A Voice From the Dust

Archaeology connects us with the past. The dust and stones and artifacts tell us stories of ancient times.

In biblical archaeology, the stones often speak in ways that amplify the unique and sacred voice of the Bible! A number of scriptures refer to stones speaking. That is why this magazine is called Let the Stones Speak.

The prophecy of Isaiah 29 contains a chilling picture of Jerusalem and a message that I believe relates to today’s biblical archaeology.

Verses 3 and 4 say, “And I will encamp against thee round about, And will lay siege against thee with a mound, And I will raise siege works against thee. And brought down thou shalt speak out of the ground, And thy speech shall be low out of the dust; And thy voice shall be as of a ghost out of the ground, And thy speech shall chirp out of the dust.”

Verse 4 in the English Standard Version reads, “And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper.”

It’s as though Jerusalem itself is speaking! A voice is emerging from the ground of the city, whispering from its dust. That sounds like biblical archaeology.

Commentaries say this a prophecy about either the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c.e. or the time of Sennacherib’s besiegement of Jerusalem in the late eighth century b.c.e. But perhaps, like never before, this “voice” is speaking today through biblical archaeology!

This is a powerful passage and an inspiring vision. It’s almost like God Himself is giving us a message right out of the ground! Not a deafening one, as at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:15-16). This message is a “whisper”—a “still small voice,” one might say, in the language of 1 Kings 19:12.

Note the similarity of this passage in Isaiah 29 with verses 14-15 of Psalm 102: “Thou wilt arise, and have compassion upon Zion; For it is time to be gracious unto her, for the appointed time is come. For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, And love her dust.” We at the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology are pleased to contribute to the important work of excavating the stones and dust of Jerusalem. We love letting those stones speak!

The context of Isaiah 29 shows real distress. Verses 1 and 2 say, “Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add ye year to year, Let the feasts come round! Then will I distress Ariel, And there shall be mourning and moaning; and she shall be unto Me as a hearth of God.” Ariel (אריאל), meaning “lion of God,” is another name for Jerusalem, the city where David lived. More specifically, it can be associated with the location of the altar of God: The near-identical Hebrew word ari’el (אראיל), which some have associated by transposition with the Ariel of Isaiah 29, is used in Ezekiel 43:15-16 to refer to the altar or altar hearth.

Isaiah 29:7-11 show many nations coming against Jerusalem and putting the city in real danger. Throughout history, no city on Earth has suffered like Jerusalem. In many ways, we see this city coming under increased scrutiny and pressure in world events today. Sadly, even in recent years, Israel has suffered conditions very much like some of the worst chapters of its history, making this language of the Prophet Isaiah very relevant to our day. The “voice” speaking from the ruins of Jerusalem of old is issuing a warning to our people today!

In this context, God continues in verse 14: “Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvellous work among this people, Even a marvellous work and a wonder; And the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the prudence of their prudent men shall be hid.” The esv reads, “Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder ….” That is a spectacular promise!

We really believe the work being accomplished through biblical archaeology is an important part of a wondrous work—one that God Himself is behind. It’s not just a work; it’s also a wonder— “wonder upon wonder.” That is something we cherish.

Notice, in that verse, God says the wisdom and discernment of the wise of this world will fail. But when you look into the Bible, you find a world of wonder—one being substantiated and illustrated continually by the stones and treasures coming up out of the ground. It is uplifting because it is filled with vision and light—and it is true.

Psalm 102 links this project with the prophecy that so many Bible believers look forward to: “When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory” (verse 16; King James Version). Earlier in this passage, it says “the appointed time is come,” and this verse speaks of the coming of the Messiah! The surge of biblical archaeology in recent years leads me to believe that we are getting very close to that event.

That is quite a message being whispered from the dust of Jerusalem!