In the history of the world there have been innumerable writings which some have called “sacred”. From time to time yet another such writing makes its appearance claiming, as all before it have done, that it is the way to spiritual enlightenment or being at one with the universe so that a state of eternal bliss can be attained by the soul which seeks to be at peace. In a sense one might compare the search for truth in such things to walking down the midway at a carnival or the main street of a Middle Eastern Bazaar where there are loud voices on either side of you crying out, “Come here and find the greatest thing you will ever discover! ”
The street you walk is life itself and the search for truth which you are undertaking is driven by that inherent desire, which all people possess from birth, to know God and attain eternal life. Indeed, the earliest written epic known to mankind deals with this very matter of seeking some way to attain immortality. In that work, The Epic of Gilgamesh, written over four millennia ago, the protagonist of the tale is driven to undertake several adventures in this quest.
Recognize that there is a place within the heart and soul of man which seeks to be filled with spiritual truth. Recognize also that there are a great many counterfeit sources being promoted which claim to be a source of fulfilment that will leave you empty after embracing them. Knowing these things, why would I point to The Holy Bible as being the only source of Spiritual Truth and lasting fulfillment concerning this matter? It is a fair question for anyone to ask. In fact, it is perhaps the most important question to ask when preparing to undertake a study of The Scriptures. Why accept the Bible as THE authority on SPIRITUAL as well as PRACTICAL matters of life and eternity.?
When you open the pages of The Bible you are looking at the only work which reveals God’s purposes for time and eternity. Contained within the book is the only communication from God Himself which sets out man’s need for redemption, God’s remedy for that need, and the history of how that remedy is to be brought about by Him in such a manner that every human to live may apply his solution to the problem of separation between man and his God.
The Scriptures are uniquely set apart from all other religious or spiritual volumes in many ways. Considering a few of these before beginning your study will assist you in obtaining the greatest benefit which you may acquire from the study of Bible.
Let us first consider the miraculous accuracy of the Bible in a number of areas which it touches upon as you read it. While it is not meant to be a scientific textbook, whenever The Bible makes any statement that contains scientific claims it has not, indeed cannot, be proven incorrect. Consider among the volumes of such references in The Scriptures the fact that the earth is a sphere which is held in space with no apparent method of suspension to support it. In the books of Job and the writings of Isaiah the prophet this is revealed. There we find the following passages written.
“Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.”
(Isaiah 40:21-22)
“He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.”
(Job 26:7)
It is important to note that Isaiah wrote the above passage 700 years before the birth of Christ. The book of Job, from which I have drawn the other passage above, is considered by many conservative scholars.to be the oldest Biblical book to be written. Some of these hold that this book was penned earlier than 1500 B.C. These things which are so noted in Scripture well before scientific discovery brought them to light were not discerned until men such Magellen and Columbus set sail upon their famous voyages thousands of years later.
In fact, it was the passage in Isaiah which was motivational in Christopher Columbus setting sail. The common belief of the era was that the earth was flat and anyone setting sail who continued their journey long enough would fall off into an abyss, never to be heard from again. Concerning the matter of the suspension of the earth in space, it was not until the writings of Sir Isaac Newton in the year of 1687 that the scientists of the world were aware that this was the case.
These matters are basically matters of the science of Astronomy. What of other areas of the sciences may we find touched upon by The Scriptures? Can this unassailable accuracy be found in them?
Let us look at some statements concerning the seas and oceans which cover over 70 percent of the surface of the planet we live on. Long before the science of Oceanography existed, The Scriptures described things concerning these waters which would not be discerned for centuries after they were noted therein. Consider the truth that there are definite currents which can be reliably charted and depended upon for navigational purposes.
It was not until a man named Matthew Fountaine Maury was motivated to look for these due to a tragic accident ending his career as a Naval officer in the mid eighteen hundreds that the serious pursuit of Oceanography was undertaken. While recuperating from his injuries he called his son to his bedside and asked for the Psalms to be read unto him for comfort. The passage which his son proceeded to read was Psalms chapter eight, which reads as follows.
“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
[2] Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
[3] When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
[4] What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
[5] For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
[6] Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
[7] All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
[8] The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
[9] O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”
Upon hearing that eighth verse Maury sat up in bed and requested to hear just that portion read again. “It is enough!“, he excitedly exclaimed. Then he continued, ” If The Word of God says that there are paths in the sea, they must be there, and I am going to find them!”. Within a few years after that event, he had charted the navigational lanes and currents of the seas of the world which resulted in the production of the first Oceanographic text which he titled, “Physical Geography of The Sea.” In addition to this, Matthew Maury went on to found Annapolis Naval Academy which firmly embedded him in history as being the father of the science of modern Oceanography. It all began with one verse from The Holy Bible
Consider also the truth that there are canyons and mountain ranges which run throughout the regions of the bottom of the world’s oceans. For thousands of years the oceans and seas which cover our planet were held to be basically shaped like a large bowl. It was held that they were shallow at the beaches and gradually declined until bottoming out in the center before gradually becoming shallow again upon reaching another beach area far across the expanse of the waters.
However, it is recorded in The Scriptures where King David sang one of his songs of deliverance that there were channels to be found in the great depths. While running for his life from Saul, who sought to have him unjustly executed, there were many times when God delivered him from his pursuers and kept him from discovery. On one such occasion he sang the following lines among the stanzas of a song of deliverance.
“The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them. And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;”
(II Samuel 22:16)
We have seen only a few portions of The Scriptures which demonstrate accuracy, and therefore dependability, in areas that are addressed coincidentally within the passages of The Bible. These have been drawn from only a few areas of the sciences. There are numerous other such areas of note that would indeed sustain this claim of scientific accuracy without question. We could examine such things as the Medical Sciences, or Physics.
There would be found unwavering accuracy in the passages which deal with Geology proper as well. Certainly, a case could even be made for the inclusion of Genetics among these. Yet while such evidence for the trustworthiness of The Holy Bible could comprise an entire study in and of itself, that is not the primary purpose of this introduction.
Let us remember that the issue at hand is the question of what causes one to seek God’s mind and His communication unto humanity in this book to the exclusion of all other writings claiming to be such a source of Divine authority and approval. Why look to The Bible? Among the factors which mark out The Scriptures as unique and a work which could never have an equal produced from any other source is the miraculous means by which it was authored. I invite you to please continue to follow along in this introduction as we examine this authorship by clicking on the link below!