Give Me the Bible

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10).

Recently, I was reading about a man who collects Bibles. One of his oldest is from sixteenth-century England. The top inch or so of every page is blackened. We might think that this Bible’s pages have simply darkened over time, but what actually happened is that the original owner of the Bible was executed and his Bible was dipped in his blood. These Bibles are identified as Martyrs’ Bibles.

Queen Mary I (1516–1558), popularly known as Bloody Mary, was a murderous Catholic and was beyond determined to end the blight of Protestantism in her kingdom. Ending this religious movement was done by ending the lives of those who would not change. The notion of separation of church and state would no doubt have been influenced by someone as heinous as Bloody Mary.

My point in sharing this story about Martyrs’ Bibles is to show the contrast of our day. We have such easy access to God’s word — in my office I have two dozen hard-copy Bibles plus smartphone and computer apps. At home I probably have another half-dozen. Misplacing or losing one would not be the end of my world, because I have so many.

Would we be willing to die for the knowledge of God’s word? What do the Scriptures mean to us?

David wrote: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7–11).

Do we believe this about God’s word? Is the Bible more to be desired than gold? Maybe we should ask ourselves: How would our love for God’s word show? Is our attitude toward God’s revealed will as David’s? “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97).

Do we dwell on God’s word? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).

We need to thank God for the examples of those who have loved His Word so much that they were not only willing, but actually did lose their lives for it.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 1:22 — 2:3).

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

As the Lord Himself prayed: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). How far would we be willing to go to defend God’s word? It may never happen that we’re called upon to lay down our lives for possessing a Bible, but we can defend it in other ways: primarily, by living it.

Why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great (Luke 6:46–49).

It matters how we live — just saying we love the Lord is not enough. And if we don’t live it, then we really don’t believe it (see 1 Timothy 5:24–25; Luke 12:1–3; John 5:25–29).

Do we love the Lord? Do we cherish His word in our hearts as a most precious gift? What will we do today to show our love for Him and His word?