Amos 8:11-12 (ESV)
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“when I will
send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing
the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north
to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
but they shall
not find it.
Today I want to think about a time when a heavy price was
paid for a translation of our Bible.
William Tyndale, a 16th century Englishman, translated
the Bible into English while living in Germany. Finally, in 1525, he was able
to publish a New Testament in English. But the church authorities at the time
were not pleased and they angrily sought to destroy Tyndale and his
translation. Finally, he was caught and brought back to England where he was
burned at the stake.
As he was dying, he uttered these words: "Lord open
the eyes of the King of England." His prayer became a prophecy, as it was
the King of England, King James, who finally did publish the entire Bible in
English about a hundred years later.
Our English Bible translations became a reality through
William Tyndale's heroic sacrifice and bravery, ultimately at the price of his
lifeblood. This Independence day, don't let your Bible sit on the shelf
gathering dust. Considering the cost that was paid so you could read it in your
native tongue, let's all take full advantage of this precious gift.
The freedom that we so enjoy on this day is only a taste
of the real freedom we have in Messiah; the promise of eternal forgiveness and
freedom from sin. The cost of that freedom was the precious blood of the savior
Jesus. William Tyndale offered his life so we could read about this spiritual
freedom in our own language. As we celebrate our earthly freedoms let's not
forget to also give thanks for our eternal liberty that we find in our Lord.
Dear Lord, we thank You for Your word and the availability
of it so we can read it and learn what You have for each of us. In the Name of
Jesus, Amen.
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