An inscription on a small clay tablet has surfaced in the world antiquities market which has implications for extra-biblical confirmation of King David and the Temple of Solomon.

"Experts" have long agreed that King David was a mythical figure, as were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. The Bible stories about these characters were novel ideas with no basis in historical fact, they have declared.

Sadly, many Christian theologians and educators have shared the same opinion, seeking to "demythologize" Christianity and the Bible so that men of reason could consider its moral teachings. Some of their thinking has been based on the lack of physical, empirical evidence to support the existence of Bible characters.

Now this discovery adds confirmation to the historicity of David and the first Temple. Photo at right shows the 3.5 x 4 inches clay tablet that contains the inscription, which has been interpreted to be a receipt for a contribution of three silver shekels to Solomon’s Temple. Though the tablet is very small, it is seen to have enormous importance, for it is generally agreed that this is the oldest inscription found to date that refers to the first Temple.

Some time before this discovery, another fragment had been found at Tel Dan in northern Israel that seemed to confirm the fact that there was a real, historical King David and that his descendants were known as the Dynasty of David. Part of that text was interpreted as reading, "The House of David."

Some critics had challenged the authenticity of the Tel Dan fragment on small technicalities that until that time had no precedent in ancient writing. They would not accept the fact that the fragment offered proof of David and Solomon.

Now, this new tablet discovery has added confirmation to the accuracy of interpretation of the Tel Dan fragment. This tablet has undergone more thorough scrutiny because of its discovery in the antiquities market than would have been the case had it been found in an excavation by professional archaeologists. The thoroughness of the examination only heightens the reliability of the message and its implications for confirming the historical existence of the Dynasty of David.

Leading experts in the fields of dating and authenticating artifacts have examined this small fragment. Experts have dated the piece from the seventh to the ninth century B.C.E., during the time of Solomon’s Temple.

It is nothing short of amazing that a contribution given and receipted nearly three thousand years ago could be used as a confirmation of the accuracy of the Word of God and its reliability for people in the modern era.

Though all Torah-observant Jews and Bible-believing Christians certainly do not require any extra-biblical evidence to corroborate their faith in the Word of God and its importance to personal and community issues, it is, nevertheless, gratifying that such confirmations continue to surface from time to time. Some of them help us understand the written record of the Bible more clearly as we become more aware of the Hebraic foundations of our faith in the God of the Bible.

Such discoveries will never silence the skeptics’ determination to discredit the Hebrew Scriptures, nor will it challenge "demythologizing" theologians to rethink their efforts at debunking the "myth" of biblical tradition. From time immemorial, the constant question that has been posed to humans is: "Has God said?" There has never been a time when men have not doubted God and his Word, and there will be no such time until there are "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness."

In the meantime, God periodically allows another piece of evidence to surface that serves to confirm what his Word has said all along. Perhaps he takes a whimsical interest in confounding the "wise and prudent" as archaeologists continue the process of "Digging up the Word"!