The Bible is a marvelous book, characterized by brevity and clarity.  One of the many proofs of the Bible’s inspiration is the unusual terseness with which events are reported.  A mere man, without divine guidance, would no doubt have penned chapters upon chapters concerning the account of creation, yet Moses, by the inspiration of God, records the creation of all things material in a single chapter.  The flood, which completely destroyed the world which then was, is reported in just three chapters.  God has seen fit to use a wonderful economy with His words.

The Lord’s Prayer consists of but 56 words.  The Ten Commandments fill less than one-half a page.  And even the words themselves are short as the Bible’s average word contains fewer than five letters.

All this comes as quite a jolt to our generation.  We may use more and longer words, to say less, than any generation in history.  Someone has whimsically updated John the Baptist’s scourging rebuke of Herod to say, “When considered from the viewpoint of absolute veracity, it would appear that your conjugal relationship with Herodias rests on somewhat dubious Scriptural authority.”  No doubt John could have made a statement like that and still have kept his head.  But we remember John’s more-to-the-point censure, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”  (Matthew 14:4.)

It’s a good thing God wrote the Bible.  If man had written it, no one would be able to wade through it, much less understand it.  Because this book is from God, we can know the truth.  (John 8:32.)  As the product of God’s mind, the Bible is understandable and clear.

Have you read your Bible lately?