Spiral Bible: The Books of Poetry

 

In the past decade, many Bible publishers have kindly sent me review copies of fresh translations or editions of God’s Word. Each Bible is special in some way – sometimes because of wording that makes scripture more accessible or sometimes because of an innovative approach to the layout.

With the beloved King James Version (KJV) for the text, the Spiral Bible grouped together related books of scripture in its several offerings. For example, my review copy collected the biblical books of poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. The lay-flat spiral binding, sturdy cardboard backing, and ample margins for note-taking encourage readers to interact with God’s Word.

For some of us, writing little notes or jotting down prayers in the margins of a Bible is a common occurrence, whether the text has a paper cover or a leather one. But other readers hesitate to mark up their Bibles either because they don’t feel comfortable doing this or because ink bleeds through the typically thin pages. However, the Spiral Bible resolves this issue with thicker paper and note-taking lines, allowing you to respond to God’s Word with your words in an intimate conversation with your heavenly Father. What a blessed way to begin Lent!

 

©2023, Mary Harwell Sayler

 

Review the news with Habakkuk

The prophetic poetry in the Book of Habakkuk could have been written today!

“O Lord, how long shall I cry
and You not hear?
Even when I call out, “Violence!”
You do not save.
Why must I watch so much misery?
Must I see trouble wherever I look?
Destruction and violence are before me,
and everyone wants to argue or fight!
The law is powerless, paralyzed,
and justice does not go forth.
Wicked people surround the righteous,
and their twisted perceptions prevail,”
Habakkuk 1:2-4

To give you an eerie example of the timely truth of Habakkuk’s prophetic and poetic word, I right-clicked onto the word “Wicked” to find synonyms in Microsoft Word. Can you guess what I found? The current vernacular described “wicked” as: Good, Great, Terrific, Cool, Fabulous, Fab, Fantastic, Impressive.

Actually, that is very “impressive” since even the Word of Microsoft supports the Word of God as spoken through Habakkuk!

Thankfully, that poetic voice does not end on the sad note of today’s twisted perceptions. Habakkuk has much more to say to us today:

“I will climb to my watchtower
and stand guard at my post
and wait to see what the Lord says.
How will God answer my complaint?

“Then the Lord said to me:

“Write My answer plainly on a tablet,
so even a runner can read it.
This vision, for a future time,
describes the end and does not deceive.
If it seems slow in coming, wait for it!
My word will surely take place
and will not be late,” Habakkuk 2:1-3.

Many woes follow, but God lets us know where to go and what to do in the meantime:

“For the Lord is in His Holy Place.
Let all the earth keep silent before Him,” Habakkuk 2:20.

Although we don’t know exactly when the Holy Spirit inspired Habakkuk to write those words, in 597 B.C., the Chaldeans (aka Babylonians) conquered Judah. Interestingly, the territory of those invaders would be somewhere in Iraq around present day Baghdad, again revealing the timeless relevancy of God’s timely Word.

Most importantly, however, the last chapter of Habakkuk ends with a commitment to hope in God that guides us, too, in turning reactions into prayerful responses to the ultimately Good News we now have in Christ Jesus:

“Even if the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit grows on the vines
and the work of the olive tree falls
and the fields yield no meat
and the flock is cut from the fold
and the stalls of the barn stand empty,
I will still rejoice in the Lord.
I will still find joy in the God of my salvation,” Habakkuk 3:17-18.

Amen!

~~

© 2012, Mary Sayler. God bless you for loving the Bible and for telling your church or Bible study group where you found this Bible Review of Habakkuk. Pass it on!