Last Saturday, 6th May 2023, was the coronation service for King Charles III. Along with millions of people around the globe, I watched as the Bible was presented to the King. It brought to life what I have read in theory in the preface of my own bible.
The opening paragraph in the Preface of my ESV bible reads:
“This Book [is] the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God.” With these words the Moderator of the Church of Scotland hands a Bible to the new monarch in Britain’s coronation service. These words echo the King James Bible translators, who wrote in 1611: ‘God’s sacred Word…is that inestimable treasure that excelleth all the riches of the earth.’ This assessment of the Bible is the motivating force behind the publication of the English Standard Version.”
The bible and prayer – Psalm 20 expresses a godly prayer for the king:
“O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call.” (Psalm 20:9).