Terracotta army(1974) King Tut’s Tomb (1922) Pompeii (1599/1748)

Why excavate? Culture’s priorities How people dressed What they ate How and what (or who) they worshipped How they were ruled How strong they were militarily Man is on a quest of discovery about his humanity

Why dig deeper into the pages of scripture? Because of its “formative Influence and our national need to study and apply its teachings.” Its claim for itself: is profitable for doctrine, rebuke, correction, instruction in righteousness to thoroughly equip man for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16)

The call to “rightly divide” Spare the rod, spoil the child Money is the root of all evil Cleanliness is next to godliness God helps those who help themselves God moves in mysterious ways Eve and Adam ate an apple Jonah was swallowed by a whale Angels were singing at the birth of Jesus 3 wise men gave gifts to Jesus Does it Matter?

We must have the proper tools for this digging. Mentality of Matthew 13:44-46 and Psalm 119: 14, 16, 30, 45, 50, 89, 103, 162 We must be willing to dig deeper and excavate the wonders and treasures of God’s word, His mind revealed to us! We must have the proper tools for this digging. Honest and eager heart to learn Full confidence the Bible is God’s will and the revelation is complete Persistence in study Reverence and respect

Must dig at the right site When we dig in the Old testament, we are uncovering information: The development of the Hebrew nation through whom The Messiah would come Prophecies about the Messiah God’s unfolding plan for man’s redemption It’s place in the study of the New Testament 3,500 years of human history from the Creation to Jews return from Babylonian captivity

When we dig in the New Testament, we are uncovering information: About the Messiah and His mission Fulfillment of OT prophecies about Jesus and establishment of His Church His Law and the New covenant When we dig in this site, we uncover information about: The kingdom’s priorities- Matt. 6:33/22:37-40 How the citizens dressed- Gal. 3:27 What the citizens ate- Jn. 6:35 How they were ruled- 1 Tim. 6:11-16/Col. 3:15-17 The strength of its army- Eph. 6:10-18

Is this excavation effort worth it? Must take ownership for our discoveries and be willing to put that ownership on display What do we see in 2 Kings 22 and 23? Is this excavation effort worth it? To get one ounce of gold, you have to move 2 to 91 tons of rock… is it worth the effort? Is it worth the effort to dig deeper? Note Matthew 25:23