“You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23, NRSV)
In ancient times, people were forced to hide their pages of the Bible to keep them safe or pass them on to the next generations. That’s how scriptures like the Dead Sea Scrolls ended up in caves in Qumran. In ancient times, people often copied scriptures in catacombs, carved them onto tomb walls, or chiseled them into stone ossuaries (coffins). They wanted God’s valuable word to outlive them.
When St. Jerome translated the Bible from original manuscripts in Hebrew and Greek, scholars and church leaders criticized his work, viewing scriptures in those languages as less cultured or less historical when in fact they were some of the oldest in existence. Some say that Jerome became a monk to escape dangers while he wrote commentaries on his Bible.
John Wyclif (ca. 1330–1384) ventured the first translation of the Bible into English. He was called a blasphemer and hunted down for doing his work. Forty years after his death, his bones were dug up, burned, and tossed into the River Swift.
William Tyndale, who endeavored to translate the complete Bible into English in the 1500’s was strangled and then burned at the stake during a persecution of his action. James Bainham was tortured and whipped for owning Tyndale's translation.
Martin Luther had to be hidden in Wartburg Castle to translate the Bible into German.
In 1930s Texas, a school board voted to publish the Bible in Spanish for young Latino school children. Governor Ma Ferguson shot them down. Holding up the King James Version of the Bible, she supposedly stated, “If the King’s English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it’s good enough for the children of Texas!”
Modern times have not stopped the persecution and murder of those who not only treasure the Bible but seek to translate it for the whole world to enjoy. In 1993, Edmund Fabian was murdered in Papua New Guinea by a local man who knew about his translation of the Bible. In 2016, four Wycliffe Bible translators who were translating the Bible into eight different obscure languages of the Middle East, were martyred when militants raided their Middle Eastern office. Another of the Wycliffe Bible Translators was murdered in Cameroon.
In remembrance of those who suffered and died for treasuring God’s word, John MacArthur shared this story in his book, Drawing Near.
“I have a friend who has a beautiful collection of rare Bibles. My favorite is one of the earliest printed copies, dating back to sixteenth-century England. The first time I held it in my hands I noticed that the top third of every page was covered with a dark stain. Tears filled my eyes when I realized it was from the blood of its original owner.
My friend explained that when Bloody Mary ruled England, she delighted in terrorizing Protestants and murdering as many as she could. Her soldiers would execute their victims through some bloody means, then take his or her Bible and dip it into the blood. Some of those Bibles have been preserved and are known as Martyrs’ Bibles. Scientists have confirmed that the dark stains on every page of my friend’s Bible are, indeed, human blood.
That same Bible is well-worn from being studied. And many of its pages have water stains on them—perhaps from tears. Obviously it was someone’s most precious possession, and his or her blood is there to prove it.” (p. 310).
King David wrote in Psalm 19:10 that “the judgments of the Lord” found in the Bible are “more precious than gold” and “sweeter than honey”. Proverbs 16:16 adds that the scriptures that hold God’s wisdom and understanding are more desirable than gold and silver. Today’s scripture adds that the “living and enduring word of God” is like an imperishable seed. It helps you on the way to be “born again” or “born anew” to the Kingdom of God. It is the seed that grows into a powerful faith and live-redeeming wisdom for the ages.
The word of God, the Bible, the scriptures are so precious that people are willing to die to preserve it. People in the Bible dedicated their time and even their lives to pursue it. But as precious as is God’s Word, too many Christians take it for granted. Their Bibles might be gathering dust, or its pages only opened once in a blue moon. So many ignore God’s words, seeking to find their own way to spiritual maturity. Others were taught that reading the Bible was only for priests, pastors, or scholars. Thus, they refuse to search the depth of its pages for learning.
Today, I want you to pick up that Bible and read it anew. Search its pages for understanding. Read commentaries and meditations that explain its wisdom. Don’t neglect its supreme value. God speaks through the pages of your Bible. God will speak to you. Keeping your Bible closed or unused on a bookshelf will only make your Bible an heirloom or a dusty relic. Then, its pages won’t shine a light upon the vast spiritual story within its pages of God’s redeeming love for you and for all generations.
