“Is the Bible Trustworthy?”


BIBLE READING: Isaiah 17-21

                How can I know if the Bible is actually true? Do I have to simply believe, or is there evidence that I can use to help support and guide my belief?

                Fortunately, the answers to these questions can be found in the Bible itself. While some religions depend on feelings to determine that what they teach is true, the Bible has internal evidence that shows that it is indeed trustworthy.   This chapter of Isaiah talks about the fall of Babylon, a nation that was oppressive toward God’s people.

“They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink. Arise, O princes; oil the shield! . . . Then he who saw cried out: “Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord, continually by day, and at my post I am stationed whole nights. And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!” And he answered, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.”
                                                                                                                        Isaiah 21:5, 8-9

                What’s fascinating about this passage is that it is fulfilled quite literally later on. In the book of Daniel, we find the king of Babylon, Belshazzar, holding a massive feast. During this feast, a drunken Belshazzar sees a mysterious hand write on the wall. He calls Daniel in to interpret the message, a message of judgment from God. While this is taking place, an army led by a man named Cyrus is crawling through the underground water system to attack the city—the ultimate downfall of the most powerful empire in the known world.  Curiously, Isaiah had written about Cyrus also:
            “Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him . . . “I will go before you.”                                                                                                                                  Isaiah 44:28-45:2
                God, through Isaiah, told who would conquer Babylon, and what Babylon would be doing at the time of the attack!  In order to have a personal relationship with God, we must be able to trust that His word is true. I’m so thankful that God has put an immense amount of evidence into His word so we can decide based on facts rather than feelings that the Bible is trustworthy.                                                                                                                                -Timmy Baze   
             


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