The Textbook of Textbooks

“And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Ecclesiastes 12:12-13

 

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Isaiah 8:20

 

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”

II Peter 1:19

 

Graduates, students at all levels, and the whole church, it is important for us to compare the textbooks used to educate and instruct in our nation’s institutions of higher learning with the textbook that the Creator God of heaven and earth has given to His children to know much more. The Bible provides true higher learning!

 

College textbooks typically have these characteristics:

  1. They cost about $100 and are generally useful for only one semester of about 16 weeks.
  2. They are usually discarded with little to no value after the semester course is completed.
  3. Textbooks are so limited in scope that they are often good for only one specialized class.
  4. They are rewritten every year or every other year to make previous ones quickly obsolete.
  5. They are changed as course requirements as different teachers have different preferences.
  6. The more popular textbooks have sales that generally number only in the tens of thousands.
  7. Authors typically support abortion, evolution, sodomy, etc. and oppose capital punishment.
  8. Authors may be dope-smoking educators that adore and copy other dope-smoking educators.
  9. Authors begin by messing on themselves, learn to go potty, and end messing on themselves.
  10. Yet, students read and reread and reread them, memorize them, outline them, make notes, take practice tests, and gather study groups to discuss and review them with others.

The Bible has these characteristics:

  1. It costs as little as $1 to $5 and will not change during your lifetime, so you can buy for life!
  2. It never loses its value; it will be as relevant to you as a student or spouse or grandparent!
  3. The Bible is never rewritten, because it was given once by God and preserved for millennia.
  4. It is as relevant for David’s generation as Paul’s generation as your generation. It is final!
  5. The Bible is the broadest of all books in its scope, covering any and all aspects of your life.
  6. Life does not change, so the Bible need not change to fit, as it is relevant for all generations.
  7. The bestseller of all time, selling about 100 million copies per year … a total near 6 billion?
  8. The Author is your Creator and is perfect by every measure of ability, character, or conduct.
  9. Unlike human authors that have never met you, the Bible’s Author knows you intimately!
  10. Yet, most students (and parents and teachers) have little to no time to read and study it.

Higher education or higher learning? The Bible is infinitely better than all other textbooks.

