Robbing Tombs, Robbing God

This papyrus from Egypt’s New Kingdom has been dated to about 1118 BC, and appears to be a court record concerned by a tomb robbery. Egypt had descended into chaos by the reigns of King Ramesses IX and X. The price of grain had soared and tomb and temple robberies were frequent. This unique document records the confession of a thief who robbed the tomb of King Ramesses VI. His words have been put into hieratic writing by a court scribe. Interestingly, the events detailed in Judges 10 are dated to the same decade. So while Egypt was dealing with a spate of tomb robberies, Israel was concerned with this:

And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. (vv10-14).

As one nation robbed its dead kings, another robbed its living God. From Him they deprived more valuable things than gold and silver; they stole away themselves. Nothing is more valuable than a human being; nothing is more precious than a right relationship with God.