What Is the Bible?

Psalm 119:129–136

Scripture Reading

This morning we are going to be looking at Psalm 119:129–136.

Would you please stand with me as we read from God’s Word?

“Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.”

This is the Word of the Lord, and we are grateful for it.

Please be seated.

An Afternoon in a Bookstore

My folks live just south of Sandpoint, Idaho, about four hours from our house. It’s not a difficult drive, but it’s just long enough that a short stop somewhere along the way is always welcome. One of my favorite places to stop is the Barnes & Noble just east of Spokane. It has clean restrooms, a coffee shop, comfortable chairs, and, of course, shelves upon shelves of books. It’s the kind of place where you can stretch your legs for twenty minutes and somehow lose an hour.

One afternoon I wandered into the Christian section and found myself surrounded by seven children ranging from about seven years old down to four. They were energetic, noisy, and completely at home. When I caught the eye of one of the young women with them—the one I assumed was their mother—she just smiled and shrugged.

“Eventually,” she said, “you don’t even notice they’re there.”

That opened the door to a conversation.

The two women were sisters. They had just come from their grandmother’s funeral. During the service, the older sister had been given her grandmother’s well-worn Bible. When she opened it, it fell open to what had been her grandmother’s favorite passage in the Psalms. I don’t remember the exact verse anymore, but I remember what happened next.

She looked at me and said she had taken it as a sign. Not that her grandmother was somehow speaking to her, but as a reminder that she really ought to know the Bible her grandmother had loved so much. So after the funeral, the two sisters loaded up all the kids and drove straight to Barnes & Noble to buy their first Bibles.

There was only one problem.

“Why are there so many?” she asked.

That simple question turned into one of the most enjoyable conversations I’ve ever had in a bookstore. For nearly an hour we talked about translations, study Bibles, reading plans, and how all the different editions fit together. Then came my favorite moment.

Once they understood that the various translations were communicating the same message using different English styles, each sister grabbed a different Bible from the shelf. They hurried to opposite ends of the aisle and called out, “Give us a verse!”

I suggested a passage.

They both found it, read it aloud from their different translations, then looked at each other with huge smiles. Their excitement was contagious. Suddenly the Bible wasn’t an intimidating old book anymore—it was something they could actually read, compare, and understand.

I still think about that family from time to time.

Sometimes the beginning of a lifelong journey with Scripture isn’t a sermon or an argument. Sometimes it starts with a grandmother’s worn Bible, two curious sisters, seven restless children, and an hour in the Christian aisle of a bookstore.

The Question Every Christian Should Be Able to Answer

But that afternoon has stayed with me for another reason.

Those sisters weren’t asking difficult theological questions. They weren’t debating denominations or arguing over obscure doctrines. Their questions were much more basic.