to refute “those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9, NKJV) and are commanded to even be aggressive in refuting any opposing thought (2 Corinthians 10:5-6), we are not told that we are accountable for changing the hearts and minds of those who oppose God.
Instead, we are instructed to learn His Word so that in any situation, with the leading of the Holy Spirit (Luke 12:12) we are “ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15, NKJV) – whether there is a historical record or archaeological artifact, or not.
