JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is the tombs of the prophets.

All throughout Israel, and the Middle East, there are graves of various prophets and patriarchs.

The traditional site of King David’s tomb is located on Mount Zion. First Kings 2:10 records that David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

The grave site of Moses is somewhere in Jordan, although the exact location is unknown. This is consistent with the Biblical account which says in Deuteronomy 34:6 that God buried him in Moab, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.

Joseph’s tomb is a familiar site in Nablus. As he was about to die, he gave instructions for his bones to be carried from Egypt when God came to the aid of Israel to guide them to the Promised Land.

In Matthew 23, Jesus acknowledged that the Pharisees built tombs for the prophets and decorated the graves of the righteous.

The tombs of the prophets indicate that these people really did live on the earth, and they were part of God’s great story of redemption that led to the time of Christ.

The tombs of the prophets are reasons to believe in God’s good news.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com