Thoughts on Bible Book Poll

I’ve been asked to explain my thoughts behind giving a poll asking which Bible book you would take to a desert island if you could only take one.  The inquiry was a good one, as there a little bit of thought behind the poll.

In order to answer the question, you had to think through the Bible.  You had to review the contents of each book.  That’s valuable in and of itself.  Possibly you found yourself not remembering what was in each book.  Possibly you wondered why I included Zephaniah as a choice.  Possibly you reflected on the differences between the gospels and why you might choose one over another.

Of course, there is no right answer.  Every book is valuable in its own right, and some have proven to be considered particularly rich by Christians over the centuries.  So in asking you to choose one, you had to decide what you especially valued and what you might need.

You might also have considered how long that book would “hold” you.  I am not of the opinion that all Bible books are created equal.  They may be equally inspired, but they ‘re not equally relevant for us today.  They ‘re not equally rich in theology.  They ‘re not equally long.  So to answer the question, you would probably try to choose a book that you felt you could “gnaw” on for a long time, receiving nourishment year after year.  You probably wouldn’t want 3 John or Zephaniah.  I don’t mean by that that there’s not enough in those books to last a lifetime (though I’m not sure that there is), but that you probably wouldn’t be able to gnaw that long, without coming up with all manner of allegorical interpretations.

I expected Psalms to win, far and away.  It should have.  (Can I say that while saying that there is “no right answer”?)  I didn’t choose it myself, but I believe that it would take most people farther than the other books.  Psalms covers the whole of life.  Every conceivable situation, every conceivable emotion, every conceivable need.  It’s not only the longest book in the Bible, it is rich with theology, particularly truths about God.  One person commented that they chose John because they wanted to read about Jesus.  Well, guess what?  Psalms (and Isaiah) have lots to teach you about Jesus.

Another thought: you might consider the purpose of the book in making your decision.  What is the purpose of the gospel of John?  The apostle doesn’t leave it a mystery (see John 20:31).  Given the fact that I believe already, perhaps I would do better choosing a different book.  That’s not to say that there’s not much that John packed in there that believers need to learn, but perhaps other books are more directly suitable for my life situation.

Beyond that, I wouldn’t choose John because (be careful here) I feel like I know it pretty well already.  True, I haven’t memorized it in Greek (or in English).  But I know the stories, and I know a lot of the wording.  Contrast that with Isaiah (or Psalms), and I think that I’d rather have a book I haven’t mined carefully yet.  I could write in the margins of Isaiah many things that I recall from John, but I’m not sure that I could do it as well the other way around.

Those are my thoughts.  But apparently you disagree since John was selected by 32% and Isaiah received only 7% (including my vote).  At least no one chose Zephaniah.