As we celebrate Independence Day in the United States, let’s also thank the Lord for the proof of His unchanging word preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

You probably know the story. In 1946, Bedouin boys searched for a lost goat on the northwest side of the Dead Sea. I’ve been there and climbed part way. The terrain is harsh desert mountains with steep cliffs riddled with caves. One boy tossed a rock through an opening to see if his lost kid was inside and heard something shatter. That made him climb up and in. There, in large pottery jars, he found old scrolls he hoped might have some sales value. During dangerous times, the scrolls ended up in Bethlehem. There, Israeli archaeologist Eliezer Sukenik, father to famed archaeologist, Yigal Yadin, recognized their authenticity and raised funds to buy them.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are considered property deeds proving that Jewish people lived and worked in Qumran over two thousand years ago and continuously since. They made a supreme effort to hide the scrolls to preserve sacred scriptures from invading Romans.

I’ve seen the originals in the famous Shrine of the Book Museum in Jerusalem where the whole facility is built like the top of a Torah scroll and equipped with a special air-conditioned emergency elevator to protect the scrolls in case of attack. The land surface area would be sealed off and the scrolls lowered to safety.

The accuracy of the scriptures is proven. The original Isaiah scroll contains only two small differences when compared to our Bible text today. It’s been a while since I’ve taught Biblical Archaeology, but I recall the only differences between the ancient and current versions are that one word appears in plural form instead of singular and another contains one extra “s.” How wonderfully faith-building to know we have God’s perfectly preserved and unchanging word.

If you visit Israel in more peaceful times, I hope you’ll see the scrolls. In the meantime, when I study scripture, I thank God daily for sending His Son and providing His unchanging word.

Isaiah 12: 2-4 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. ³ Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. ^4a And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.