Does Archaeology Prove the Bible?

Goliath's skull is found. The final resting place of Noah's ark discovered. There have been some wild archaeological claims over the years. I also know there have been some credible and helpful finds in biblical archaeology, but I'll admit that I cautiously and rarely cite archaeology (or statistics) in my preaching. But now, I'm challenged to reconsider archaeology in sermons. Here's why...

---

Statistics can be manipulated and interpreted to convey what we want. In fact, only 10% of the statistics cited on blogs are real. ;)) In seriousness, while I have found helpful information about archaeology in my own reading and research, I've cautiously cited it because archaeology can interpret much from so little evidence. I would hate to cite a finding to support something I am teaching only to later discover that finding was wrong.

Dr. Chet Roden at Liberty University has challenged my concern and encouraged me to understand archaeology a bit better. I was with Dr. Roden at the Tel Gezer dig and he led one of the lectures on the subject of archaeology. I came away with this conclusion: There is the field of archaeology and also the field of biblical interpretation. We must know enough about both fields to appreciate how they work and at certain points these fields will converge.

What do we do when the archaeological evidence does not match the biblical narratives? Dr. Roden challenged us to decide which we would trust most: the current archaeological evidence or Scripture. Of course, there is archaeological evidence that has yet to be discovered and some ancient evidence has been lost forever, so archaeology cannot provide the whole picture. Like Dr. Roden, I trust Scripture first. Over the past three years, I read of archaeological evidence that confirms several portions of Scripture, but at the end of the day, the Bible doesn't need to be "proven."

God's word does not need to be defended, but it does need to be obeyed. What God has done in my own life through His word is evidence enough for me. I have been radically changed and blessed by how God has acted in my life and I know many others who have experienced the same. I have experienced the freedom of His truth (John 8:31-32).

---

Solomonic Gate at Tel Gezer. Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Hazor, and Megiddo. All three have this style gate dating to the same period.

Ovens in a courtyard area at Masada. Earthen ovens like these have been in use around the world from ancient times to today.

The synagogue at Capernaum. The white stone wall is from the 4th/5th century synagogue. The dark, basalt stone foundation is the remains of the 1st century synagogue Jesus visited.

Small mikvah at Sepphoris. These types of pools were used for ritual cleansing and Christian baptism stems, in part, from this idea.

That's the point of archaeology and the Bible. While at Tel Gezer, I saw the city gate designed by Solomon. At several sites, I saw evidence of daily life like earthen ovens in the ground. I also saw the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus taught and healed. I saw the ancient cleansing pools (mikvah) where Jews washed themselves for purity. God used these daily places, practices, and things to act in the lives of real people. These people had daily needs and deep motivations to navigate the whole of life. Essentially, we were digging up bits of their trash and the remnants of their lives. These remnants give archaeologists a glimpse of the needs, and to some degree, the motivations of ancient people.

God acts in human history. While the sensational skull of Goliath has not been found, credible evidence outside of the Bible has been discovered that confirms God's people and their place in history. (The "House of David" inscription at Tel Dan; the Dead Sea Scrolls; Capernaum; etc.)

The question we must answer is, "How is God acting in our lives?" If we label ourselves as believers but cannot point to how Christ is acting in our life, we may want to question if we really are His disciples. If the changes in our lives are purely a change in circumstances but not a change in character, we need to question if we are truly His disciples. If archaeologists dug up our house 2,000 years from now and somehow some of our artifacts survived, would they know that Christ motivates us?

Do you have tangible, measurable life transformation because of Jesus Christ? If not, He offers it to those who repent and seek His forgiveness for their sins. His death and resurrection make it possible for real life change, today and forever.