Have you ever had one of those moments where you think, "Why does the Bible have to be such a big book?" Maybe it's while you're reading one of the genealogies, or one of the repetitions among the books of Kings and Chronicles, or one of Luke's exceptionally long chapters. Maybe you have that fleeting complaint because you're busy and feel the urgency to get to something else done. Maybe it's because you're trying to read through the Bible from cover-to-cover for the first time and the task feels daunting. Or maybe you're just in a mood. Whatever the case may be, I'm sure we've all had that moment at least once and we wonder why God's word has to have so many words in it.
I probably don't need to tell you that we're wrong when we feel that impulse, but it might be beneficial for us to consider just how silly the impulse really is. Let's consider what the Bible is.
The Bible is the very words of God
The Bible is an eternal book preserved by God Himself
The Bible is the revelation of God to mankind
The Bible contains the the history of creation; the earliest ages of humanity; the creation and history of a nation (Israel) that still exists today; the record of Christ's ministry on earth, including his trial, His death, His burial, and His resurrection; the creation and history of the Church; prophecy about the future; details about the end of the world; and a glimpse of the ages of eternity yet to be experienced
The Bible contains every single truth and doctrine necessary to live a life pleasing to God
The Bible contains, in no uncertain terms, how any man or woman of any nation or background can be saved from eternal torment so that he or she will spend eternity in heaven with God Himself
The Bible can be read at a comfortable pace in a year or less without any special education or degrees
Through everything listed above, the Bible accomplishes what no other book in history has: speaking absolute truth with no error
Through everything listed above, the Bible offers what no other book in history has: everlasting hope
Despite what modern translators and publishers may think, the Bible has never needed to be revised or updated; no part of it has needed to be removed, and there has been no requirement for additions after its completion (Revelation 22:18-19)
The contents of the Bible are not only relevant throughout the ages (without making any changes), but also necessary
Stop and consider that list. I'm sure that I'm "preaching to the choir" here, but the Bible is a truly impressive book. Want to hear something even more impressive? Everything on that list was accomplished in only sixty-six books. But it gets even more impressive - it will depend on various factors in the publication (font size, margins, etc), but the average Bible (with two columns of text on each page) comes in at somewhere between 300-400 pages. Most study Bibles, with two-columns of text and notes to help the reader, come in at under 2,000 pages. And if you're wondering how long the Bible would be if it was laid out in paragraphs like a traditional book instead of the two-column format, it still comes in at under 2,000 pages. Among those various formats, a really nice leather Bible could cost you around $250, but if you are willing to go with a simple hardcover or paperback, you can get one for under $20. Many churches and individuals would also gladly offer you one for free. Or you can access it on the internet or through an app for free any time you like.
That is absolutely incredible. But to really drive the point home, let's consider the following.
In 1952, Encyclopedia Britannica published a book series titled Great Books of the Western World. I don't normally condone Wikipedia as a source for serious research, but for our purposes here, the synopsis they offer will suffice:
The original editors [of Great Books of the Western World] had three criteria for including a book in the series drawn from Western Civilization: the book must be relevant to contemporary matters, and not only important in its historical context; it must be rewarding to re-read repeatedly with respect to liberal education; and it must be a part of "the great conversation about the great ideas", relevant to at least 25 of the 102 "Great Ideas" as identified by the editor of the series's comprehensive index, the Syntopicon, to which they belonged. The books were chosen not on the basis of ethnic and cultural inclusiveness (historical influence being seen as sufficient for inclusion), nor on whether the editors agreed with the authors' views.
The original series was a 54 volume set, but it was later updated to a 60 volume set after some texts were added or removed during the 90's. Let's compare this authoritative tome against Scripture:
The Great Books is nothing more than the words of men
The Great Books is already out of active print (it lasted less than 50 years), and is now only available as used copies
The Great Books contains literature, essays, mathematics, science, and philosophy, among other topics
The Great Books contains the ideas and perspectives of authors that are contrary one to another
The Great Books offers a reading plan that requires 8-10 years to complete
The Great Books acknowledges that it is incomplete, and makes recommendations for additional reading outside of its collected volumes; in fact, another 10 volume series was later published by Encyclopedia Britannica called Gateway to the Great Books to act as an "introduction" to the 54 volume set
The Great Books offers no solutions and no hope - it contains only the "wisdom" of men
Although The Great Books (and Gateway to the Great Books) are an excellent educational resource, and far superior to any of the textbooks used in education today, I think we can all agree that what they offer is far short of what Scripture offers. The Great Books does recommend readings from Scripture, but as far as I know, only portions of the Psalms were reproduced in the original 54 volume set; they seem to have been removed in the later 60 volume set. The original 54 volume set came in at around 37,000 pages, and even used copies go for over $1,000. To put it in perspective, to reach 37,000 pages would be almost 93 standard two-column Bibles, and for $1,000 you could purchase over 100 paperback copies of the Bible.
If this does not illustrate the incredible conciseness of God, I don't know what does. He composed His eternal word using mere fraction of what it took mankind to do with its "Great Books," and He makes it available to any and all who would receive it. The Great Books is already out of active circulation, but God has preserved His word and it has survived generation upon generation of those who actively seek to destroy it; even now it manages to find its way even into parts of the world where it is forbidden by the powers that be. It can be had for less than a meal at a restaurant. It can be accessed from any cellphone or laptop for free. It fits in our pockets, our backpacks, or our purses (try doing that with a 54 volume set). It can be read at a casual pace before your next birthday, and it offers more surety and more hope than any other book in the history of the world.
So next time we feel that fleshy impulse that says, "Why does this have to be so long?" let's take a moment to tell our flesh to take a hike, and praise God for His incredible, concise, accessible, timeless and eternal word!
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