When St. Jerome translated the Bible from original manuscripts in Hebrew and Greek, scholars and church leaders criticized his work, viewing scriptures in those languages as less cultured or less historical when in fact they were some of the oldest in existence. Some say that Jerome became a monk to escape dangers while he wrote commentaries on his Bible.
John Wyclif (ca. 1330–1384) ventured the first translation of the Bible into English. He was called a blasphemer and hunted down for doing his work. Forty years after his death, his bones were dug up, burned, and tossed into the River Swift.
William Tyndale, who endeavored to translate the complete Bible into English in the 1500’s was strangled and then burned at the stake during a persecution of his action. James Bainham was tortured and whipped for owning Tyndale's translation.
Martin Luther had to be hidden in Wartburg Castle to translate the Bible into German.
In 1930s Texas, a school board voted to publish the Bible in Spanish for young Latino school children. Governor Ma Ferguson shot them down. Holding up the King James Version of the Bible, she supposedly stated, “If the King’s English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it’s good enough for the children of Texas!”
Modern times have not stopped the persecution and murder of those who not only treasure the Bible but seek to translate it for the whole world to enjoy. In 1993, Edmund Fabian was murdered in Papua New Guinea by a local man who knew about his translation of the Bible. In 2016, four Wycliffe Bible translators who were translating the Bible into eight different obscure languages of the Middle East, were martyred when militants raided their Middle Eastern office. Another of the Wycliffe Bible Translators was murdered in Cameroon.
In remembrance of those who suffered and died for treasuring God’s word, John MacArthur shared this story in his book, Drawing Near.
“I have a friend who has a beautiful collection of rare Bibles. My favorite is one of the earliest printed copies, dating back to sixteenth-century England. The first time I held it in my hands I noticed that the top third of every page was covered with a dark stain. Tears filled my eyes when I realized it was from the blood of its original owner.
My friend explained that when Bloody Mary ruled England, she delighted in terrorizing Protestants and murdering as many as she could. Her soldiers would execute their victims through some bloody means, then take his or her Bible and dip it into the blood. Some of those Bibles have been preserved and are known as Martyrs’ Bibles. Scientists have confirmed that the dark stains on every page of my friend’s Bible are, indeed, human blood.
That same Bible is well-worn from being studied. And many of its pages have water stains on them—perhaps from tears. Obviously it was someone’s most precious possession, and his or her blood is there to prove it.” (p. 310).
King David wrote in Psalm 19:10 that “the judgments of the Lord” found in the Bible are “more precious than gold” and “sweeter than honey”. Proverbs 16:16 adds that the scriptures that hold God’s wisdom and understanding are more desirable than gold and silver. Today’s scripture adds that the “living and enduring word of God” is like an imperishable seed. It helps you on the way to be “born again” or “born anew” to the Kingdom of God. It is the seed that grows into a powerful faith and live-redeeming wisdom for the ages.
The word of God, the Bible, the scriptures are so precious that people are willing to die to preserve it. People in the Bible dedicated their time and even their lives to pursue it. But as precious as is God’s Word, too many Christians take it for granted. Their Bibles might be gathering dust, or its pages only opened once in a blue moon. So many ignore God’s words, seeking to find their own way to spiritual maturity. Others were taught that reading the Bible was only for priests, pastors, or scholars. Thus, they refuse to search the depth of its pages for learning.
Today, I want you to pick up that Bible and read it anew. Search its pages for understanding. Read commentaries and meditations that explain its wisdom. Don’t neglect its supreme value. God speaks through the pages of your Bible. God will speak to you. Keeping your Bible closed or unused on a bookshelf will only make your Bible an heirloom or a dusty relic. Then, its pages won’t shine a light upon the vast spiritual story within its pages of God’s redeeming love for you and for all generations.