Nothing More Important Than The Book

Through my years of wandering the stacks and racks at libraries, and perhaps long before I checked out my first book, I fell in love with reading. Books. History. Fiction. Fact. Suppositions. There is something about the storyline, and I seldom thought about the author. It was more about the book and the brilliance of the words inside.

In many school classes, a time long ago, I would hold a book and hide it from teachers who wanted me to look at their books. Ha! As if what they had to say was more important than this mystery I’m investigating. It was a challenge! There were some successes but many failures and my book had to be removed.

Books have brought me much joy and knowledge through the years.

I connect with some authors, book collectors, and reviewers who have equal, albeit different outlooks on books in modern times. Some buy for the impressiveness of their library. Others buy and trade them for their collectability. Still, many others scour the planet looking for a particular work to complete their world.

Hidden throughout the world are ancient works that describe a compelling view of life then. Philosophers thoughts. Science. Medicine. Earth, Sky, and Stars. Some are translated into modern languages. And, as language changes, they get updated. Again. Again. And again. We’re not just talking about English, but every language on the planet has been upgraded time and again.

“When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.” ~Erasmus

Books Tell A Story

I believe every book tells a story. It matters little if it’s fiction or non-fiction. There is a starting and ending point. Sometimes the point of the story is known at the beginning. Other times we realize the truth that we are not in our struggles alone.

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” ~James Baldwin

After thousands of years of the written word, we learn we are not alone. Every generation has similar stories. The individual thinks they are alone, but hundreds, thousands, even millions – we’re joined together by our shared experiences.

I had a dream this week about running and hiding from an invading army. There was devastation everywhere. In my dream, I remember this as a “new experience.” Flee. What’s worth taking, and what will I leave behind. Pets? Let the chickens loose. Grab some valuables that will benefit me through my moment of terror. Nothing else matters. Find safety.

As I awoke, I realized this was not a dream for someone. In another country today, citizens are fleeing the atrocity of an invading army. Thousands have been killed. The devastation is real. Visible. Felt through the news media and even some neighbors who come from that area of the world.

Think about Jesus for a moment. The agony of the Via Dolorosa. The way of suffering shows the path Jesus walked from the mockery of a trial to Golgotha. I’ve personally walked the pathways. Guides and books assure me it’s been rebuilt from the years of war and destruction, and the reconstruction is accurate. Is this stone and place where his feet trod? Perhaps. He suffered more extraordinary than any of us can imagine, and that place exists to this day.

But then, look at the last few verses of the Gospel of John.

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
John 21:24-25 NKJV

This is probably the truth about so much of life. Books tell a story, but so much never makes it to the printed page.

Let’s Look At The Bible

The book we call The Bible is a collection of individual writings. It covers writers that began with Moses and ended with the apostles. Yet, they cover a Jewish calendar whose span is now up to 5,782 years. From Day Zero as described in Genesis, and if prophets and end-timer writings are to be fulfilled in the future, this calendar keeps pointing us forward.

In other words, the book is a never-ending message
from a particular cadre of writers that spans the time from the beginning until the ending.

This book provides us with what we need to know. God had a plan fulfilled with the Messiah, but not to everyone’s satisfaction. Though Peter speaks expressly of prophecy, the concept is valid for the Word of God (2 Peter 1:21). God authors it.

The Messiah revealed the ancient writings’ hope (John 5:39) and pointed us forward to the future. He gives warnings and hope. Failures and victories. He goes so far to tell us that not all make it!

Every book within “the book” tells the story of God’s dealing with his creation. Drama. War. Boundaries that were broken and reestablished. Law, and the lawbreakers. Love. Mystery. Sibling rivalry.

Get the picture? The Bible tells much about messy humanity and its connection with the creator. We find victory alongside defeat—unbearable sadness and then great joy. Mountains and valleys. Slipping backward and then making significant gains forward.

The Bible tells the story of History, but it sounds like the evening news today.

The one thing The Bible does for me is it gives me the long-range plan of God. Day 1, nor any other particular day of history, provided the complete plan from beginning to end. Instead, it’s an unveiling. The Bible describes the future. To get there, we must live where and when we are. The Bible makes this possible! God created us with choice. We get to choose how we live. There is a blessing out yonder in our tomorrows, but there’s also defeat and punishment.

Choose Well!

When it comes to genres and authors, we each find what we like and how we like it.

Pick on Western writers and their style of storytelling. I enjoyed Louis L’Amour better than Max Brand or Zane Gray. It is said L’Amour could tell a good story, and he had about five different writing formats. Change the storyline, character names, location, and times – he could still use one of the formats to tell a unique story. Easily.

So, I have a list of authors I read because their style fits me. To my favorites list of Michener, Alexander, Clancy, and Grisham, I’ve added Charles Martin. There are many I’ve tried and have dropped for many reasons.

When it comes to The Bible, there are books I like better than others, but it’s the complete Word of God that is important. Even though it’s out of the Old Testament, listen to what David says about the Word.

• Psalms 19:7-11 NKJV 
  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
  The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;   
  The statutes 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 judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.  
  Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.

Thank you for reading!