While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, 
Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses.

1 Chronicles 34:14

Several thousand years later, on December 7, 1941, NBC radio opened the day’s programming with the founders of the National Bible Association. As the program began, the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor broke in the studio. To hold the attention of a shocked and grieving nation, NBC requested the National Bible Association to continue reading the Bible all day. Since that week, our nation has had a tradition of celebrating the Bible during the week of Thanksgiving.

This is a tradition that, sadly, has not received the attention it deserves. In fact, this may be the first time you have heard of National Bible week – and I am quite sure I have never seen nor heard the Bible being read on NBC (or any of the other national networks for that matter.) However, our nation today stands in just as great a need of the wisdom, comfort, strength, and joy that God’s Word provides as we did 82 years ago.

Like King Josiah of old, we must rediscover God’s Word and restore it to the place of prominence in our land, starting in our homes and our pulpits. As we prepare for Thanksgiving this year, regardless of whether what other holiday traditions you and your family enjoy this week, I want to encourage you to begin with giving thanks for the Bible—and I can think of no better way to show our thanks for the blessing of the Lord’s gift of His Word than to read, study, and meditate on the gift of the Scriptures. 

In His Service,
Rick Smith