Once in the Old Testament
And only in the singular term,
From scripture or the scriptures
There is much we can learn.
Between the two terms I learnt
There are 53 references in all
And the first, which is found in Daniel,
Speaks to a special call.
A call out to the prophet Daniel,
Who had been mourning a while;
For twenty-one days to be exact
Which heaven kept on file.
I am referencing the KJV-
Re the others, I cast no aspersion,
Just so you know these 53 references
Are in the King James Version.
Noted in the “scripture of truth”
All the way back in Daniel,
God gives the assurance to His prophet
That He will deliver His people.
Only once in the Old Testament
But fifty-two times in the New
These terms “scripture or scriptures”
Come shining through.
Don’t make light of this
For indeed, the Psalmist did not,
God’s Word was a lamp and light to him
And for sure, regulated his lot.
The term “scripture of truth’
Appears to indicate the total Word,
It was already completely established
Before its written form occurred.
Jesus highlighted portions from it
On several occasions
But after all, he was the living Word
In his earthly incarnation.
Thirteen references I counted
In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
All these were attributed to Jesus:
Every single one.
So, one from the prophet Daniel,
Thirteen from our Lord, Jesus Christ
And, with the other 39 from the apostles,
These should more than suffice.
‘Scripture’ is found 32 times
While ‘scriptures’ is seen 21,
That makes a total of fifty-three
So, let’s be moving on.
It appears to me, therefore,
That before a single word was written,
The scriptures had been compiled
In the heaven of heavens.
God moved on men He made holy
To write the Holy Word,
It was not of their own choosing-
Please, do not be absurd!
Today, we say the Bible
But it’s found nowhere in the Book
From where did this word come?
Perhaps we could have a look.
The earliest use of the word
Has been traced to the 4th Century AD,
John Chrysostom, an Early Church Father,
Known for his ascetic sensibilities.
Another source gives its first usage
As early as the 3rd Century AD,
Ta Biblia, which is the Greek for books
Or by extension, library.
Some say it came from Europe
Out of the Roman Catholic Church;
Not from Jesus and the apostles
But from religious experts.
“The Bible” is seen as erroneous
When used in place of “the scriptures”,
The fact it is not found in the Word
Paints a misleading picture.
Maybe it is full time now,
We adopt the term “the scriptures”,
I know it won’t be easy
For “the Bible” is a fixture.
How do you feel about this?
Is it really that important?
Have we been committing a serious sin
And thus, should be repentant?
Tell me what you think,
I’d be glad to know your thoughts
For when I listen to certain people,
They appear quite distraught.
Search the scriptures, Jesus said,
Notice he did not say the Bible
So, I guess we ought to say similarly
And not be misguided.
It is “the scriptures” he fulfilled
And not the Bible, as we say,
So, given those fifty-three references,
Drop the Bible right away.
Ye do err, not knowing the Bible,
No, not knowing the scriptures,
The Bible seemingly falls amazingly short
Of the divine picture.
Apollos was mighty in “the scriptures”
“The Bible” was not in his time,
Maybe the two are vastly different;
That’s what comes to my mind.
Like the two on the Emmaus Road-
What did Jesus open to them?
It was “the scriptures” says the Word,
But Bible would be a problem.
Aren’t we splitting hairs
And into meaningless semantics?
Might it not be one of Satan’s lures
Or another of his divisive tricks?
Whether the scriptures or the Bible,
Let it be the Word of God
And concerning its life-giving message,
Let us tell it abroad.
Stewart Russell © May 23, 2023
