In the third century, there lived a monk named Antony who spent his entire life in solitude within the vast deserts of Egypt. Despite his seclusion, he maintained an active correspondence with many notable figures of his time. Emperor Constantine would reach out to him for counsel, while other hermits sought his prayers.
One day, a pupil of the monk expressed astonishment that even kings and emperors communicated with him. The venerable hermit replied, “Do not regard it as significant. The emperor’s letters hold no particular importance, and the messages from other distinguished individuals are hardly worth noting. In fact, there is only one letter that truly merits reading, re-reading, and contemplation.”
The pupil was taken aback to learn of such a letter’s existence and inquired about its author. Antony responded, “The letter I refer to was penned for humanity by God Himself. We refer to it as the Bible.”
Filipinos observe National Bible Day, which was first declared in 1982 by the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. He had chosen the first Sunday of Advent and the last week of November of every year as National Bible Sunday and National Bible Week.
In 1986, National Bible Day was moved to January by President Corazon Aquino. She changed National Bible Week to the first month of the year. This proclamation was reinforced by President Fidel Ramos, who stressed that the nation should embrace the practice of reading the “Bible,” which words empower the nation to live with hope in difficult times.
On January 5, 2017, then President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the National Bible Day. He proclaimed the last Monday of January as the official date for the celebration of National Bible Day.
“The gospel is not a book; it is a living being, with an action, a power, which invades everything that opposes its extension, behold! It is on this table: This book, surpassing all others. I never omit to read it, and every day with some pleasure,” said French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
American presidents believe in the sanctity of the Bible. Nobel Peace Prize winner Woodrow Wilson said, “When you have read the Bible, you know it is the word of God, because it is the key to your heart, your own happiness, and your own duty.”
Even before him, there was Abraham Lincoln, who admitted, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through the Book.”
Famous authors also draw inspiration from the Bible. French writer Victor Hugo said, “England has two books: the Bible and (William) Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare, but the Bible made England.”
German writer and scientist Goethe commented, “I look upon all four Gospels as thoroughly genuine, for there shines forth from them the reflected splendor of a sublimity proceeding from Jesus Christ.”
It came to pass that a prisoner was locked up in solitary confinement and was given a Bible as his only companion. So, he studied it very carefully for several years. Long before the days of computers, he discovered the following facts:
The Bible contains 3,586,489 letters and 773,692 words. It has 31,173 verses and 1,189 verses. The word “and” occurs 46,277 times. The middle verse in the entire Bible is verse 8 of Psalm 118. All the letters of the alphabet are found in Ezra 8:21. The longer verse is Esther 8:9 while the shortest is in John 11:35.
The prisoner discovered all these facts but nowhere in the story revealed that the message of the Bible touched the prisoner’s heart. Yes, he missed the main point. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus said (John 14:6).
Is the Bible inspired by God for real? Robert Dick Wilson, fluent in more than 45 languages and dialects, concluded after a lifetime study of the Old Testament: “I may add that the result of my 45 years of study of the Bible has led me all the time to a firmer faith that in the Old Testament, we have a true historical account of the history of the Israelite people.”
The respectable American newsweekly Time declared: “Reputable scholars now believe that the New Testament account is reliable history.”
“This book had to be written by one of three people: good men, bad men or God,” British religious leader John Wesley said. “It couldn’t have been written by good men because they said it was inspired by the revelation of God.
“Good men don’t lie and deceive,” Wesley added. “It couldn’t have been written by bad men because bad men would not write something that would condemn themselves. It leaves only one conclusion. It was given by divine inspiration of God.”
In the old times, a young hunter frequently found himself lost in the forest. Concerned for his well-being, a friend gave him a compass. However, despite this assistance, the young hunter became lost once more.
Upon being located, he was inquired whether he had the compass with him, to which he confirmed that he did. When asked why he had not utilized it, he explained that he felt hesitant to do so. He intended to navigate south and attempted to orient the compass accordingly, but it failed to cooperate. As he described, “It would tremble and rotate, consistently pointing north.”
Many people want the Bible to point the direction they want to go, rather than the direction the Bible wants them to go.
Just remember this: “All Scripture is God-breathed and He doesn’t waste His breath,” to quote the words of Jim McCotter.
