Smoky Mountain Bible Institute
Lesson #60
Break
out your maps and histories as we travel again in our time machine to examine
history & geography through a biblical worldview. We now come to the last
of the three kings who defined the Israelite monarchy. David makes Solomon his
coregent two years before he dies in 969 BC.
Solomon begins his reign in 971 BC and dies in 932 BC, serving as Israel’s
king for just over 40 years.
Solomon
is a key figure for Biblical chronologists because he serves as a sort of
anchor with multiple extra-biblical sources (sources outside the Bible) that
affirm his existance and supplement our understanding of his chronology. This
is also important because Solomon gets a lot less coverage in scripture than
his predecessors do.
Kenneth
Kitchen is a well-known and respected Egyptologist and archeologist at the University
of Liverpool in England. The majority of the Egyptological community agrees
with his chronological conclusions in the area of Egyptology; two of which are
listed below. The biblical connections to and conclusions from these sources in
the next two paragraphs are from Andrew Steinmann, Professor of Theology and
Hebrew at Concordia University, Chicago.
Pharaoh Sianum’s reign ends around 968 BC. He is the king who conquered Gezer and gave it to Solomon as a dowry for his daughter (one of Solomon’s many wives). Solomon’s reign then would have had to have begun prior to the end of Sianum’s, and this lines up very nicely. The Tyrian King List preserved for us by Josephus also confirms Solomon’s reign from 971 to 932 BC.
Pharaoh Sianum’s reign ends around 968 BC. He is the king who conquered Gezer and gave it to Solomon as a dowry for his daughter (one of Solomon’s many wives). Solomon’s reign then would have had to have begun prior to the end of Sianum’s, and this lines up very nicely. The Tyrian King List preserved for us by Josephus also confirms Solomon’s reign from 971 to 932 BC.
Shoshenq
The 1st’s invasion of Israel takes place around 925 BC. The Egyptian Pharaoh
Shoshenq the 1st corresponds to the Biblical king called Shishak,
mentioned in 1 Kings 14:25 and 2 Chronicles 12:1. According to both Biblical
and Egyptian sources, he invades and conquers Israel under King Rehoboam, who
was Solomon’s son and successor.
There
are numerous archeological discoveries from the time of Solomon as well. However,
there is always a cloud of scholastic doubt hovering over these finds and
claims because of a mixture of anti-Biblical views held by many in these
vocations. They, of course, would never admit this bias. They claim their
critiques to be scientific in nature while offering no evidence to support the
doubts they assert. Here are a few examples from the respected National Geographic Society: (Note the
uses of the word “tale” and question marks in the titles of the articles.)
These articles provide no information to support the skeptical nature in which
much of the information is presented.
“King
Solomon's Wall Found—Proof of Bible Tale? A 3,000-year-old defensive wall might
be unprecedented archaeological support for a Bible passage on King Solomon”,
by Mati Milstein in Tel Aviv, Israel, for National Geographic News, February
26, 2010. “King Solomon's Mines Rediscovered?” by Rebecca Carroll for National
Geographic News, October 28, 2008. “Solomon's Temple Artifacts Found by Muslim
Workers”, by Mati Milstein in Tel Aviv, Israel for National Geographic News, October
23, 2007. All three of these articles deal with real evidence that supports
Solomon’s existence in a timeframe that is in keeping with Scripture. Even
though no evidence is given against the Biblical connection, doubt and caution
against leaning too heavily on Scripture for archaeology is a common thread in the
articles. So while they present clear evidence that affirms Scripture, they
cannot bring themselves to make that conclusion.
As
Solomon is such an important character in fixing many other dates, I felt it
important to give a little time to this topic. Next month we will discuss some
of the highlights of Solomon’s life and reign
Till then, Shalom
In Christ,
Pastor Portier
