Archaeology

Silver as Stones

King David is an extremely pivotal figure in the Bible. Not only was he the lad who slew the giant Goliath, and then became king of Israel, but he is also part of the direct lineage of Jesus Christ. King Solomon was miraculously given divine wisdom, confirmed by God is a dream. He was classified as the world’s wisest man. His reign was enormously prosperous, even to the point when silver was counted as nothing — as stones upon the ground. But there’s a widespread attempt to discount these facts.

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Silver as Stones

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It’s in the weakness that strength is found.  In my pocket I am carrying three index cards that I try to remember to read each time I pick up or lay down my car keys.  Each card bears one Bible verse.  Every 90 days I replace these beautiful cards with three new verses.  I wait upon God for the new verses that He knows are most needed in my life.  My present three cards are:

Psalms 143:7:

Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

II Corinthians 12:9:

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

II Corinthians 12:10:

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Recognizing that my life is very short and that the act of living is a gift beyond my control is humbling, sobering, and eye opening.  Recognizing the inability to escape the world’s deathbed brings man to one of two positions:

(1.) the position of despair, anxiety, and fear, or

(2.) the position of hope and faith. 

The differences between the camp of carnaldom and Christendom are colossal at this place called the deathbed.  They are 180 degrees out.  They are exact opposites, even as darkness is versus light.  At the deathbed, in this place of total weakness, the redeemed find glorious strength.  Concerning a believer’s death, Jesus said in Luke 20:35-36:

35  But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

36  Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

John 11:25-26:

25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

And then the glorious passage in I Corinthians 15:54-57:

54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you been born again?  Are you ready to allow God to turn even your deathbed into a very literal coronation day?  All this can be accomplished right now, even here at your computer.  Click onto “Further With Jesus” for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  Allow God to turn your weakness into immeasurable strength.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, I Kings 7:51:

So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.

GOD SAID, I Kings 10:21-23:

21  And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

22  For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

23  So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

GOD SAID, I Kings 10:27:

And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

MAN SAID: King David and Solomonic grandeur are simply mythical.  And those who do concede their existence say they reigned over insignificant fiefdoms.

Now THE RECORD.  Welcome to GodSaidManSaid.  We are thankful that you have come to visit.  GodSaidManSaid presently hosts, in text and streaming audio, 471 feature articles that certify the full veracity and inerrancy of the Holy Bible.  Every Thursday eve, God willing, it grows by one.  We employ a four-category proof pattern:

(1.)  Category number one is “Archaeology.”  In this category, discoveries by archaeologists, paleontologists, geologists, and the records of ancient historians certify the Bible as a totally reliable historic record, miracles and all.

(2.)  Category number two is “Prophecy.”  Here God’s prophets of old predict the future hundreds and even thousands of years in advance.  The world’s historians and societies shout YES!  Taking these prophecies and coupling them with probability establish beyond any reasonable doubt the supernatural origin of Holy scripture.

(3.)  Category number three is titled, “GodSaidManSaid: The Record.”  In this category God’s commandments and insights are posted, and then the results of man’s disregard are cited.  The devastation is staggering.  When you disregard truth, reaping the fruit of doing the wrong thing is the only outcome possible.

(4.)  Category number four is “The Historicity of Jesus Christ.”  Here the ancient records are revealed that testify of the birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  You might be shocked to know that there are Jesus Christ deniers. 

Some contend that proving the God of the Bible is not a worthy effort, but God is not one of them.  I Thessalonians 5:21 reads:

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

When God says “Yes,” a multitude leaps to their feet to challenge.  Biblical minimalists are faithful in their efforts to discredit the scriptures, especially anything that smacks of miraculous.  This would surely include the reigns of King David and his son Solomon.  King David is an extremely pivotal figure in the Bible.  Not only is he the lad who slew the giant Goliath, and then became the king of the mighty nation of Israel, but he is also part of the direct lineage of Jesus Christ.  King Solomon was miraculously given divine wisdom, confirmed by God is a dream.  He was classified as the world’s wisest man.  His reign was enormously prosperous, even to the point when silver was counted as nothing—as stones upon the ground.  According to the minimalists, King David and Solomonic grandeur are simply mythical accounts.  To the minimalists who concede their existence, they were insignificant leaders of insignificant fiefdoms. 

New discoveries in the field of archaeology continue to certify the faithful record of Holy writ, and continue to demolish the positions of the minimalists. 

The February 22, 2010 headline of Associated Press writer Matti Friedman reads: “Archaeologist Sees Proof for Bible in Ancient Wall.”  The following excerpt is from that feature:

 JERUSALEM – An Israeli archaeologist said Monday that ancient fortifications recently excavated in Jerusalem date back 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the biblical narrative about the era.

If the age of the wall is correct, the finding would be an indication that Jerusalem was home to a strong central government that had the resources and manpower needed to build massive fortifications in the 10th century B.C.

That’s a key point of dispute among scholars, because it would match the Bible's account that the Hebrew kings David and Solomon ruled from Jerusalem around that time.  [End of quote]

The headline in the International Jerusalem Post reads: “Solomonic Wisdom?  HebrewUniversity archeologist Eilat Mazar says a newly discovered Jerusalem city wall dates back to the time of King Solomon.”  The following paragraphs are from that feature:

Ancient stone fortifications that were recently uncovered outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City date back some 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the biblical narrative about the era, according to archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who spoke to a group of reporters at the site on February 22.

If the age of the wall is correct, the finding would be an indication that Jerusalem was home to a strong central government that had the resources and manpower needed to build massive fortifications in the 10th century BCE.

“It’s the most significant construction we have from First Temple days in Israel,” said Mazar.  “And it means that at that time, the 10th century, in Jerusalem there was a regime capable of carrying out such construction.”

The section of the city wall revealed, which is 70 meters (230 feet) long and six meters (20 feet) high, is located in the area known as the Ophel, between the City of David and the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

An inner gatehouse for access into the royal quarter of the city was uncovered in the city wall complex, along with a royal structure adjacent to the gatehouse and a corner tower that overlooks a substantial section of the adjacent Kidron Valley.

“The city wall that has been uncovered testifies to a ruling presence,” Mazar said.  “Its strength and form of construction indicate a high level of engineering, and the city wall is at the eastern end of the Ophel area in a high, strategic location atop the western slope of the Kidron Valley.

“A comparison of this latest finding with city walls and gates from the period of the First Temple, as well as pottery found at the site, enable us to postulate, with a great degree of assurance, that the wall that has been revealed is that which was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem in the latter part of the tenth century BCE.”  [End of quote]

God’s Word is a reliable record of the past and an eyewitness account of the very creation itself.  God’s Word describes His thinking and His plans for the sons of men.  God’s Word is a literal owner’s manual given to man so that he might have life and have it more abundantly.  The wise subscribe to its tenets.  God’s Word is a place to build a life.

GOD SAID, I Kings 7:51:

So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.

GOD SAID, I Kings 10:21-23:

21  And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

22  For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

23  So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

GOD SAID, I Kings 10:27:

And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

MAN SAID: King David and Solomonic grandeur are simply mythical.  And those who do concede their existence say they reigned over insignificant fiefdoms.

Now you have THE RECORD. 

 

 

References:

 

Authorized King James Version

Friedman, M., “Archaeologist Sees Proof for Bible in Ancient Wall,” Associated Press, February 22, 2010.

Selig, A., “Solomonic Wisdom?” International Jerusalem Post (February 26 – March 4, 2010), p15.

 

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