The Bible can give an inadequate, demanding, or scary picture of God. It did for this author. But she began to think that perhaps it was the perspective of the Biblical authors. It was written by men who use few words, focus on facts, and like the idea of a mighty conquering warrior-God. Notwithstanding Inspiration, people see through their filters and often produce a biased or partial picture.
The same is true for translators. The stories of the Bible had real people who lived in relationship with God-were part of God's family, when they would be, and God treated them like children in all the various developmental stages. These people had emotions, and issues and backstories just like ours, allowing for cultural differences. They struggled with good and evil too. In this episode (Exodus 24--Deuteronomy) one can see that God's laws and rules all come from parental love! Israel had just come out of slavery and functioned on a reward and punishment level of development--their mindset needed high structure and high nurture which Adonai gave them. He carefully spelled out all of His expectations for them. The problem was they didn't all want to obey. Just like children, they always pushed the boundaries and complained at any lack. They were very susceptible to the suggestions of the dark side, believing and acting out most of them, and making it very difficult for God to do what He wanted to do for them. It isn't always easy to understand God's voice or actions unless you understand this huge backstory of a universal war, and all the little ones interconnecting with it. God's minor voice is His preferred will. His major voice is His allowed will. Arla hopes to get people reading scripture again, enjoying it, understanding it, and falling in love with God. She would love for people to see that God's law is really just love--the character of all three who fill the one God position: Abba, Adonai and Ruach--and will keep us safe and happy until this war between good and evil is over. Their laws will keep us! as it says in the Greek interlinear translation of John 14:15. Enjoy reading this version of the Bible! It is written as a story while remaining true to its Spirit and text. Experience the characters, and most of all a good God!
About the Author: When Arla Caraboolad was writing her first book The Worst Evil-Losing Yourself, she thought it would be her life's work. Her passion then was helping people understand true self and false self, and how good and evil use them. But a new passion has taken hold, and it is helping people see God as all good. The Bible can give an inadequate, demanding or scary picture of Them. It did for her. But she began to think that perhaps it was the perspective of the authors. It was written by men who use few words, focus on facts, and maybe we needed a female version. Her thirty years as a family systems therapist had educated her that people see through their filters, notwithstanding Inspiration, and God used imperfect humans to tell His story, and the story of His family. God treated humans like children in all the various developmental stages. These people had emotions, and issues and backstories just like ours, allowing for cultural differences. They struggled with good and evil too, trying to learn that all God's laws and rules come from love! As she thought about it, and begin to write, the stories came alive. Parts that had never made sense before, begin to have meaning, especially when seen in the setting of a war between good and evil-one that started in God's family long before us. It isn't always easy to understand God's voice or actions unless you understand this huge backstory, and all the little ones interconnecting with it. She hopes to get people reading scripture again, enjoying it, understanding it, and falling in love with God.