Homeschool Friday - The God Contest

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

The God Contest (Tales that Tell the Truth)

By: Carl Laferton

Illustrated By: Catalina Echeverri

Publication: January 1, 2021 by The Good Book Company

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Christian, Non-fiction

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--Teach children about two extraordinary events in history when the God of the Bible proved himself to be the one true God.

Kids today are faced with a huge range of different views on who God is (or isn’t). How can they be sure who’s got it right?

This beautifully illustrated hardback storybook for children aged 3-6 is written by the team behind The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross. It retells two extraordinary events in history when the God of the Bible proved himself to be the one true God.

First it takes children back to Elijah’s time and the gripping “God contest” between the God of the Bible, Yahweh, and the false god Baal. Then it fast-forwards to a different mountain and another “God contest” at an empty tomb.

Once the evidence is examined, it invites kids, in a world of so many options, to decide with confidence to join Team Jesus.

The God Contest tells the story of 1 Kings 18:16-40, where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal to a "God contest" on Mount Carmel. It starts in a way that kids can relate to by showing various kinds of contests someone might participate in. Then we have a little backstory about Ahab and Jezebel who worshiped Baal. And then in contrast we have Elijah who knew that Yahweh was the real God. Then it goes into the details of the God Contest that Elijah set up.

If you aren't familiar with the story, Elijah set up an equal opportunity contest where the followers of Baal could chop some wood and build an altar to Baal. And he would do the same but for Yahweh. Then they would call on their God and see which one could set the altar on fire. Team Baal went first with 450 people shouting and crying out to Baal. They danced, and yet nothing happened. Elijah made jokes like "Maybe he's on the toilet." (My kids thought that was particularly funny.) "Maybe he's asleep." Nothing happened.

Then it was Elijah's turn. And he dug a trench and had water poured on the altar until the altar, the wood, and the trench were filled with water, and everything was wet. Then Elijah prayed to Yahweh and asked Him to make the answer clear to all the people that He is the only real God. And fire came down from heaven and consumed the bull, the wood, and the water. Yahweh had won the contest.

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel didn't like that and decided to keep on following Baal anyway. For hundreds of years, not many people followed Yahweh. And now the authors of The God Contest point out that it was time for another God contest. This time God did something even more amazing. He didn't send fire. He sent a human. Jesus. And they go on to show how Jesus claimed to be Yahweh. He showed he was Yahweh through His miracles. And yet people weren't sure. So Jesus explained the rules of a new God contest. He will come back to life after He has died. And so Jesus let people kill Him, bury Him, and for three days...nothing. But then Jesus rose back to life. The God contest was over. Now lots of people know Jesus as the real God, the only God. And everyone has to make up their minds. Will you join Team Jesus?

I absolutely love the way the authors break these stories into easy to understand concepts for kids. And more than anything, I love the connection back to Jesus, because it is all about Him anyway. I love the comparison and contrast between God answering Elijah with the fire and with Jesus's life. Those two pages were great. I love the note added in on page 4 about the name Yahweh. I love the Tales that Tell the Truth note at the end of the book that tells about where the facts of this story come from. So many wins for this book and this series. I can give The God Contest no less than 5 Stars. Have you or your child read The God Contest? What did you think? Let me know!