SEVERAL hundred years ago in Bohemia a law was passed by the Emperor of Austria, to which the country of Bohemia then belonged, forbidding the people either to own or read the Bible. Nevertheless, many of the people did have Bibles and refused to give them up. So soldiers were sent out to search the houses and seize any Bibles which might be found. When the people heard that the soldiers were coming to their locality, they made haste to hide their Bibles in some secret place. So, although the soldiers searched the houses thoroughly and roughly, yet many Bibles were not found.
One day the report came to a house that the soldiers were coming. There was only a young girl there, and she was kneading dough for bread. On hearing the breathless whisper of the sentinel, the quick-witted girl spread out her dough, placed the Bible in the center and, quickly doubling it over, put it into a big pan and slipped it into the oven.
When the soldiers arrived a few minutes later the girl met them at the door, and in answer to their demand for the Bible, calmly told them to search and see if there was one in the house. They looked into every corner of the cottage, but found no Bible. If they opened the stove door they saw only a large loaf of bread baking.
Years afterward the grandson of the heroine of this story immigrated to America and settled in Ohio. He brought with him the Bible which his grandmother had saved from the soldiers. It had been carefully kept as a relic of days when there was not freedom to worship the Lord tether as we now enjoy in this land.
What a wonderful privilege it is to have this blessed Book shed its light in this dark world, for truly “The entrance of Thy words giveth light.” Psa. 119:130130The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130). The darkness of heathen lands and the increase of evil in our own country are a witness to the awful result of not having the Word of God or rejecting it.
Recently we learned of the death of two dear Christian men in a Chinese communist prison. Mr. Chang Su and Mr. Chi preferred imprisonment and death rather than give up their faith in Christ. Their sorrows and sufferings forever past, these two brave witnesses are safe home with the Lord, but there are many more left behind in that land suffering hunger and imprisonment, and for them we can surely pray.
How quickly could the liberty we enjoy in this land be taken away! May the Lord give us to value more His precious Word and to seek to walk in its light, for “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psa. 119:105105NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105).
The Bible is God’s letter to all the human race, telling of His love for lost sinners as shown in the gift of His Son, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). “Here the way of salvation is given, heaven is revealed, hell is described. The cross is its center, eternal life its gift, and God’s glory its end.” Reader, “Read it to be godly, use it to be fruitful, believe it to be faithful, and trust it to have peace.”
ML-08/19/1962