Lost Books of the Bible?
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There are a few other books that some have questioned as being “lost books of the Bible” simply because they are quoted once or twice. Remember that, in Acts 17:28, Paul quoted heathen poets.
Certainly, no one claims that heathen poets were a missing part of the scriptures, but the logic that some employ is equally without basis. Paul quoted certain religionists who condemned Cretians as always being liars in Titus 1:12-13. This does not mean he sanctioned that statement along with anything else they may have said as worthy of being canonized.
The following are some of the so-called “lost books” of the Old Testament:
• Book of the Wars of the Lord (Num. 21:14)
• Book of Jasher (Josh. 10:13; II Sam. 1:18)
• Book of the Acts of Solomon (I Kgs. 11:41)
• Book of Nathan the Prophet (I Chron. 29:29)
• Book of Gad the Seer (I Chron. 29:29)
• Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (II Chron. 9:29)
• Visions of Iddo the Seer (II Chron. 9:29)
Note that the last 4 books listed were quoted in the books that Ezra canonized. Why did he not add these books to the canon? The answer is that God did not authorize him to do so.
When writers compile information in order to complete part of a bigger picture, every source that contributes any given part of the big picture may not be relevant in its entirety. Even though each of the sources may be completely reliable and accurate, they may not be a part of the bigger picture that God is guiding the writer or prophet to communicate.
During the time that Samuel conducted his “company of the prophets,” part of the students’ duties would have had to include the recording of events and compiling of accounts from sources written previously.
Many isolated accounts were combined into a unified bigger picture in documenting the flow of historical events. This would have applied to Elijah as he conducted the schools of the prophets at a later point in time. God allowed such servants to document not only the history in general, but also many accounts in which God dealt with individuals, kings and entire nations.
When servants such as Isaiah or Ezra later canonized the accounts into larger works, they mainly compiled other existing works into a larger unified flow of history. So these servants and prophets actually built upon the labor of previous servants.
Some of the books listed above could have been drafts that God caused to exist for later servants to be able to contribute to the bigger picture. This being the case, God would only cause the final product to be canonized, not every draft in the stages of development.
Those who question the ability of God to preserve the Hebrew Scriptures or the Greek New Testament fail to realize that this is something that He has carefully engineered and brought to pass. Only those who stand in awe of God’s power to preserve His Word will avoid being washed away in a sea of doubt.
After having proven all things (I Thes. 5:21), including God’s ability to preserve the complete Bible, we are able to confidently trust God when He makes an unequivocal promise.
Almighty God plainly states, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). We must all grow to the point that we can take God at His word—and believe Him!
But we must also be sure that when we are studying the books, chapters and verses of the Bible they are in fact the words of God, and not something less…