Psalm 19:8-11 “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.”
From the Preface to the English Standard Bible: "This Book [is] the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God." With these words the Moderator of the Church of Scotland hands a Bible to the new monarch in Britain's coronation service. These words echo the King James Bible translators, who wrote in 1611: "God's sacred Word . . . is that inestimable treasure that excelleth all the riches of the earth."
On this date in 1978, a copy of the Guttenberg Bible owned by the General Theological Seminary in Stuttgart, Germany sold for $2,000,000.00! Of course, the fact that it had been printed by Johannes Guttenberg was the cause of this fantastic price. As late as 1987, a Guttenberg Bible reportedly sold for 3.5 million.
On a recent radio talk show, a guest described the Bible as, “a book about God written by men.” Of course, that statement is true; but, from his point of view he meant that that is all that the Bible is. This is clearly the majority view in America today, but it could not be more wrong!
We pay about $2.00 for paperback Bibles that we give away at our Church. (And we give away lots of them!) A pretty good copy can be bought about anywhere for $10.00. Really nice ones go much higher. I recently purchased an English Standard Version Study Bible, Larger Print in a Leather Cover that retails for $125.00!
But, regardless of the financial investment involved, the question is, “What is the value of the Bible to us?” David said in Psalm 19, that the Words of God “are more to be desired than gold.” Some very wise person once said, “The Bible is the most often purchased and least often read book in the World.” Sadly, that is very likely true. I certainly need to spend much more time reading the Bible, and I suspect that most Christians do as well.
Since we do love the Bible, let us commit ourselves today to reading – and heeding – every word of it this year!
Prayer: “Dear Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Word. I thank You that I live in a place where it is so easily accessible and so affordable. May I always treasure it in my heart, and may I, and we, do all we can to get Your Word into the hands, and hearts, of others. Amen.”
Application: Do we faithfully read and heed the Bible?
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