King Hezekiah Back in the News

Jesus Christ is the Lord of Glory.  He is God’s only begotten Son, who was sent by the Father to this fallen earth to save and to heal.  John 1:10-12:

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

In Christ’s saving blood is the “power to become a son or daughter of God.”  Have you become a child of God?  Are you ready to “believe on His name?”  Your journey to eternal life in Christ Jesus begins now.  No matter how deep your sin and shame, God’s grace is sufficient.  No matter the strength of the shackles that bind you, God’s grace is sufficient.  Move now!  Click onto “Further With Jesus” for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God. NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, II Kings 20:20:

And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

GOD SAID, II Chronicles 32:30:

This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

GOD SAID, II Chronicles 32:32-33:

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

MAN SAID: The historicity of the Bible is bogus—absolutely unreliable!  Everyone with any academic credentials at all knows this. 

Now THE RECORD: Job one for Satan is to discredit the Word of God.  From this point, all of God’s blessings to us can be destroyed and all of His righteous judgments and moral moorings dismantled.  When Adam and Eve walked by faith, believing the Word of God, they were immortal, dwelling in Paradise and awakening every morning to a beautiful, postcard sky.  But, when they cast off their faith in the Words of the first voice of their Creator for the second voice of Satan the destroyer, this act of unbelief and disobedience was the proverbial “beginning of the end.” 

With this truth clearly in mind, it becomes no surprise that when God says YES, a host will arise that will vociferously shout NO. 

Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature article 774 that will once again establish the glorious inerrancy of God’s Word.  All of these features are archived here in text and streaming audio in defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the edification of the faithful.  Every Thursday eve, God willing, they grow by one.  May God’s face shine upon you with Light and Truth. 

One of the four platforms employed in the GodSaidManSaid proof text is Archaeology, which includes paleontology, geology, ancient history, and societal records.  A plethora of amazing features address subjects such as creation, Adam and his rib-wife Eve, Noah and the flood, the Tower of Babel and the confounding of the languages, Sodom and Gomorrah, the walls of Jericho, and all the way to St. Peter’s fish and the day Jesus died.  You’ll read beautiful discoveries that certify Scriptural accuracy. 

Skeptics of Biblical accuracy abound, but be assured they have never controverted one jot or tittle of Holy Writ.  Today’s feature concerns Israel’s great King Hezekiah, a man who was a lover of God’s Word.  GodSaidManSaid has published several features regarding King Hezekiah.  We will review one in particular before we proceed to today’s latest confirmation of the credibility of God’s Word.

GodSaidManSaid feature, “Tunnel of Hezekiah:”

Archaeology and paleontology have proven the reliability of the Scriptures over and over again, even in the most miraculous accounts such as Adam and Eve, the vegetarian state before sin, Noah’s Ark, the walls of Jericho, and more.

God’s Word says that Hezekiah, the King of Judah, made a pool and a conduit and brought water into the city. It also records that Hezekiah stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. Over the years, skeptics have denounced this account.

The following is a picture caption in The Jerusalem Post: "Research has confirmed the Biblical account attributing the building of Jerusalem’s Siloam Tunnel to King Hezekiah." [End of quote]

The following article under the title "King Hezekiah’s Tunnel” was published in The International Jerusalem Post, September 19, 2003:

Radiometric tests conducted on the Siloam Tunnel, an underground aqueduct that served as the main water source for ancient Jerusalem, have confirmed that its construction dates back to about 700 BCE, verifying the Biblical account that credits its building to King Hezekiah. The results of the tests, conducted by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Israel Geological Survey, and Reading University in England, were published last week in the scientific journal Nature.

