Good morning. The definition of “antique” is: “Any object, especially if it is considered collectible, that has a high value due to its considerable age.” That definition doesn’t seem to apply to people, perhaps because we aren’t all that “collectible”.
When I was in my mid-teens, I recall a time when my father was upset and my grandfather pleased and proud, all over the same situation. My grandfather thought he had accomplished something amazing when a fellow stopped by his place, asked a few questions, and then proceeded to completely clean out the storage area over the building we called “the barn”. The stuff that had been cleaned out was furniture and keepsakes that had accumulated through several generations of the Harris family. To Grandpa Harris, it was old, worthless, and the very definition of junk. My dad knew that there had been hundreds of items in storage above the barn that would have been considered valuable antiques. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It is an old saying, but there is some truth to it.
So, apparently something qualifies as an antique when it is of a very advanced age and its value is no longer attached to whether it is needed or functional. If people have made collections of such items, the value increases accordingly.
Personally, I have a small collection of fishing lures that were given to me by my grandparents. They are very old, but they would catch fish just as capably today as anything I could buy from Cabela’s, possibly more so. But I don’t use them. They remain in an equally old tackle box, never to touch the water again. This is because I fear that I would cast one of them out and have a decent sized northern pike take it and bite it off. Losing one of these lures would be a tragedy because their value to me is far greater than their ability to catch a fish. I suppose that makes them valuable antiques, to me at least.
The Word of God is very old. Portions of the Old Testament date back over 3,000 years. The New Testament is about 2,000 years old. The books of both the Old and New Testaments are collections of a sort. Does that make the Bible antique?
No, it does not. The thing is, the Bible continues to be as current, as valid, and as valuable for its intended use as it has ever been. The age of the words does not make them either less or more valuable. The Word of God stands unique in value in a way that transcends all other collections or books. We read:
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:18
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 2 Timothy 3:16
The Word of God may be ancient, but it is also modern and current. The value of the Word of Godis not determined by what someone will pay for it, its value continues to be determined by the way it applies to our lives. The voice of God never goes out of style, and the number of years since those words were given to us has nothing to do with their worthiness for life application.
Your Bible is not something to display, or to collect, or to value for its outward beauty. It is not, and never will be, an antique. It is God’s voice, speaking to your heart, mind, and soul. As for value…priceless, as it has always been.
Vern