Page 59 - Yahwehs Book

Consider the metaphor employed here. To the sluggard everything appears too difficult. There seems
to be insurmountable obstacles in his way. Therefore, he gives up, deeming it too difficult to make
any progress. In contrast to this, the diligent and upright man who is willing to stir himself up to
action, finds that the way is not only passable, but is indeed not the hedge of thorns that the sluggard
has envisioned. Rather it is a highway capable of being traveled. Attitude makes a great difference.

Relating this to the church’s quest for truth, we find that there are many who declare that it is too
difficult to understand the Scriptures. The Bible is indeed a veiled book whose treasures must be
mined. When you add to this the understanding that the Bibles we have available to us today all
contain a myriad of errors, many of which are serious, some will simply throw up their hands in
defeat. They complain that God has made it too difficult to arrive at truth, suggesting that if He truly
wants them to receive truth He will have to make it easier to do so. God, however, will not make the
apprehension of truth easier. He wants to prove those who are lovers of the truth. The slothful
Christian cheats himself out of wisdom and understanding that can come only through much effort
and patient pursuit.

Having shared this, I want to pass on to speak of other alterations that have made their way into our
Bibles. Some alteration is the result of the innovations men have brought to the Scriptures. One of
these innovations is the division of the Bible into chapters and verses. I will readily admit that the
chapter and verse markings make it much easier to locate a specific passage of Scripture. The present
divisions of chapter and verse found in most Bibles today were devised by numerous men over the
course of a few centuries. Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury from the year 1207 until
1228, is credited with dividing the Bible into its present chapters. In 1448 a Jewish Rabbi by the
name of Nathan divided the Old Testament into verses. In the year 1555 A.D., Robert Estienne, also
known as Stephanus, divided the New Testament into verses. The first printed English Bibles pre-
dated Stephanus, so they did not contain numbered verses.