Wednesday, March 6, 2019
BOOKS!
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
