The Jewish people regard the accounts of the past in the Tanakh (the Law, the Prophets and the Writings) as historical – real life stories. But the attitude of the Gentiles, the non-Jews has varied over the years. At times over history the ancient accounts have been looked on favourably; at other times viewed skeptically. We must learn like the Jews to read these accounts as true history and to read them in parallel. I want to take an example of how this works from the lives of Ahaz and Hezekiah in the Scriptures. It is fascinating that we have three collections of ancient writings on the lives of the kings of Israel and Judah. The story of Ahaz and Hezekiah, his son, is told in three different places in the Bible.
For Ahaz: 2 Kings 15, 16 // 2 Chron 28 // Isaiah 7, 8
For Hezekiah: 2 Kings 18-20 // 2 Chron 29-32 // Isaiah 36-39
It is not until we learn to put all three strands together that we begin to get the full story. It is like that also with the Gospels. If you want the full story of Jesus, read all four Gospels together. But we don’t like to do that, do we? We live in an age of instant everything. Let me have everything I want but give it to me now. If it takes too long for fast food, we get impatient. If my internet search takes more than 10 seconds, that’s unbearable. We bring the same attitude to reading the Bible. Many times God has to slow us down and tell us to read what He has given us carefully.
Here is a curious reference
The rest of the events in Hezekiah’s reign, including the extent of his power and how he built a pool and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.
2 Kings 20:20
Our problem is that we don’t have the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. To overcome that we have to learn to read in parallel all the historical stories we have and consider them true history. It is that fact that kept us in the dark for so long. Many looked at that verse above in 2 Kings and rubbished the idea. They could not find the tunnel.
“No tunnel exists.”
“You can’t trust the books of the Jews. They are not accurate history, they merely record Hebrew myths and legends.”
“The technology required at the time wouldn’t be possible; they would not have been able to do that back then.”
“Another Hebrew miracle story you can’t believe in.”
Two little boys were playing around the area of the washing pools (Pool of Siloam / Shiloah) in 1881 while their mother was washing the clothes. They were filling the time adventurously as their mother washed the clothes. They were feeling along the sides of the cave area in the dark when they touched a surface on the rock that seemed interesting. There was something different about it. It was smooth and not rough like the rest of the cave walls. They took a firebrand in to look at it and found there was writing on the side of the wall.
They had found an inscription on the walls – The Siloam Inscription to be exact.
The words of the inscription translated from Hebrew read as follows:
“This is the story of the piercing through. While the stone cutters were swinging their axes… and while there was still three cubits to pierce through, there was heard a voice of a man calling to his fellow…the stone cutters struck through, each to meet his fellow, axe against axe. Then ran the water from the Spring to the Pool for twelve hundred cubits.”
The Siloam Inscription
Here we have the authentication of the ancient account in 2 King 20:20, or at least a lead, a clue. In 1890 some men came along and cut the inscription off the wall believing it to be something of antiquity and thinking like often happens, they would sell it for some big money. But they were apprehended by the Turkish authorities who took it from them. The Siloam Inscription is now kept in the Museum of Antiquities in Istanbul. All that accomplished was to hide the truth for a few more decades.
We will follow up the ancient accounts in the next Nugget. Don’t worry I am not turning this into a series within a series. This story needs to be divided into two parts. Why? For two reasons:
- In order to not make this Nugget too long. Some have complained that the Nuggets are too long. All I can say in my defence is do you want the full story or not?
- Dividing the story of the tunnel Hezekiah built into two parts will provide you with an opportunity to do some sleuthing in the biblical text.
I have been kind to you in showing you were to look.
I know the references I have given you above are enough to put you off. They are chapter references and not verse references.
But go on, give it a try! Keep your eye pealed for references to the pool.
Hint: You could even do a digital Bible search.
The rest of the story in the next Nugget.