Tuesday, August 31. 2010

Find A Bible and Read it!

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." -- Deuteronomy 11:18

A pastor friend of mine teases me because I like the NIV version of the Bible. NIV is short for New International Version. He laughingly calls it the newly inspired version. He prefers the King James translation of the Bible.

Everyone it seems has a preference. Some older folks believe -- really -- that the King James translation is the original version of the Bible. There's a joke I've heard forever. It's told in slightly different ways but here's what I remember: An older woman, upset with the newer versions of the Bible, explained why she preferred the King James translation. "If it was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me."

Well, actually Jesus had returned to heaven a long time before the King James version ever came to be. The Church of England started that translation in 1604 and completed it in 1611. The Wycliffe Bible dated back to the early 1400s. The first printed Bible came in 1525. It's called the Tyndale Bible. I could go on and on. There really have been a number of versions of the Bible.

The original texts that eventually became the Bible were mostly in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The dictionary refers to the Bible as being the New Testament or Old Testament, the Christian Scriptures or the Jewish scriptures. It doesn't list a particular translation. The Bible is the Bible.

Pastor Bob quoted The Message during his sermon on Sunday. I think he's rather new to this translation. He used the opportunity to remind us that all versions of the Bible are good. He suggested finding a Bible translation that you feel comfortable reading and can easily understand. Then read it!

I prefer the NIV version because it's easy for me to understand. I also use what's called a Life Application Study Bible. I got that after I asked God for help in understanding various passages. This Bible has footnotes that explains things. I like that. Of course, I may get The Message too. I think it would be interesting to read.

And that's the point. Having a beautiful Bible that you never read doesn't do you any good. God wants us to know Him through His Word. How can we do that if we never read it? As Pastor Bob said, find a Bible. Any Bible. Any translation. And read it. Today.