  1. Math? A small lunch fed 5000+ with leftovers (Mt 14:20)! Scattering increases (Pr 11:24)!
  2. Biology? Life of flesh in the blood (Lev 17:11)! All blood the same (Ac 17:26)! Virgin birth (Lu 1:34-35)! Speckled cattle of solid (Ge 30:39)! Revival (Ro 4:21)! DNA (Ps 139:16)!
  3. Psychology? Depraved (Jer 17:9; Rom 3:9-18)! A new heart (I Sa 10:9; Act 16:14)! Hardened (Ex 14:4; Josh 11:20)! Fabulous peace (Phil 4:6-7)! Joy and hope (Ro 15:13)! Fear of death (Heb 2:15)! Passive rebellion (Pr 29:19)!
  4. Sociology? Proclivities (Ac 17:21; Tit 1:12)! One blood and borders (Acts 17:26)! Roles (Eph 6:1-9)! Do not oppress ethnic minorities (Ex 22:21)! National bywords (Deut 28:37)!
  5. Linguistics? From Babel (Ge 11:9)! Impossible words (Jdgs 12:6)! Gift to speak other languages (Ac 2:1-11)! Truth in one (Ps 147:19-20)! Knowledge to all languages (Ps 19:1-6)!
  6. Religions? Idolatry lie (Ps 135:15-18; Is 44:9-20)! Just one true (Ep 4:4-6)! Vain (Je 10:1-8)!
  7. Politics? Democracy (Pr 21:2)! God rules (Da 2:21; 4:17; Re 17:17)! Small (De 17:15-17)!
  8. History? Spiritual princes (Dan 10:20)! Prophecy (Deut 46:10-11)! His story (Dan 4:35)!
  9. Astronomy? Round earth (Is 40:22)! Sun stopped (Josh 10:13)! Inhabited earth (Is 45:18)!
  10. Medicine? Healing (Mt 10:1; Mk 5:25-29; Ac 5:15; 19:12)! Death as sleep (Mt 9:24)! Venom (Acts 28:3-6)! Clotting (Lev 12:3)! Sanitation (Lev 14:40-45; Deut 23:13)! Quarantine (Lev 13:4; Nu 12:15)! Remedies (Ps 4:8; Pr 14:30; 17:22; Ec 5:12; I Tim 5:23)!
  11. Nutrition? Bread, oil, and wine (Ps 104:14-15)! Sweets (Pr 25:16)! Obesity (Ec 10:17)! Meat (Ge 9:3)! Honey (Pr 24:13)! Goats’ milk (Pr 27:27)! Luxurious fare (II Sam 6:19)!
  12. Geriatrics? Decay (Eccl 12:1-7)! Old mothers (Pr 23:22)! Comfort (Pr 25:20; I Thess 5:14)! Life extension (Ps 34:12; Pr 3:2; 4:10; Eph 6:2-3)!
  13. Economics? Debt (De 28:12-13)! Capital (Pr 14:4)! Agriculture (Ec 5:9)! Money (Ec 10:19)!
  14. Child development? Early sin (Ps 51:5; 58:3)! Folly (Pr 22:15)! Training (Pr 22:6; 23:13-14; 29:15,17)! Environment (Is 26:10)! Sins of youth (Ps 25:7)! Abuse (Col 3:21; Ps 103:13)!
  15. Ethics? Cornering markets (Pr 11:26)! Just measurements (Le 19:35-36)! Buying (Pr 20:14)! Beasts (Pr 12:10)! Pilfering (Titus 2:9-10)!
  16. Welfare? Gleaning (Deut 24:19-21)! Fallowing (Ex 23:11)! Work for food (II Thess 3:10)!
  17. Sexuality? Creation (Ge 2:18-25)! Frequency (I Cor 7:3-5)! Manual (Song of Solomon)! Honorable (Heb 13:4)! Sodomy is perverse (Rom 1:24-27)! Sodomy is reward (Ro 1:24-27)!
  18. Marriage and family? Monogamy (Mal 2:15)! Roles (Col 3:18-19)! Pleasure (Pr 5:15-19)!
  19. Engineering? Witty inventions (Pr 8:12)! Big ships (Ge 6:14-16)! Early organs (Ge 4:21-22)!
  20. Literature? Poetry (Psalms)! Songs (Solomon’s)! History! Persuasive! Proverbs! Logic! Etc.!
  21. Zoology? Names (Gen 2:19)! Reproduction (Gen 1:24)! Horses and ostriches (Job 39:13-25)! Tiny lessons (Pr 30:24-28)! Spirit (Ec 3:21)!
  22. Anthropology? Like God (Gen 1:26-28)! Death by sin (Rom 5:12-14)! Bad (Rom 3:10-18)!
  23. Environment? Cursed (Ro 8:19-23)! Global warming (Gen 8:22)! Storms calmed (Mt 8:26)!
  24. Mortuary? Funeral stopped (Lu 7:14)! Dead give life (II Kgs 13:21)! Graves (Mat 27:51-53)!
  25. Horticulture? Solomon on trees (I Kgs 4:33)! Tree of Life (Ge 2:9; Re 2:7)! Cross (Ga 3:13)!
  26. Military? Ambush (Josh 8:7; Jdgs 20:29)! Weapons (Jdgs 20:16; II Sam 1:18; II Chr 26:15)!
  27. Astrophysics? Constellations (Job 38:31)! Sun reversal (Is 38:8)! Dark (Ex 10:22; Lu 23:44)! Earth hangs on nothing (Job 26:7)!
  28. Physics? Ascension (Ac 1:9)! Through walls (John 20:19)! Iron swim (II Kgs 6:6)! Fire not burn (Ex 3:2; Dan 3:27)! Up in fire (Jdges 13:19)! Walking on water (Matt 14:25)! All things consist by divine power (Col 1:17; Heb 1:3)! There was light before a sun (Gen 1:3-4,14-16)!
  29. Meteorology? Worldwide flood 120 years before (Gen 6:3,17)! All purposes (Job 37:11-13)!
  30. After death? Abolished (II Tim 1:10)! Spirits moved (Lu 23:43)! Glorification (II Cor 5:1-5)!
  31. Philosophy? Solomon (Ec 1:12-14; 12:13-14)! Invisible (II Cor 4:17-18)! Faith (II Thes 3:2)!
  32. Wisdom? Hard to find (Job 28)! Crucial (Pr 4:7; 8:11)! Revelation only (Ps 19:7; 119:130)!
  33. Truth? World hopeless (Jn 18:38)! Precious (Pr 23:23)! Trumps false science (I Tim 6:20)!
  34. Marketing? Lusts (I John 2:15-16)! Buyers (Pr 20:14)! Life (Lu 12:15)! Content (I Ti 6:6-7)!
  35. Management? Bosses have Boss (Ep 6:9)! Kindness works (Pr 29:21)! Leverage (Pr 12:9)!
  36. Priorities? Love (Pr 15:17)! Peace (Pr 17:1)! Right (Pr 16:8)! Rep (Pr 22:1)! Joy (Pr 15:15)!
  37. Character? Grace (Pr 11:16; 22:11)! Faithful (Pr 20:6)! Diligent (Pr 22:29)! Godly (Ps 4:3)!
  38. Agriculture? God’s gift to some (Is 28:23-29)! Fallow (Ex 23:10-11)! Health (Ps 104:14-15)!
  39. Logic? God (Is 1:16-20; 41:21)! Presuppositions (II Thes 3:1-2)! Duty of (Acts 17:11; I Thess 5:21)! Jesus (Mat 22:15-46)! Paul (Acts 17:2-3; Heb 4:1-11)! Peter (Acts 2:22-36)!
  40. Entomology? Wisdom (Pr 6:6-8; 30:24-28)! Partial (Ex 8:20-24)! Restored (Joel 2:25-27)!
  41. Anatomy? Parts in God’s book (Ps 139:13-16)! Giants (I Sam 17:4)! Breasts (Song 8:8-10)!
  42. Accounting? Oil and meal (I Kgs 17:8-16)! Oil and debts (II Kgs 4:1-7)! Scatter (Pr 11:24)! Manna (Ex 16:18; II Cor 8:15)! Too much to count (Mal 3:10)!
  43. Speech? Jesus best (Jn 7:46)! Grace with salt works (Col 4:6)! Starts in heart (Mat 12:34-35)!
  44. Debate? Jesus silenced foes (Matt 22:15-46)! Best are impromptu (Lu 12:11-12)!
  45. Music? Psychology (I Cor 16:14-23)! Inventor (Ge 4:21; Am 6:5)! Confusion (Ex 32:17-19)! Heart and mind (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; I Cor 14:15)!
  46. Chemistry? Water to blood (Ex 7:20)! Water to wine (John 2:7-10)!
  47. Construction? Needs gift (Ex 31:1-5)! Needs costs (Lu 14:28-29)! Sand fails (Matt 7:24-27)!
  48. Oceanography? Ocean currents (Ps 8:8)! Ocean fountains or springs (Pr 8:28)!
  49. Etiquette? Limiting visits (Pr 25:17)! Empathy (Pr 25:20; Heb 13:3)!
  50. Home economics? Cosigning (Pr 6:1-5)! Saving (Pr 6:6-8)! Cut expenses (Pr 21:20)! Cut luxuries (Pr 21:17)! No waste (Pr 18:9)! Home decorating (Pr 31:22)! Food prep (Pr 31:14)!

