The Bible—An Invaluable Guide
The Bible, being “inspired of God,” is invaluable as a guide for our lives. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) It tells us of God’s requirements and his purposes. But it proves invaluable in another way, in the degree to which we can depend upon its accuracy. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution recently reported the work of Israeli archaeologist Yigal Shiloh, who is excavating the ruins of “the real Old City of Jerusalem—the Jerusalem of David and Solomon, of Isaiah and Jeremiah.” The report says: “Shiloh’s team of 150 volunteers and 30 professionals is using everything from picks and shovels to hi-tech electronics” in its archaeological excavations. “And in this quest . . . the Bible is an invaluable tool.”
In what way? The account states: “For example, in the book of Jeremiah (36:10) it is written: ‘Then read Baruch in the Book of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe.’”
What have Shiloh and his team found in apparent confirmation of this detail? A clay seal used for stamping papyrus, inscribed with the name of “Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe,” dating from the time of Jeremiah.
The same report goes on to say: “Even small items can illuminate the Bible. For instance, Shiloh has discovered numerous fertility idols in the shape of big-breasted female figurines from the time of the Hebrew prophets, meaning that despite the prophets’ protestations, idol worship was not easily given up by the common people.” This fact is confirmed in the Bible account. For example, in Jeremiah 7:17, 18 we read: “Are you not seeing what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The sons are picking up sticks of wood, and the fathers are lighting the fire, and the wives are kneading flour dough in order to make sacrificial cakes to the ‘queen of the heavens’; and there is a pouring out of drink offerings to other gods for the purpose of offending me.”
Numerous authorities suggest identifying the “queen of the heavens” with the Babylonian fertility goddess Ishtar. Others identify her with the Canaanite fertility goddess Ashtoreth. (For further information see Aid to Bible Understanding, pages 1363-4 and 810-11.)
This, of course, is not the first time that archaeologists have confirmed the Bible by their findings. On many occasions they have used the Bible to locate their findings! As the late Yohanan Aharoni stated in his book The Land of the Bible: “The Bible still remains the main source for historical geography of Palestine during the Israelite period. Its narratives and descriptions reflect their geographical environment as well as the historical events that took place. It contains references to some 475 local geographical names, many of them in contexts which supply pertinent details about the nature, location and history of the place.” Yes, without a doubt the Bible is an invaluable guide, even when one is digging around the land of Israel today.