Lost Books
Numbers 21:14-15
Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, “Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of Arnon, and the slope of the valleys that extends to the seat of Ar, and leans to the border of Moab.”
This will not be a comforting thought to those who like to imagine the Bible as one seamless, bubble-wrapped revelation from Heaven without missing cultural meanings and lost extra-canonical books that have, up to this point in history at least, been buried in the sands of time; but Scriptures like Numbers 21:14-15 plainly reveal that God inspired His prophets to write more for their generations than He decided to preserve for ours. But be encouraged by that fact, friend! It should bolster our faith in the providence of God, not dampen it! It should stimulate newfound amazement at the wonder of God’s revelation, reminding us again that while He’s given us everything we need for life and godliness in these sixty-six books, He hasn’t given us all there is of Him. Like Moses during his own pilgrimage, we’re still a long way off from seeing Him face to face.
I wonder who wrote this lost book in ages past? Was it Abraham? Joseph? Maybe that enigmatic priest of Salem, Melchizedek? The visual poetry of the four lines Moses copies over is stunning and I wish I could read the whole thing. But alas! It’s yet another aspect of God’s providence that I can’t yet know. Then again, the present is like that too, isn’t it? God’s working in the world today is no less mysterious than a scroll buried in the sands of time. Do you know how many churches have risen in China over the past year? Do you know how many Muslims just received visions of Christ last week? Do you have an inkling as to what coalitions are forming this very moment that the devil means to use for evil but God will use for good? Look in the mirror! We don’t even know what God has in store for our lives over the next five minutes!
Friend, think of your own life of faith as a Book of the Wars of the LORD that God is still writing! And remember: whatever God authors, even if it remains hidden for generations, will all be revealed in the fullness of time.