Sometimes people unfamiliar
with the Bible and how it came to be are confused when they pick it up and begin
to read. In many ways it is like any other book. It uses words and sentences to
convey thought. But in other ways, it is quite different.
Its information is not in alphabetical order so you cannot use it like a
dictionary, looking under, say, "R" if you want to study "repentance." Its
information is not strictly chronological so you cannot use it like a history
book. Some portions of it are written chronologically; the book of Genesis and
the book of Acts, for examples, but the Bible as a whole is not written
chronologically. The epistles are not in the order in which they were written.
Neither is the Bible written like a text book where the simplest facts come
first and proceed to become increasingly difficult as you read deeper into the
book. There is a mixture of simple and complex ideas throughout Bible.
Accurate Handling of the
Word
The Bible tells us to be "diligent to present yourself approved to God as a
workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth."
(2 Timothy 2:15). The Bible is a tool to understanding God's will for us. We
need to be sure we are using the tool correctly. Just as a carpenter should know
which end of the hammer to hold and which end to hit the nail with, we need to
be familiar with the Bible in order to use it correctly.
There is an Order
But if the Bible is not in any particular order, then how does one find what he
needs to find? Well, there is indeed an orderly arrangement. It is not in
alphabetical, chronological or simple to complex order. The Bible books are
ordered according to type.
The main division is Old Testament and New Testament. In the Old Testament, the
first five books, sometimes called the Pentateuch, are the books of the Law, or
the books of Moses. The following twelve books, from Joshua through Esther, are
the books of history. Following these, we have five books of poetry: Job,
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Finally, there the prophets.
These can be further divided into the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel) and the twelve minor prophets (Hosea through
Malachi).
The New Testament books are divided into history, the epistles and prophecy. The
history part consists of five books. The first four are biographical histories
of the life of Christ and sometimes referred to as the gospels. The final
historical book, called the Acts of the Apostles, traces the early history of
the church. The epistles consist first of Paul's writings. Many fail to note
that there is an order to these epistles even though they are not
chronologically or alphabetically arranged. First, there are Paul's letters to
churches (Romans through Thessalonians). After these, Paul's letters to
individuals (Timothy, Titus, Philemon). After Paul's epistles come the epistle
to the Hebrews, which some also think Paul wrote, but unlike the others it does
not bear his name in the text. Then come the minor epistles (James. Peter, John
and Jude). And finally, the book of prophecy; the book of Revelation.
It should be noted that while God inspired the writing of the Scriptures (2
Timothy 3:16,17) that the order by which they are arranged was determined by
man. Originally, these were 66 different writings which came to be bound under
one cover only after book bindings with pages was introduced and replaced the
scroll. Although these writings have always been Scripture, the convenience of
having them all so easy to access in one volume to expedite our study is a
blessing unknown to those who lived during Biblical times.
One can gain valuable general knowledge of the Bible by reading it "cover to
cover" but that is not a good way to study a particular topic. That would be
like looking up the word "Mechanic" in a dictionary by starting with the "A's"
and reading definitions until you came to the word "mechanic." Better to make
the use of study aids such as concordances, Bible dictionaries, and/or topical
indexes to quickly locate all the information on a given subject throughout the
Bible. These are alphabetically arranged and really speed up information
gathering from the Bible.
I Can't See it!
I think it is biological. I am not sure exactly... maybe it is because Barbara,
my wife (of 28 years, bless her), has blue eyes and I have brown. Maybe it is
because I am nearsighted. I'm not sure.
We sit and stare at a painting of colored blobs and squares which is supposed to
contain a hidden picture of a shark. If stared at long enough, the shark will
suddenly emerge from the colors, so they say. Sure enough, Barbara exclaims. "I
see it!" to which I reply "Where?" She points at a section of the blobs and
says, "There!" I stare as minutes pass. Just once I would like to see one of
those hidden items. I try squinting. I try focusing. I blink my eyes rapidly,
then I try not to blink. No shark. It's not fair. I realize this probably does
not make me eligible for a handicap parking sticker, but it is still
frustrating! I just cannot perceive anything but colored blobs in those
pictures.
But I do perceive something much greater. Not everyone does. Paul wrote, "I pray
that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the
hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might..."
(Ephesians 1:18,19). Paul was praying that the Ephesians would perceive the
value of knowing Christ and His rich gifts. He was aware that many have no such
perception. God permits man to close his eyes in stubborn rebellion, and many
are exercising this freedom of choice today. Paul said, "...just as it is
written, 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear
not, Down to this very day.' And David says, 'Let their table become a snare and
a trap, And a stumbling block and a retribution to them. Let their eyes be
darkened to see not, And bend their backs forever.'" (Romans 11:8-10).
We are thankful for God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. We are thankful for
the hope, the promises, the blessings, and the peace of God. Jesus said, "For
the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely
hear, And they have closed their eyes Lest they should see with their eyes, And
hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I should
heal them. But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because
they hear." (Matthew 13:15,16). Do your eyes perceive the truth?
From the Bradley
Banner 11/2/2003
Published by the Bradley
Church of Christ
1505 E. Broadway
Bradley, IL 60915