“Then David pronounced this lament over Sha’ul and over Y’honatan his son, in order to teach the people of Y’hudah [not to underestimate] archery (the lament has been written down in the book of Yashar):”-2 Samuel 1:17-18
In verse 18, we’re told that David’s beautiful eulogy was recorded in the SEFER YASHAR or the “Book of Jashar.”
This reveals something important.
It tells us that whoever wrote the Samuel scroll was NOT an eyewitness to the events.
And probably more than one person compiled the books of Samuel.
This is important.
Many books in the Bible were compiled long after the events took place.
This includes much of the New Testament as well.
The editors interviewed eyewitnesses, studied the traditions of a given era, and examined a ton of outside documentation to prepare the accounts we read in our Bibles today.
I hope this doesn’t bother you.
Our Bibles are still God-breathed (the “Old” Testament) and God-inspired (the New Testament).
To that point, you should know the Book of Jashar has been lost to history.
It doesn’t exist anymore.
We only know it exists because it’s mentioned in the Bible and a few other old Hebrew writings.
What’s that?
You’re telling me you saw several copies of the Book of Jashar being sold on Amazon.
Well, lemme give you the lowdown on that homie.
Every Book of Jashar being touted on the market today is based on a forgery created sometime in the mid-1700s.
Don’t waste your money.
More than a few teachers and church pastors have purchased these false copies thinking it was the real SEFER YASHAR.
They’ve all been duped.
Every sound scholar worth his salt has discredited it for very good reasons.
So here’s the takeaway for you.
Rather than waste your time being pulled left and right by extrabiblical sources or books about the Bible, study the Scripture itself!
The bottom line is there is significantly more documentation for the books of the Bible than there is for other historically recognized authors and literature, including Plato and others.
Excavation sites and artifacts also provide evidence that many of the events, people, and places mentioned in the Scriptures really existed, including the Hittite people and the city of Jericho.
The bottom line is you can trust the Bible…
Not only for its historicity…
But for the very salvation of your soul.
Ya feel me?
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