9/28/22
My poor Bible is falling apart. That’s not necessarily a bad thing! The old saying is “The person whose Bible is falling apart is not falling apart.” But it is falling apart (my Bible, not my life)! The entire last part of the New Testament, from I Corinthians 13 to the end is completely detached and some of those pages are loose. Also, the back cover is coming off . . . again (I had a librarian friend re-cover it for me 15 years ago).
It’s not particularly old, either. I think I bought it around 1996 or so after my seminary Bible fell apart (it had a very cheap binding). But it looks pretty battered. When I was in Istanbul, one of the Turkish believers asked to hold it. I couldn’t believe the look of awe on his face. He treated it as if it were some ancient relic - even calling some of his friends over to look at it! Their Bibles were new paperbacks and this was the oldest Bible they had ever seen. I didn’t tell him about some of the ones I had on my shelves back home that were much older . . . nor did I tell him how many I had back home.
But our Bibles are not relics. I remember a childhood Sunday School teacher telling our class that we shouldn’t mark in our Bibles. She was well-meaning, but that was one time I did not follow her example! And I understand that it is hard (in some cases nigh impossible) to underline and circle and star things in an expensive leather Bible with onion-skin paper.
If you’re serious about studying the Bible (and, honestly, if you’ve stuck with us this long and I haven't run you off by constantly harping on it, you probably are serious), then find an inexpensive edition of the Bible with thick enough pages where the ink won’t bleed through. A sturdy binding is good, too. And then use it.
Because Bible study is, first and foremost, a study of the Bible. That inexpensive Bible with the thick pages should get a lot of use! My seminary professor, David L. Thompson defined Bible study as “the regular, careful, systematic examination of the Word of God, with an alert mind and a prayerful, open heart.” Worthwhile Bible study requires effort, but Bible study is something anyone can do. The first step (after prayer, of course) is observation - paying attention to what is on the page. . . and that’s where marking your Bible comes in handy. After all, Jesus tells us “seek and ye shall find”! And I’ve quoted Mark 4:24 often enough you should have it memorized: “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get.”
Why mark in it? For one thing, you make it your own. By underlining verses, circling key words and drawing stars or other dood-dads (that’s the theological word) in the margins next to important verses or ideas, you’re interacting with the text. With a pen in your hand, you’re focusing your attention on what’s on the page. The 19th century preacher, J.H. Jowett wrote, “Get a will behind the eye, and the eye becomes a searchlight, the familiar is made to disclose undreamed treasure.”
For instance, think about Genesis 1. I’ve heard tons of sermons and lectures on this chapter throughout my life. Most all of them stumbled off the page and became mired in speculation about dinosaurs and 24 hour time periods and gaps in the fossil record . . . Pastors suddenly become scientists and archaeologists rather than what they’re called to be!
Or there’s the opposite extreme: some dismiss Genesis 1 as being a primitive explanation of the world’s origins that has nothing to say to us today. They try to look behind the text and spend their time trying to dig out the historical layers that may or may not exist behind the text we have now. Talk about a waste of time!
Instead of treating Genesis 1 like any other text in the Bible - asking what God is saying to His people - Genesis 1 becomes a war between those who “take the Bible literally” (except when they don’t) and those who “approach the text historically” (except when they don’t). And what gets neglected? The word of God and the people of God.
What we have in front of us is a text - a page with words on it. We believe the words are inspired by God. We have to begin by paying attention to what’s on the page and dealing with that first.
For example, look at all we can dig up just from one verse, Genesis 1:5, “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” On the first day of creation, God creates light - but why doesn’t God call the light “light” instead of calling it “Day”? Then why does God break “Day” down further into “evening and morning” - and for that matter, why is evening mentioned first and then morning? And why is there light mentioned before the sun, moon and stars are created? Enquiring minds want to know!
Well, you’re not going to get the answer here. Cruel, I know, but on Wednesday night, we begin a new study of the first 11 chapters of Genesis, and this is where we’ll start: paying attention to what’s on the page and asking questions about it. Then we’ll try to answer the questions and put it all together to see what God is teaching us through this portion of His word.
I hope you can join us! We’ll meet to eat at 5:30, and start the Bible Study at 6:30, either in person or by Zoom.
Blessings!
Pastor Terry
PS - The reason I haven’t replaced my worn-out Bible yet is one, it’s full of notes I’ve made over the years that I don’t want to lose; two, there’s a new edition of the Revised Standard Version (not a perfect translation, but still my preferred one) coming out in November and I’m waiting on that.