Among the plaintive words of Paul, the apostle, are those recorded in 2 Timothy 4:9-15. They reveal a personal side to Paul that is not often fully appreciated.
"When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments."
Among his other concerns, including certain dangers from both within and without, is the exhortation to Timothy about what to bring with him. Commentators labor long to explain just what these books and parchments were, what they contained and how they were arranged. But, with so little evidence to form a conclusion, we are compelled to leave their true identity and the reality of their nature to the Lord. It will suffice to note that Paul used the Greek term "malista, meaning ‘more, especially’"-a so-called "adverbial superlative"-to describe the parchments he so desired to obtain. It is an important and expressive term that affirms these parchments must have been important, indeed.
It is obvious that the scriptures have come down to us in some form. Whether it was in the form of scrolls or codices (an early notebook-like arrangement of papyrus leaves with an appropriate cover) or both, as this scripture indicates, we have multiplied thousands of copies of manuscripts containing the transmitted words of God recorded by His servants, the apostles and prophets.
Coincident with the development of civilization is the growth of a large body of literature. Interestingly, none less than Solomon even referred to this, centuries before the coming of Christ:
"But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body" (Ecclesiastes 12:12).
Yet, it is clear that books, in some form, are of great value in scripture, either to record certain historical or genealogical information (cf. Ezra 4:15), or to preserve in a permanent form those words God intended men to know and obey. Note the following:
The influence of the scriptures is evident in another important passage, also:
"For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well" (2 Timothy 1:5).
Since faith comes through the word of God (Romans 10:17), one wonders how Timothy would have received his grounding in the faith without at least some form of diligent attention to the scriptures. As a matter of fact, Paul drew upon this very fact when he encouraged Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). It is the diligence of the Bereans and the attention to God’s instruction that would prove Timothy to be a valued and unabashed workman for God.
Charles Eliot once declared that, "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." Judging from some of the things that some people put before their eyes to read, I can confidently state that some books, however quiet and constant, are the poorest of counselors.
David realized just how dangerous some influences can be, when he wrote, "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me." David understood, for he had fought temptation and sin in his own life. Whatever is a danger to you should not be given close access to your eyes or heart.
On the other hand, you should give close and intimate attention to those matters that are of deep, spiritual value, for exactly the reasons stated by Eliot, as noted above. The best of influences, written or otherwise, have the positive qualities stated by Eliot, and the scriptures are replete in calling to our minds that they possess all of these qualities-if we will allow them to so influence us:
There is nothing truer of God’s word than that its most powerful effect comes in those quiet moments of reflection and meditation within our hearts and minds. If you are not taking some private and quiet time for reading the scriptures for yourself and letting Divine wisdom penetrate the hustle-bustle of everyday life to give you a few moment of peace, you are cheating yourself. Sure, it will take discipline, but you will profit in far greater proportion than the time you take from other, less important, tasks or interests.
Is not printing a wonderful thing? Nothing can replace the feel of holding a bound book in one’s hands, particularly when that book is The Bible. Post-modernists have proclaimed the demise of the printed word, as if the electronic word-the paperless office-is now crowned as "King."
It is a wonderful thing to be able to take the constancy of written words, that can only be changed with an audit trail following (as the Mormon church has discovered concerning its ridiculous affirmation that the Book of Mormon is the most perfect book on Earth; if so, then why the 4000+ plus changes from 1830-1966 and hundreds of others since then?). What God has said to our forefathers, He has said also to us. His word is constant, never changing, and providentially supported. The book is constantly there: Why is it covered with dust?
While it is true that we do much of our communicating over electronic media (eg. email and the Internet), I confidently affirm that libraries, whether public or private, are never going to go the way of the dinosaur. But, even if they did, the ubiquitous presence of words and virtually unlimited access to them is the one great democratizing influence of our day. Even if a government (or religious power) wanted to withhold access to the Word of God, it could not do so.
The Word of God is a constant, ever-accessible resource-and we ought not to neglect it. One can find a Bible for free, or at the cost of many thousands of dollars. One can get a Bible with a fancy cover of embossed leather, or it may be just a simple volume with a paper cover. It can be found in public libraries or on the Internet (in many versions and virtually every language under the sun), and some of us even have a Bible in every room. We even have one in the bathroom, and more than one visitor to our home has taken note of it!
Yet, regardless of whether the Bible can be found, whenever and wherever it is, it holds the words of eternal life that will make you, "wise unto salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15). Its wisdom is not subject to change and its instruction never varies. The wise man searches it for daily advice and inclines his ear toward it when he is in need of knowing what choice to make.
Perhaps the most profound feature of God’s word is that it is an ever-present, ever-constant, ever-available, and ever-patient Teacher. Even when I am not quite ready for the instruction, the Word of God withdraws into my innermost being-the simmering pot at the back of my brain, as I like to say-just sitting there waiting for me to draw from its contents.
The book that sits quietly on the coffee table may gather dust, but it awaits my attention, nonetheless. It beckons to me every time I move it, or place my feet on it, or dust it-even when I pick it up to show a visitor some scripture or a reproduced engraving within it. Eventually, sometimes late at night or in the wee hours of the morning when I cannot sleep, I lift it into my lap, and with a lamp peering over my shoulder to cast its artificial rays upon the page, the Word of God leaps from black ink on white paper to touch my mind, enrich my heart and (often) bring tears to my eyes.
Hopefully, at the same time, it gives me wisdom and insight into the nature and will of the God, Whose I am and Whom I serve, making me just a bit more fit for His use.
Have you curled up with The Good Book lately?