At one time, Emperor Alexander of Russia was encouraging the distribution of Bibles and the preaching of the gospel in the lands he ruled. One of those who answered the call to help in this work was an Englishman, Richard Knill, formerly a missionary to India.
While he was in Russia, Mr. Knill heard that the people of nearby Finland wanted Bibles, and so he obtained some. One day, as he was packing these Bibles, a girl came to the door with some milk. He asked her if she could read. She replied that she could read in her own language, which was Finnish.
“Do you have a Bible?” he asked. “No sir,” she answered. “I never had enough money to buy one.”
“How much money do you have now?” he asked. Finding that she had only ten pence, he said, “Give me the money and I will give you the Bible.”
She could hardly believe him, but when the book was actually in her hands, she looked at it, opened it, shut it, looked at it again, hugged it, kissed it, and burst into tears.
Finding that her neighbors, also Finnish peasants, were just as poor as she was, he told her that they might all buy Bibles at the same price. With that news, the milkmaid rushed into the market place with her Bible held high and cried, “A Bible!”
“Where did you get it?” came from many voices.
“From a foreign pastor,” she replied.
“What did it cost?”
“Ten pence.”
“Impossible!”
“No, the man told me to say that if you wanted one, you may have it at the same price.”
When they heard this, the still suspicious people took her Bible from her and gave her twice the money saying, “Get two Bibles with that money and we will give you your Bible back. If you cannot do it, we will keep this because you have deceived us.”
The poor girl returned to the missionary and, weeping, told him her story. He gladly gave her two more Bibles, and soon others were at his house wanting to buy the Word of God.
Do you, dear reader, value, as they did, the Bible which is so common today? It is the Word of God, and over the centuries millions have learned to love it. They have found that it tells of a loving God Who sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world to save sinners for Himself. How wise these people were to buy the Word of God when they could; for it tells us, “Buy the truth and sell it not.” Prov. 23:2323Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23).
ML-05/21/1972