 The Siloam Tunnel, a half-kilometer shaft that runs under the walls of Jerusalem to the Gihon springs in the City of David, is one of the capital’s major archaeological tourist attractions. Its construction has long been credited to Hezekiah, due to a passage in II Kings (20:20) that describes how the Biblical ruler "made a pool and a conduit and brought water into the city" when Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians. Hezekiah, according to II Chronicles (32:30), "also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David." This account was strengthened by the discovery in 1880 of an inscription inside the tunnel describing its building in a manner that matches the biblical account. But the "Siloam inscription" (today held by the Turkish museum) does not give a specific date or name Hezekiah as its builder, and in recent years some scholars have questioned whether the Biblical account was accurate. "There have been theories put forth that the tunnel dates back only to the Hellenistic period, about 200 BCE," says Dr. Amos Frumkin of the Hebrew University Geography Department. "However, the carbon-14 tests we carried out on organic material within the plaster of the Siloam Tunnel, and uranium-thorium dating of stalactites found in the tunnel, date it conclusively to Hezekiah’s era, around five centuries earlier."  [End of quote]

(I must note that the reference to carbon-14 dating, which was used to establish the age of Hezekiah’s tunnel, is within carbon-14’s high-reliability range of 3,000 years. Also, the article notes dates before Christ and has changed the abbreviation of BC which, of course, stands for "Before Christ," to BCE, which stands for "Before Common Era." This is just another example of rebellious academia’s effort to remove Jesus Christ from the equation.) [End of quotes]

Headline, December 3, 2015, CBN News: “Hebrew U. Team Finds King Hezekiah’s Seal:”        

JERUSALEM, Israel: A team of Hebrew University archaeologists discovered a royal seal belonging to King Hezekiah, who reigned in Jerusalem during the First Temple times, some 2,700 years ago. 

Archaeologists discovered the seal, called a bulla, at the Ophel excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount’s southern wall.  It’s a significant discovery. 

“This is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific, archaeological excavation,” said renowned Israel archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, director of the City of David and Ophel excavations.

“The bulla was discovered in a refuse dump dated to the time of King Hezekiah or shortly after and originated in the royal building that stood next to it and appears to have been used to store foodstuffs,” Hebrew University said in its press release. 

“The bulla was found together with 33 additional bullae imprinted from other seals, some bearing Hebrew names, their reverse showing marks of coarse fabric and thick cords that probably sealed sacks containing foodstuffs,” the statement read. [End of quote]

Headline, December 2, 2015, The Atlantic: “Unearthing King Hezekiah’s Biblical-Era Seal:”

On Wednesday, archaeologists in Jerusalem announced the discovery of a rare Biblical-era seal.  The mark of the seal is said to belong to King Hezekiah, who ruled in the Levant in the eighth-century B.C. and got a glowing review in the Book of Kings.

According to Hebrew University, the inscription reads: “Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah.” 

As Reuters reports, excavators believe Hezekiah may have made the seal himself and that “the back side of the clay imprint of the seal had markings of thin cords that were used to tie a papyrus document.” 

The seal is said to be the first mark from an Israelite or Judean king ever found during a scientific excavation, which is noteworthy because it links the artifact to the location. 

“It’s always a question, what are the real facts behind the Biblical stories,” said Dr. Eilat Mazur, who led the excavation.  “Here we have a chance to get as close as possible to the person himself, to the king himself.”

The discovery was made at an ancient refuse dump in the shadow of the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, the third-holiest site in Islam, and a central point of focus in the recent violence between Israelis and Palestinians.  As The Times of Israel notes, “Excavations at the site are contentious for taking place in East Jerusalem.”   [End of quote]

The historical account of God’s Holy Bible is gloriously accurate—miracles and all.

Psalm 19:7-11:

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 

The Word of God never changes. The Word of God is a place to build a life that will last forever. 

GOD SAID, II Kings 20:20:

And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

GOD SAID, II Chronicles 32:30:

This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

GOD SAID, II Chronicles 32:32-33:

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

MAN SAID: The historicity of the Bible is bogus—absolutely unreliable!  Everyone with any academic credentials at all knows this. 

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

Chandler, A, “Unearthing King Hezekiah’s Biblical-Era Seal,” The Atlantic, December 2, 2015

GodSaidManSaid, “Tunnel of Hezekiah”

“Hebrew U. Team Finds King Hezekiah’s Seal,” CBN News, December 3, 2015

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