Written by: Sally Lloyd-Jones
Illustrated by: Jago
Published by Zondervan
Ages: Teen and Up
Price:$14.99
When I first became a Christian, I knew NOTHING about the Bible...NOT...ONE...THING. I thought Samson and Delilah was a love story. I wasn't raised going to church or having these stories in our home. I began my journey reading children's story Bibles to get the idea of what the story line was. It was so helpful for a SMALL time. Then I was ready to read God's Word for myself.
I really love the idea of this book. It is a sort of a Bible Story Book for older people. Giving an overview in a quick and easy format. It is so helpful to see the overall picture. When I began reading though, I realized I have one big issue with this book. It goes a little too far in the liberties taken with God's Word. Here are just a couple of examples:
"Hello light!" "Hello sea!" "Hello land!" Is it really so hard to say LET THERE BE? Saying hello, to me, implies it was there...and even though the author says there was NOTHING in the beginning, this seems to contradict that AND is also a bit childish sounding.
"Does God really love you? If he does, why won't he let you eat the nice, juicy, delicious fruit? Poor you, perhaps God doesn't want you to be happy." This just seems ridiculous...Satan twisted Scripture. Again, this change doesn't clarify a difficult passage. It just takes unnecessary liberties.
The story, "The Girl No One Wanted", tells the story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel. This one has a few issues, but the one that is most noticeable to me is where Jacob works 7 years to be able to marry Rachel and Laban tricks him and gives him Leah. The book says he has to work another 7 years and then can marry Rachel, but Scripture says he finished out Leah's bridal week and then was able to marry Rachel. He did work 7 more years for Rachel, but did not have to wait 7 years UNTIL HE COULD MARRY her. You can look in Genesis 29 for this story.
Pros: For those new to the word, this can give a great overview in a short read. I probably would have really enjoyed reading this as a new believer.
I love how the author continually points out that a rescuer is coming. Each story has a foreshadowing that Jesus is coming. You can see God's hand in each place and it is leading up to His great mercy and justice at the Cross.
I really love the introduction....A LOT...
Cons: The text of this book seems like it is written to a much younger audience. I have a hard time believing that the focus is for teens and adults. In looking for an age, I read a couple of reviews that said that it is basically The Jesus Storybook Bible. One review said WORD FOR WORD. That makes sense for the simple text, but I am not sure what the purpose for that would be.
The errors and liberties taken with God's Word bother me...and while they do bother me, I think there is still value in this book.
I received this book in exchange for a frank and honest review. All opinions are my own. Your results and/or opinions may vary.
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