CAN YOU NAME THE OLDEST BOOK THAT HAS REMAINED BASICALLY UNCHANGED?

SCRIPTURE:
Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.  (Psalm 119:89)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about 
what the world would be like without the Bible?
People who are discouraged with no hope would remain hopeless.
Sin would not be well defined 
and would run more rampant than it does today.
Those with no other person to turn to 
would not understand they can turn to the Lord.
People would have no conscience to guide them.

Law and order would have no foundation.
People would never have the luxury and joy of knowing the Lord.
Blessings from the Lord would be assumed to be good luck.
We could go on and on, but in summary we can agree 
that the world we live in would be entirely different without the Bible.

Fortunately for us all, God’s Word does exist!
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 
has been called the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century. 
The ancient manuscripts hidden in the caves near Qumran 
are the oldest known copies of key Old Testament books.
 
In 2007, the San Diego Natural History Museum 
hosted an exhibition featuring 24 of these scrolls. 
One often-repeated theme in the exhibit was that 
during the past 2,000 years the text of the Hebrew Bible 
(the Christian Old Testament) has remained virtually unchanged.

Followers of Christ who believe that the Bible is the eternal, unchanging 
Word of God understand that it is more than a coincidence that God’s 
Word has remained remarkably preserved as an unchanged manuscript.
The psalmist wrote: 
“Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven. 
Your faithfulness endures to all generations” (Psalm 119:89-90). 
Jesus said: “My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

The Bible is more than a historical relic. 
It is the living, powerful Word of God, where we encounter the Lord
and discover how to live for Him and honor Him. 
His Word is described in Hebrews:
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any 
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, 
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12).

The psalmist concluded: 
“I will never forget Your precepts, 
for by them You have given me life” (Psalm 119:93).
What a privilege we have to daily seek God in His remarkable Word! 
 
ACTION:
Do you appreciate the fact that we have God’s Word available?
How often do you read the Bible?
Do you spend time with other believers listening to those called 
by the Lord to help us achieve a better understanding of His Word?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father thank You for providing us with Your Word 
and preserving it through the many decades. I cannot imagine 
waking up one day and not being able to read Your unchangeable 
Word. Thank You for the content of the scriptures that shows how 
much You love everyone, and how it is Your desire that not one 
would perish but have everlasting life. My life would be miserable 
if I did not know of Your love for me. Thank You for showing me 
how believers in the past were committed to You and considered it 
a privilege to serve You by pointing others to Jesus.”