A long time ago, before writing and books, there was no Bible. Back then, God talked directly to people, like Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8). But when they disobeyed Him, they became scared of His voice.

The Israelites, a group of people in the Bible, felt this same fear when they stood at the foot of a big mountain, Mount Sinai (Exod. 20:18, 19, NIV). From then on, God had to use people like Moses to pass on His messages to the world (Ezek. 3:17).

However, these messengers, called prophets, were not always accepted. Just like we might change the channel if we don’t like what’s on TV, some people rejected the prophets’ messages. Some prophets were even hurt or killed because people didn’t like what they had to say. Jesus talked about this when He said, “Jerusalem…You who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you” (Luke 13:34).

To keep His messages safe, God told His prophets to write His words on tablets of stone. He told the prophet Isaiah, “Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness” (Isa. 30:8). This was the start of the Bible – a collection of God’s messages to people.

But imagine if two people in love only wrote letters to each other and never got to meet. That wouldn’t be enough, would it? God felt the same way. He wanted more than just written words; He wanted to be with His people again, like in the beginning. And He did this through Jesus Christ. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:1,2).

So, in the beginning was the Word (John 1:1), then the written Bible came along, and finally Jesus, the Word made into a person, brought us back to direct contact with God. When we talk about the Bible being important, we mean it’s a way for us to hear God’s messages, not just a book to read.

The Bible becomes truly important when it helps us to feel like we’re hearing from God Himself, speaking to us through Jesus Christ. The most amazing thing is that the Bible becomes more than just a book – it becomes the voice of God, whispering to us deep in our hearts.