Category: Bible history

Low Pricing, Low Prizing #3

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11,12 KJV).

Unbelieving Israel has taken God’s words for granted for many centuries, so now He will be silent for the next 400 years. May we not be so foolish in declining the Divine revelation given us!

For 2,000 years now, the world has had a completed Bible, the full revelation from God and of God. Contrary to theologians’ speculations, there is no “secret will of God.” The Apostle Paul remarks in the first chapter of Ephesians: “[8] Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; [9] Having made known unto us the mystery [secret!] of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: [10] That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:….”

In the Bible Books of Romans through Philemon, we find “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest…” (Romans 16:25,26). Outside of those 13 Pauline epistles and the mystery program, we find in the rest of Scripture the prophetic program, “[the preaching of Jesus Christ concerning that] which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). Whether prophecy or mystery, it is all God’s Word. “For thou [O LORD] hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2).

Billions of lost people, non-Christians, are quite eager to share with us whatever they believe. Are we believers in Christ just as enthusiastic about teaching them the Holy Scriptures rightly divided? If not, indeed, the low pricing of the Bible has resulted in our low prizing of the Bible!

Low Pricing, Low Prizing #2

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11,12 KJV).

Unbelieving Israel has taken God’s words for granted for many centuries, so now He will be silent for the next 400 years. May we not be so foolish in declining the Divine revelation given us!

If something is commonplace, its value depreciates in our eyes. For example, it takes a bout of illness before we realize just how great it was (and is) to be healthy. It is not until we are poor do we comprehend how prosperous our prior life was. Once we lose a loved one to death, it is only then can we appreciate just how much that person meant to us. The Israelites, in the context of today’s Scripture, had become so accustomed to hearing from the LORD and ignoring Him through the last eight centuries, they had reached the point of no return spiritually. God’s words meant nothing to them; now, these souls were totally unresponsive.

When the Prophet Isaiah was commissioned about 20 years after the Prophet Amos’ words in today’s Scripture, this directive was given: “And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9,10). Eventually, the LORD sent no more prophets, angels, or visions to Israel. Once the Prophet Malachi conducted his ministry 400 years before Christ, and closed the Old Testament canon by writing the Book of Malachi, God never spoke to Israel again until John the Baptist—four centuries later.

Let us be sure to avoid Israel’s sin, and highly prize the Word of God….

Low Pricing, Low Prizing #1

Monday, March 14, 2022

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11,12 KJV).

Unbelieving Israel has taken God’s words for granted for many centuries, so now He will be silent for the next 400 years. May we not be so foolish in declining the Divine revelation given us!

Referring to the 1300s, when the printing press was undiscovered and books were still written by hand, one writer penned the following words: “So scanty was the supply of Bibles at this time, that but few of those who craved its teaching could hope to possess the sacred volume. But this lack was partly made up by the earnestness of those whose interest was awakened in the Bible. If only a single copy was owned in a neighborhood, these hard-working laborers and artisans would be found together, after a weary day of toil, reading in turn, and listening to the words of life; and so sweet was the refreshment to their spirits, that sometimes the morning light surprised them with its call to a new day of labor, before they thought of sleep.”

In the fourteenth century, a professional copyist labored steadily for 10 months to produce a Bible by hand. That Book could be rented for one hour—the price being an entire load of hay! It could be purchased—the fee was a clergyman’s annual salary! With the arrival of Gutenberg’s printing press circa 1436, and books now being produced at a considerable rate, it was stated, “Let us hope that the low pricing of the Bible may never occasion the low prizing of the Bible.” Yet, with all the billions of Bibles around the world at this very moment, the human race is as ignorant of its teachings as ever. It has repeated Israel’s sin in today’s Scripture….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Should we pray with people of various denominations?”

Paper, Pen, and Ink

Monday, November 14, 2016

“Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister greet thee” (2 John 12,13 KJV).

We use today’s Scripture to glimpse into the culture of “New Testament” times!

The Apostle John wrote in his Third Epistle, verses 13 and 14: “I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.”

In John’s day, A.D. first century, “paper” was quite different from our paper. The cheaper—and thus, more common—form was papyrus. Thin strips were cut from the papyrus plant reed, laid side-by-side and overlapped, with an alternating layer glued on top, all pressed together to form a sheet. More expensive (and rarer) writing media were vellum (calf skins—higher quality) and parchment (bull and goat skins—lesser quality). Text written on skins would obviously last longer than that which was written on papyrus. Scrolls were first, with codices (books) arriving in the third and fourth centuries. What they called “ink” was really a mixture of soot and water, with gum added to make the ink more durable. The “pen” they used for writing was either a small dried reed/stick, cut to a point at one end; or a quill (feather); which was filled with the “ink.”

Friends, it is quite difficult for us to imagine just how laborious writing was in those days. Instruments and materials were crude and sometimes hard to obtain. They did not have computers to which they could dictate, or keyboards on which to type fast. Furthermore, if they wanted to copy a text, there was no photocopying machine. Copying had to be done entirely by hand! Surely, it was very time consuming. However, there were prophets in both “Old and New Testaments,” guided by the Spirit of God, to ensure the Holy Bible was accurately copied and collated. Consider what has been written here. Then, look at your physical Bible today, friend. It has come a long, LONG way! 🙂