Despite
being written by many different authors over a period of 1600
years, the Bible does not contradict itself. In this session
we examine some of the extraordinary internal consistency
of the Bible and look at the alleged contradictions and how
they can be explained. We also consider the exciting discovery
of "Bible echoes".
One
thing you will notice as you start to read the Bible regularly,
is that its message is remarkably consistent. Despite being
written by many different authors, from all walks of life,
over a period of about 1600 years, the basic message is
the same. Of course, this is what you would expect from
a book inspired by God.
The
Bible is also consistent in the little things, the apparently
trivial details. There axe many examples in the Bible where
different passages support each other, providing "undesigned
coincidences". The idea is best seen by examples.
Numbers
13:33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak
came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in
our own sight. NKJV
Joshua 11:21-22 At that time Joshua went and destroyed
the Anakites from the hill country ... No Anakites were
left in Israelite territories; only in Gaza, Gath and
Ashdod did any survive.
1 Samuel 17:4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath,
came out of the Philistine camp. He was over ninefeet
tall.
These
passages were written by three different authors at three
different periods of history. Yet they match each other
perfectly. The first passage shows that when Israel entered
the promised land there were many giants there (the sons
of Anak, or Anakites). The second passage shows that Israel
destroyed nearly all of these giants, but left a few in
three towns: Gaza, Gath and Ashdod. The third passage casually
mentions that the giant Goliath's home town was Gath. He
must have been descended from one of the Anakites. There
is a ring of truth about these three passages. They sound
more like accurate history than contrived fiction.
In
Matthew 8:16 we read
When
evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought
to him and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed
all the sick.
Why
did they come in the evening? Matthew does not tell us.
But Mark records the same incident and says that it was
on a Sabbath (Mark 1:21). In another passage (Matthew 12:10)
we learn that there was a belief among the Jews that it
was not lawful to heal on the Sabbath. We also know that
the Jews counted 6pm as the end of one day and the start
of the next. So the Sabbath ended at 6pm and after that,
in the evening, the people brought the sick people to be
healed. Putting these passages together, the explanation
is clear.
Again,
the incident has the ring of truth. Matthew reports that
the healing took place in the evening without saying that
it was a Sabbath. If the story was contrived, these little
details may have been overlooked.
