the Bible of …

On my desk I have a book that is described as ‘the Bible of card tricks’. It’s a classic, admittedly, but why describe it as a Bible?

Is it because it is inspired by God? Hmmm. I don’t think so.

Is it because it was written by many different authors over hundreds of years yet has a common theme and synergy? Erm… Nope.

Is it because it reveals God to us? Um… no, even the most impressive of tricks only bamboozle and amaze.

So what do people mean? I suspect that they mean that it is the book… the only one you will need. The book is so comprehensive that it renders other books superfluous. Isn’t it interesting that this is how people view the Bible? The book… the only one you will need. The book that is so comprehensive that it renders other books superfluous… about God and his interaction with us.

I wonder if some people who do not follow Jesus have a higher view of the Bible than some of his followers! The Bible stands alone. It is not described by reference to other books. It is not the ‘Royal Road to Card Magic of religious books’. It is The Bible.

We are invited, urged, encouraged to read it ourselves on a regular basis (not just leaving it to the reading in church on Sunday) because through it God holds a mirror up to us, offers guidance and encouragement, asks questions, SHOUTS, rebukes, blesses, and lifts the corner of the veil so we can glimpse him. It’s incredible to think that while the Bible tells us all we need to know about God, it does not tell us everything there is to know about him!

So, if there’s one nearby, open it and see what he has for you.

(My insecurities would like me to point out that there are two Bibles on my desk as well.)

A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.

Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the source of his joy.

“Hey,” asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, “Don’t you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.”

The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible. “That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”

The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.

“Wow!” exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water!”