My First Book Review

If the title of this post sounds a little childish, there’s a good reason for that. The book I’m reviewing here is the Jesus Storybook Bible. I think this is the first book review I’ve ever done on my blog. It’s not because I don’t read. It’s because I’m very insecure about my intellectual ability to critique books of deep theological significance. Until now. I think I can handle the Jesus Storybook Bible. And the good news is, there will be no critiquing, and a whole lot of just plain praising!

About 6-9 months ago, my son, Daniel, started doing something very cute. He would pick up any book and walk around the house with it and say, “This is my Bible!” Sometimes he would sit and “read” a book and tell us he was reading his Bible. We loved that! So Carrie and I thought that it was time to get Daniel a “real” Bible of his own. Of course, there’s not much point in getting a toddler a full, 66-book, Holman Christian Standard Bible–he can’t even read yet! So we looked for some kind of Children’s Bible. I came across the Jesus Storybook Bible at our church.

I was instantly impressed with two things. First was the artwork. I know, that sounds a little superficial. But not to a toddler. The artwork in the Jesus Storybook Bible is wonderfully pleasant. It is not overly cartoony. It is not overly realistic. It is creative, beautiful, and engaging. The second thing that impressed me was the book’s subtitle: “Every story whispers his name.” Oh, that’s good! So we bought one and gave it to him for Christmas, and he was so excited to finally have his own Bible!

Here’s why I like the Jesus Storybook Bible so much. Most of the time, children are taught Bible stories as disconnected units that exist merely to teach us how to be good moral people. David’s victory over Goliath usually means that we should be courageous and do what’s right. The story of Daniel in the lion’s den means we should do good even if we get in trouble for it. Jonah’s incident with the whale means that we’d better obey…or else we’ll get eaten by a giant fish. Now, to be fair, these may be legitimate applications of these stories. We should courageously do right; we should do good even if we suffer; we should obey. But there’s more going on in these stories than simplistic morality lessons. And the Jesus Storybook Bible makes that clear.

In this children’s Bible, every story points to Jesus, the Messiah. For example, I can remember the story of the Tower of Babel from my childhood. The point of the story as I remember it is that God hates it when people try to reach up to him. And he punishes those who try. Okay, maybe that’s an oversimplification, but I can guarantee you that I never heard this:

…You see, God knew, however high they reached, however hard they tried, people could never get back to heaven by themselves. People didn’t need a staircase; they needed a Rescuer. Because the way back to heaven wasn’t a staircase; it was a Person.

People could never reach up to Heaven, so Heaven would have to come down to them.

And, one day, it would.

I don’t think I ever was told as a child that all of Scripture pointed to the coming Messiah and the great rescue he would bring to his people and the wonderful kingdom that would come down to earth. My son is told that every night now when we read the Jesus Storybook Bible.

Another reason I like this Bible is its solid theology. This children’s Bible does not hold back from presenting sin and the need for the Savior. It does not leave out the prophets or the hard teachings and actions of Jesus. And it presents all these stories in a theological narrative that mirrors the narrative of Scripture. It is a storybook. It not a collection of disconnected morality sketches. It is one grand story from Creation to New Creation, and the climax of the whole story is the resurrection of Jesus–the inauguration of the New Creation!

Now, every night when we put Daniel to bed, he says, “We got to read my Bible, Daddy!” So we sit on his bed, and he says, “Remember last night?” And we talk about what we read the night before. Then we read another story, and we pray together, thanking God for the Great Rescue and the Great Rescuer. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that for many years to come with this Bible.

I want you to see one chapter from this book. One of my favorite chapters is the last one, but I can’t spoil the ending! So here’s one of the most important stories of the entire Old Testament, the Exodus. The Jesus Storybook Bible calls this one, “God to the rescue!”

Joseph and his brothers grew old and died, but their children’s children stayed on in Egypt where they became a very LARGE family.

Later on, a new king began to rule, but this pharaoh didn’t remember Joseph and he didn’t like God’s people. He made them into his slaves and beat them and made them work harder and harder.

God’s people cried out to God to rescue them.

And God heard them. He remembered his promise to Abraham. he would look after his people. He would find a new way to set them free.

One day, Moses was looking after sheep when something caught his eye: a bush was behaving very oddly–it was flickering with flames, but its leaves weren’t burning up. He took a closer look.

“Moses!” boomed a big voice.

Moses leapt back. The bush was talking to him!

“I have heard my people’s cries,” God said. “I have seen their tears. So I have come down to rescue them. Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go free.”

Moses was afraid. But God said, “I will be with you.”

So Moses went to Pharaoh.

“Pharaoh,” Moses began, “God says –”

“God?” said Pharaoh. “Never heard of him.”

Moses kept going. “God says, let his people go free.”

“Why should I?” Pharaoh said. “Don’t want to. WON’T!” So he didn’t.

So God gave Pharaoh ten warning, called “Plagues.”

First, God turned the River Nile into blood. No one could drink the water. But still Pharaoh would not let them go.

So God made frogs come hopping and leaping and jumping. In your bed frogs, in your hair frogs, in your soup frogs, all over everywhere frogs! “Make them go away!” Pharaoh screamed. “Then your people can go.” So God took the frogs away.

But Pharaoh changed his mind. “You can’t go!” he said.

Then Go sent zillions of gnats. But still Pharaoh said, “NO!” so then God sent swarms of flies–flies buzzing in your eyes flies.

And after that, sickness; and horrible boils; and huge hailstones; and a storm of locusts; then darkness when it should have been day–until it seemed that the whole world, creation and everything, was coming undone, falling back into darkness. And emptiness. And nothingness.

But each time Pharaoh said, “Make it stop and then I’ll let them go!” And each time when God made it stop, Pharaoh changed his mind and said, “Actually, NO! You can’t go!”

Finally, Moses warned Pharaoh, “Obey God or he will have to send the worst thing of all.” Pharaoh just laughed.

So God said, “The oldest boy in each family of Egypt must die. But my people will be safe.”

God told his people to take their best lamb, to kill it and the put some of its blood on their front doors. “When God passes over your house,” Moses explained, “God will see the blood and know that the lamb died instead of you.”

That night, it was just as God had said. Suddenly, piercing the darkness, echoing down the corridors of the palace, came a blood-curdling scream. Pharaoh’s oldest son had died! At last, Pharaoh did what God said.

“GET OUT!” Pharaoh shouted. “JUST GO!”

And so, that very night, Moses and God’s people fled out of Egypt and out of slavery. They were free at last!

God’s people would always remember this great rescue and call it “Passover.” But an even Greater Rescue was coming.

Many years later, God was going to do it again. He was going to come down once more to rescue his people. But this time God was going to set them free forever and ever.