BOOKS

BOOKS!

(A Classic from March 2012)

Dan 9:2

2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

2 Tim 4:13

13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.

          Commenting on 2 Timothy 4:13, where Paul asks Timothy to bring him a cloak, books, and the parchments, Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote the following words:  "He is inspired, yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, yet he wants books. He has had a wider experience than most men, yet he wants books! He has been caught up into the third heaven, and has heard things which it is unlawful to utter, yet he wants books! He has written the major part of the New Testament, yet he wants books!"

   --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 315.

I descended the stairs to his office which was in the basement. Somehow it seemed appropriate for it to be there, like a prophet in a catacomb. His desk, which was larger than it appeared, was covered with books and papers. I saw a large stack of Jerusalem Post newspapers beside another stack of Wall Street Journals as well as a sprinkling of local papers. It was darker than it should be and I’m certain there were treasured tomes that had not been accessed in quite some time.

He was short and I thought him to be old but his eyes sparkled with an excitement that was contagious. I was tempted to subscribe to the Jerusalem Post thinking there must be a daily section on the proximity of the Lord’s return. It somehow made sense that the Lord would give the Post a scoop about such an important event. Certainly the Washington Post would have to pick it up from the wires.

More than thirty years later I remember that I thought one could literally become lost in a place like this. I imagined his wife sending down a bucket of food suspended by a rope through a hole in the kitchen floor. It would rest on his desk and the bell attached to it would jingle signaling that it was time for lunch. He would, of course, ignore it because he was too involved with his studies. Such was the imagination of a young crusader who was too busy saving the world to study. How could one impact the world while spending every waking moment – and no doubt some sleeping moments – in a musty basement library?

But there was a strange magnetism that called out to me from that place. Has he read all those books and papers? What had he discovered? What could I learn just from being near him? I dismissed it … for almost thirty years. I am often disappointed in youth because they do not perceive the value of good books. They prefer instead to quote others who read.

Now I sense that strange magnetism once again. Perhaps books are to be preferred over people. People are so changeable and one never does know which mood they will display. Books are consistent and steady. The information inside, even if inaccurate, at least does not change. One can pick a book from a shelf and announce to a visitor: “this is full of error but every time I read it the error is the same as before!” Books have personalities and they are comfortingly consistent. People are subject to sudden storms and outbursts. One never knows which persona you may be talking to.

I now have my own collection of books. Some I have read and some I have not but I loathe parting with any of them. Some are new and still stiff, waiting their turn on the shelf. Some are very old and groan when removed from their rest. One two-volume set is over one hundred years old. I suppose I should insure them. They call to me not for their content but because of their stubborn endurance.

Dear Lord, help me to study because there are so many questions yet to be answered. AMEN