BOOKS

Books

In ancient times books could be written on vellum, parchment, and papyrus. Nowadays, we use paper and electronic devices. With the advent of eBooks, book lovers have really begun to appreciate the, smell, look, and feel of physical books. One can only wonder if in days of yore there were people that preferred the smell, look, and feel of animal skins over newfangled wood-pulp paper! Did they lament the transition from skins? However, a book is still a book regardless of what it is written on.

The Bible is a book that is made up of sixty-six books. The first mention of a book in the Bible is, ‘This is the book of the genealogy of Adam’ Genesis 5:1. Henry M Morris says, ‘The record thus was written, not just transmitted orally. Quite possibly, Adam himself wrote the section (chapters 2, 3, 4) which concludes with this statement and signature of Adam. Similarly Noah (note Genesis 6:9) was the probable original author of Genesis 5:1b – 6:9a.’ The suggestion then is that Moses utilised these books when writing the first five books of the Bible.

God is God of gods. Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings. And the Bible is the Book of books. When author and booklover, Sir Walter Scott lay dying, he asked his son-in-law, John Gibson Lockhart to read to him. ‘From what book?’ asked Lockhart. ‘There is but one Book!’ replied Scott. The Bible is the most important Book in the world. It is God’s revelation to us. It tells the story of creation, fall, flood, and what God has done in Jesus Christ for our redemption. It is the story of the first Adam and the last Adam. The New Testament begins, ‘The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.’ Matthew 1:1. The Old Testament reveals how things went wrong for Adam and his posterity, and the New Testament reveals how the new Adam repaired it all.

    The Bible is the Word of God, a Book about Christ, who is also called The Word of God. After the Fall, God clothed Adam and Eve in skins, and began to have the Word of God tattooed onto skins. Thus, every time the Word was read it pointed to the Word, ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ John 1:29b. In the first book of the Bible the first Adam is clothed in skin which points forward to the last Adam. In the last book, the last Adam is ‘clothed with a robe dipped in blood’ which points back to the first Adam. ‘His name is called The Word of God … And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS’ Revelation 19:13b & 16.

Adam (and his posterity) was to be the crown of God’s creation (Gen. 1:26-28; Psalm 8:4-8; Hebrews 2:6-8), but Adam handed his crown over to Satan by sinking his perfect teeth into the forbidden fruit. A million books, from Snow White eating a poisoned apple to Dracula’s need for blood to Frankenstein’s resurrected monster, have been written on Biblical themes. It is the Book of books! But more importantly, it is the Word of life, life everlasting. When a lot of Jesus’s followers began turning their backs of Him, ‘Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”’ John 6:67-69.

Don’t leave this earth until you have read the Book cover to cover.