by Joe Gill

Without revelation, people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.

–Proverbs 29:18 (CSB)

Many will be more familiar with the King James rendering of the above text, “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” This verse has often been used to argue the importance of a “vision for the future.” But, as the ESV correctly translates, the “vision” in view here is “prophetic vision:” that is, the revelation of the Word of God. Therefore, the CSB translators elected to render this as clearly as possible: revelation.

If the proclamation of God’s revelation is the answer to social disintegration, (“You can have that one for free.”) what happened to Biblical literacy? Why don’t we read our Bibles? If we’re honest, it’s probably for the same reasons that we also don’t pray very much: 1) both these spiritual disciplines take work, and 2) though we might not admit it in public, we’re not deeply convinced that they make an appreciable difference in our day-to-day lives. The sky is falling and the walls are coming down. So, it’s difficult to care much about a practice that, when tried, doesn’t appear to have any immediate impact. But, that’s like saying that you’re giving up on gardening because you planted some seeds on Wednesday, and didn’t have any tomatoes to harvest on Saturday. Part of our problem is that we’re not willing to play the long game with prayer and Bible study.

Consider that we have historically enjoyed many, concrete, cultural, and sociological benefits that came directly from God through the benevolent influence of His Word. Do you value:

Limited government? The Bible gave us that. The Bible places rulers under God, as His servants and deputies, who are responsible to Him to dispose of their power rightly. (Rom. 13)
Human dignity, the sanctity of life, and inalienable rights? The Bible gave us those, too. While the ancient Canaanites were sacrificing their children to Moloch, and the Romans were leaving deformed or unwanted babies to the dogs in the street, it was the Bible that taught us that we are “created...in his own image,” (Gen. 1) and that “Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord.” (Psalm 127)
Concern for the poor and disadvantaged? Equal justice under law? The Torah required, “You must not exploit a resident alien or oppress him... You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.” “Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone.” (Ex 22, Deut 16)
The advancements of modern science? In their book, The Soul of Science, Thaxton and Pearcey identify insights taken from the Bible that help explain why modern, scientific theory and methods emerged from Western Christendom.

We are watching an object lesson on Proverbs 29:18 play out in the West today. Our culture’s headlong leap from the cliffs of insanity is actually the fading of blessings won by men and women who: read the Bible, knew the Bible, spoke the Bible, defended the Bible, and worked hard at living the Bible. The reason we’re now losing all those blessings is that over the last two or three generations, we, their children, have for the most part shelved the Bible instead. Adding a cup of water to a fish tank doesn’t seem to make the tank any wetter. But, if you never add more water, eventually the tank dries out. It may be difficult to see the Bible’s impact on the world, because we live in a culture that still enjoys the vestiges of a Biblical heritage. We can, however, look around right now, and observe what happens when the Bible is neglected: our society is veering into a backward, modern paganism at breakneck speed.

We desperately need to rebuild a church—and a nation—filled with “people of the Book.”If that seems like a daunting prospect, it’s because God alone can make it happen. Please, whatever else you may ask at the foot of God’s Throne today, pray earnestly for a revival of Biblical literacy. And then, for your own sake, for your neighbors’ sakes, your kids’ sakes, and your country’s sake: dust off that Bible!

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