Bibliothèque

Dear Reader,

Please direct your attention to the foreign-looking title above. That's right. Bibliothèque. It means 'library' in French. If it looks familiar, it's probably because you've seen it somewhere before. If it doesn't, then chances are, you haven't seen it somewhere before.

Anyway, I think that's enough tomfoolery on my part. Or monkey business. Or shenanigans. Or high jinks. It's time to get to the heart of the matter. Cut to the chase. Get to the nitty-gritty. And stop beating around the bush.

Ahem.

So, without further ado...I shall 'get on with it already', as you so eloquently put it, my dear reader. Anyway, bibliotheque. I think the word 'Bible' comes from the same root word as bibliotheque. Which makes sense, because the Bible is pretty much a library in itself. It's a compilation of 66 books which are divided into 2 volumes (the Old and the New Testament), written by a total of 40 different authors on 3 continents over a period of almost 1, 500 years in 3 languages. And it isn't just a one-genre type of library either. There are books on Law, History, Poetry, and even Romance. Oh, you don't believe me, my sceptical reader? 

"The Bible, a romance novel?" you pshaw and harumph, your head tilting condescendingly at the very thought of such a silly notion.

Well--how about the book of Esther? Or Ruth? Those two books alone have all the plot points necessary for a best-selling romance novel. Not to mention the Song of Songs. Seriously, you two...get a room!

Even if you don't believe in God and His Word, or if you think that the Bible is just a pedantic, outdated and old-fashioned bunch of gobbledygook that in no way applies to real-life situations, I think that you should still acknowledge the sheer poetic and literary value of the Bible. Because it's truly a beautiful book, take it from an avid word-lover. Words have power, and the Bible is a very powerful book.

So, today I'm going to share a little poem from this vast treasure trove of literature, written by King Solomon, found in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3. It's called 'A Time for Everything'. You've probably heard it, or heard of it, before; it's one of Solomon's more popular works. But, if you haven't, my fortunate reader, here's your chance of getting acquainted with it.

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

And there you have it. Oh, I hope you'll allow me to share with you one more thing, my patient and long-suffering reader. It is actually an explanation of the Bible, found in the Bible itself:-

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Basically, these verses mean that, though the Bible was written by 40 authors, every one of these authors were inspired by The Big G to write what they wrote. And what they wrote can come in handy every time you need to teach, reprimand, chastise and train someone 'in righteousness'. Righteousness means every practice and virtue that is right, correct, accurate, decent, upright, noble and good in human nature. Traditionally, 'man of God' would probably mean a Christian, but if you believe that a Supreme Being called God created the universe and everything in it, then, Christian or not, it can mean every single living human being on this planet. And, being 'thoroughly equipped for every good work' means that by reading the Bible, you will be prepared, with the right attitude and the right words, for every virtuous and constructive activity you choose to take part in--not necessarily of the Christian or religious persuasion.

Well, there is a time for everything, and something tells me that the time has come for me to leave you to ponder on this particularly preachy post in peace. Ooh, nice alliteration, if I do say so myself. Until the next post, I remain...

Yours,

Figgy the Avid Word-Lover