Reasons to believe

The Bible was written so long ago. How can we be sure that it is really the word of God? In fact, there is a lot of evidence that the Bible is divinely inspired. In this session we look at three lines of evidence which give us confidence that the Bible did come from God. These are:

Together these show us that the Bible is historically accurate, that it was written by our Creator and that the gospel message is true.

Archaeology

In the past 150 years there has been a large number of archaeological excavations at hundreds of sites in the countries of the Bible. Many finds demonstrate the historical accuracy of the Bible. Some examples are given below.

House of David inscription

In mid 1993, a stone inscription was discovered which referred to the "House of David" and the "King of Israel". This is the first reference to King David found outside the Bible. The stone has been dated to the ninth century BC and appears to commemorate the victory of an Aramean king over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The inscription provides strong evidence for the existence of King David and the dynasty which he founded.

Seals of Biblical Persons

When letters and official documents were sent to someone, they were normally sealed with a wax or clay seal bearing the writer's imprint. This normally had the writer's name and title along with a geometric design. Some of the clay seals have survived and been found (although the documents to which they were once attached have long since crumbled away). Some of them are shown below. These apparently belonged to the following people.

1. Baruch, son of Neriah Jer 36:4 (Jeremiah's scribe)
2. Yerahmeel, son of the king Jer 36:26 (near Baruch seal)
3. Gemariah, son of Shaphan Jer 36:10
4. Seriah, son of Neriah Jer 51:59 (Baruch's brother)
5. Azariah, son of Hilkiah 1 Chr 6:13 (son of high priest)
6. Azaliah, son of Meshullam 2 Kgs 22:3

All of these seals have been dated to around 600 BC, exactly the right time according to the Bible's chronology.

In fact, two seals belonging to Baruch, son of Neriah have been found. One of them also showed a fingerprint, perhaps the mark of Baruch himself.

Nebuchadnezzar's bricks

Many bricks have been found in Babylon bearing the following inscription

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who provides for Esagila and Ezida, the eldest son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, am I.

(Esagila and Ezida were temples in Babylon.) Until these bricks were found early this century, the name Nebuchadnezzar was unknown outside the Bible.

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