BIBLE LITERACY
“If only you would listen to his voice today!” (Psalm 95:7 NLT)
sistent voice of God speak new meaning, purpose, and direction as we open our lives to the powerful truths of His Word. This is an invitation that echoes across the pages of Scripture. In the ancient Hebrew tradition, the Shema—“Hear, O Israel”—was at the center of Jewish spiri- tuality. The writer of Hebrews carries this declaration forward into the New Testa- ment: “So see to it that you obey him who is speaking to you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messen- ger, how terrible our danger if we refuse to listen to God who speaks to us from heaven!” (Hebrews 12:25 LB).
P A Battle for Truth
Repeatedly throughout the grand narrative of God’s plan for humankind, people’s lives are transformed by a fresh engagement with the Word of God. Whether it is the rediscovery of the Book of the Law under Josiah, the renewal of public Scripture reading by Ezra, the rev- elation of Old Testament promises by the apostles, or the renewal of countless lives across the last two millennia, a fresh hear- ing of the Word of God has always been central to people moving toward God. Today, as in her first days, the Church is confronted by a host of rival narratives that contradict and compete with the biblical story. Each clamors for atten- tion, calling for a specific view of “the truth.” The question of our time becomes, “Whose truth are you going to believe now?” Tossed between the claims of Christ and the crush of the crowd, Pilate’s despairing question echoes once again: “What is truth?” (John 18:38). If we indeed believe that the Bible is the truth, we must do more to make it a part of our daily lives. Regrettably, the act
12 EVANGEL • AUG 2010
SALM 95 encourages us to open our hearts afresh to the living Word of God every day. It is a clarion call to let the per-
OPENING OUR LIVES TO
GOD’S WORD
■ by R. Lamar Vest
of reading and courageously responding to the Bible is receding in our churches and communities. Our ears are so filled with clamor of the latest newscast, broad- cast, and podcast that we can forget God still speaks. The supremely glorious com- munication of the living God, the cry of the One seeking to redeem and transform our lives, falls on deaf ears.
Many Defenders, But Not Many Readers
The Bible has many defenders who celebrate its popularity as the best-selling book of all time, but it does not have many readers. Eugene Peterson reminds us, “Having and defending and celebrat- ing the Bible instead of receiving, submit- ting to, and praying the Bible, masks an enormous amount of nonreading.” At its core, the Bible offers wisdom for relationships and life. Through nar- ratives, letters, historical records, poetry,
and songs, the Bible provides guidance on how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to God. This third invitation in particu- lar—relating to God—makes many people uncomfortable. Maybe it is the discovery that when we turn to the Bible, we are not only studying God, but He is also studying us. We are invited to not just read God’s Word, but to be read by it. We do this when we echo the passion of the psalmist: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
For almost two hundred years, the American Bible Society has remained focused on supporting this “search,” help- ing to get God’s Word where it is needed most. This work has included three core functions: translation, publication, and distribution of God’s Word. Getting Bibles from translation to distribution
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