I was watching Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer at 5 o'clock this morning. His is the first talking performance in the history of motion pictures - though most of the movie is a silent. The movie is famous for its musical numbers, and fragments of spoken dialogue. To me though, the best scene is a silent one. The movie tells the story of Jackie Rabinowitz, who is expected to follow in the footsteps of 5 generations of cantors, and chant scripture in the synagogue. He wants to sing in music halls, and at thirteen, runs away to find stardom. His father and mother are sympathetic characters, who are shattered by their son's departure - especially the father, played by Warner Oland, whose son has not only left, but also rejected everything his life stands for. The evening after their son runs away there is a synagogue service. Nowadays filmmakers wouldn't give such a scene more than 90 seconds, but in this movie we are given much of the service. There is a moment, at the beginning of the scene, a moment magnified by silence, when Cantor Rabbinowitz is so burdened his heart will break, and then his face is transformed from torment to peace, and his flowing tears changed from bitterness to joy. It is the moment when he touches the Torah.
The massive scroll of the Old Testament is brought forth from its ornate box so that the word of God might be read in the ancient Hebrew, as it has been for thousands of years. His heart is burdened with the grief of Isaac over Jacob, Jacob over Joseph, David over Absalom but the presence, the immediacy, the constancy of the very voice of God in His word gives peace. He then leads the congregation in chanting the psalms.
The longest of those psalms, and the most complex in its structure is Psalm 119. A 176 verse acrostic, it is more than just a dazzling piece of literary architecture - it is a passionate love song to the Bible. God's words are "wonderful," "luminous," and "delicious"; they "sing," "delight," and "instruct." Just beyond the geographic center of this massive work the psalmist declares: "0 how I love Thy Law!" (v.97)
It is all very challenging.
Jesus had this sort of relationship with his Bible. So did Paul. So must we. The New Testament tells us that the only way we will be prepared for life as God's child is through God's word (II Timothy 3.16-17). We are also told that we are not expected to get emotionally attached to dead words on a page but that this book is alive, in the same way we are - with the breath of God, and is already engaging us on the most personal of levels -~ that of our souls and spirits (Hebrews 4.12, II Timothy 3.16). We are not asked to generate something from nothing. Loving the Bible will happen naturally if we let it. The Bible is God's voice, loving it is loving Him. Loving Him is not possible otherwise, really. Everything he has given us, sacrificed for us, promised us is contained in it.
Touching the voice of God - connecting in a palpable way with Him - this transformed Cantor Rabbinowitz's tears. It will transform everything.