 

Some of the greatest men in the history of the western world spoke very highly of the Bible:

John Adams: “The Bible is the best book in the world. It contains more of my little philosophy than all the libraries I have seen. So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.”

Daniel Webster: “I have read it through many times. I now make a practice of going through it once a year. It is a book of all others for lawyers as well as divines. I pity the man who cannot find in it a rich supply of thought and rules of conduct. If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”

Benjamin Franklin: “Young man, my advice to you is that you cultivate an acquaintance with, and a firm belief in, the Holy Scriptures. This is your certain interest.

Andrew Jackson: “It is the rock on which our Republic rests.”

Queen Victoria: when explaining the glory of Great Britain to an ambassador sent by an inquiring prince, said, “Tell the prince that this (a Bible) is the secret of England’s greatness.”

Abraham Lincoln: “I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this book upon reason that you can and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man. I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book.”

Theodore Roosevelt: “Almost every man who has by his life-work added to the sum of human achievement of which the race is proud has based his life-work largely upon the teachings of the Bible.”

Calvin Coolidge: “The foundations of our society and of our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible, that it would be difficult to support them, if faith in these teachings should cease to be practically universal in our country.”

Woodrow Wilson: “A man has deprived himself of the best there is in the world who has deprived himself of this (a knowledge of the Bible).”

Robert E. Lee: “The Bible is a book in comparison with which all others in my eyes are of minor importance, and which in all my perplexities and distresses has never failed to give me light and strength.”

General John J. Pershing: “I am glad to see that every man in the army is to have a Testament. Its teachings will fortify us for our great task.”

William E. Gladstone: “I have known ninety-five of the world’s great men in my time, and of these eighty-seven were followers of the Bible. The Bible is stamped with a Specialty of Origin, and an immeasurable distance separates it from all competitors.”

John Ruskin: “Whatever merit there is in anything that I have written is simply due to the fact that when I was a child my mother daily read me a part of the Bible and daily made me learn a part of it by heart.”

Charles A. Dana: “The grand old Book still stands; and this old earth, the more its leaves are turned and pondered, the more it will sustain and illustrate the pages of the Sacred Word.”

Patrick Henry: “The Bible is worth all other books which have every been printed.”

 

The Bible will do you more good than any or all textbooks (or any other kind of book).

  1. Thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:7-8).
  2. His delight is in the law of the LORD …and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Ps 1:1-3).
  3. By them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward (Ps 19:6-11).
  4. Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty… shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:25).

What should be your attitude toward the Bible? Awe … love … use … defense … zeal!

  1. Wisdom is the principal thing, and there is no other textbook about it, but the Bible (Pr 4:7).
  2. Education has many vain thoughts on every subject, so rather love God’s law (Ps 119:113).
  3. The godly and wise attitude to education is to hate things contrary to the Bible (Ps 119:128).
  4. Trusting the Bible will make you wiser than enemies, teachers, or ancients (Ps 119:98-100).
  5. While paying for tuition, consider buying the truth (Pr 23:23)! … for no money (Is 55:1-3)!

For Further Study:

1. Sermon Outline: Thus Saith the Lord.