Holy Bible, Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine:
Mine to tell me whence I came;
Mine to teach me what I am.
Mine to chide me when I rove,
Mine to show a Savior's love;
Mine thou art to guide and guard;
Mine to punish or reward.
Mine to comfort in distress,
Suffering in this wilderness;
Mine to show by living faith,
We can triumph over death.
Mine to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner's doom:
O thou Holy Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.
john Burton, 1803
Read 119:89-96
I will date myself, but I remember singing this hymn in Sunday school as a grade-schooler. “Holy Bible, Book Divine,” with its short lines and simple melody, is an easy one for kids to learn and sing, but it is deceptively deep in the truth it presents. Scripture tells the answers to the existential questions we have. It brings comfort. It tells us how the world works and what our destiny is. There is no other book like it. As the hymn says, it is a treasure for sure. Thank God for His written revelation to us!
