Beyond Reasonable Doubt

You know… you have to be superbly arrogant or blatantly deceived to not have faith in God and His word.

The cross-generational, cross-textual verifications of so much of Scripture really render the Bible beyond reasonable refutation.

My “epistles” reading today is Hebrews 11. In verse 32 I read…

“It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.”

So, to verify the details, I cross-referenced Genesis 50:24-25…

“‘Soon I will die,’ Joseph told his brothers, ‘but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, ‘When God comes to help you and lead you back, you must take my bones with you.’ So Joseph died at the age of 110. The Egyptians embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.”

Well, did that actually happen, you may ask? So, I cross-checked and found the last chapter in Joshua, re: the things Israel set out to do when once they entered the Promised Land…

“The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the plot of land Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for 100 pieces of silver. This land was located in the territory allotted to the descendants of Joseph.” (Joshua 24:32)

Thousands of years separate those accounts. At a minimum, 3 different authors separate those accounts. And a compilation of those books (amongst 63 others) into the Bible…but just one seemingly small story, verified today when you look down on the ruins of Shechem from Mt. Gerazim and see the roof of the tomb with Joseph’s bones in it.

God’s Word is totally reliable!