A CHRISTIAN woman related: “They found my handwritten Bible verses. Three generations of my family were taken to the prison death camp. This included my parents, my husband and my children. I have never heard of them again. Prison camp is hell.”
A woman in her sixties knew of eight persons who were Christians who met secretly in groups of three and four to read handwritten Bible verses.
A refugee reported: “Many times the authorities came to our house without warning. They always do this to people. It’s not because we’re Christian, it’s because they want to scare people and make sure they can’t cause trouble. This is their way of making sure everybody worships the North Korean leader. One time, I copied Bible verses by hand. I always prayed these would not be found because it would put my family’s lives in danger.”
“In North Korea, Christians constantly fear being discovered. There is severe punishment if they are found guilty. That’s huge because it means death! The North Korea government can’t stand Christians worshipping God since they force people to worship Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il as their gods.”
Another reported: “One day the police came to my house and searched it. They found pieces of the Bible verses I copied by hand. They shouted many times at me, and took away my husband and kids. We were all taken to a prison camp where they worked us to death. Now, I’m not sure whether my parents and kids are still enduring hard labor or are even alive in prison. I’m always praying for Christians left behind in North Korean prison camps because I know that living there is like being in hell.”
Another witness: “I watched 3 Christians being executed publicly. It was one woman about 22 years old and two men about 23 years old. Their crime was having smuggled Bibles into North Korea.”
Sharing of Scripture is necessary in the North Korean Church for there are very few Bibles. Members in the underground Church regularly share Scripture verses and lines of hymns written on pieces of paper. Most Christians in other countries can have up to 5-10 Bibles in their homes. In North Korea each believer has very little access to Scriptures. These fragments of Scriptures are passed around as precious items and most texts are shared by spoken communication. This is a Biblical practice where we are encouraged to speak to one another with psalms, and hymns710 and practice the reading of Scripture.711
We can learn from this and actively share Scriptures from memory in our own gatherings. Why not use technology to share the Word of God and add it to our emails, letters, text messages and in person with each other? Such constant sharing of Scriptures with each other in the body of Christ builds us up in our most holy faith.712
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in Scripture and it is devoted to exclaiming the wonders of God’s Word and Law. It would be a worthy practice for us to read this chapter over and over to allow God to build in us an admiration and love for His Scriptures again. Would you forfeit all the riches you possess, to simply have in your possession a copy of God’s holy Word? The Psalmist might have for he proclaimed: “The Law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”713
May we emulate our North Korean brothers and sisters by treating God’s Word as the most precious possession we have.
As we face the future and persecution, the memorization of Scripture must become a priority for us. In underground Churches the need to memorize Scripture is not an option but a necessity. When Bibles are scarce and imprisonment likely, the believer desires to prepare for such trials by storing up the Word of God in his heart. Also it becomes a great blessing to share Scriptures with others in everyday life without needing a physical Bible present.
Such believers become living Bibles where the Word of God is always present. We can learn much from this discipline. To study and memorize the Word of God shows our true love for the Scriptures—which we have in abundance in non-persecuted countries. Do we really desire to read the Word above eating, entertainment and the many other things that occupy our time? While we have freedoms may God instill in His Church a greater love and desire for the Word.
The Scriptures declare that they are our weapon: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”714 They are more important than our physical food: “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the Words of His mouth more than my daily bread.”715 Our delight is to be in the Scriptures: “But whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, and who meditates on His Law day and night.”716 God’s Word keeps us from sin: “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”717 It is also a light to our path,718 a help in temptations,719 and as we trust in the principles of the Word of God we have great help in this life.720
This testimony of Brother Yun shows a great love for the Scriptures. May it encourage us greatly to consume God’s Word and store it in our hearts:
“Yun decided to fast and pray for a Bible, and for the next 100 days ate only one bowl of steamed rice every day. He cried out to the Lord for a Bible. His parents thought he was losing his mind. One morning, there was a knock at the door. Two men had brought a Bible to Yun. Yun began to devour the Word of God. Even though he could hardly read, every day, he would painstakingly look up one character at a time as he advanced through the Bible. When he had finished reading in this way through the whole Bible, he started memorizing one chapter per day. In 28 days, he had memorized the Gospel of Matthew, and then started on the Book of Acts.”721
How do you start practically? Memorize at least one verse that you can quote in evangelism or a small portion of Scriptures. So you can practice this daily as you ask the Lord to give you opportunity to share with at least one person the verse(s) you have started to commit to your memory. Memorize also verses that can be prayed to the Lord in your private prayer time with the Lord. To pray through the Scriptures this way can be a tremendous way to grow in the Lord. To memorize one Psalm in its entirety will also be very important to quote during times of pressure and tribulation. The Scriptures testify of the living presence of God. We must have faith when memorizing each verse that it speaks of true realities and the person of God Himself.
May God instill in us a desire to read and memorize His written Word like never before.