God is a Warrior

When it comes to commentaries and discussion concerning the Old Testament, Tremper Longman III is one of the first scholars to whom I look. Longman is a professor of Old Testament at Wesminster Seminary and has written numerous books dealing with Old Testament poetry and well as other areas of the Old Testament. He also has a survey he writes on the current commentaries on the Old Testament - a very helpful tool when purchasing study aids. I know little about Daniel Reid, but if this book speaks of his knowledge and study, he is a quality Bible student. One of my professors in college told our class once that if you read "LORD of hosts" or if you see God with a sword - DUCK! The book God is a Warrior traces the warrior motif throughout the Old and New Testaments. Without a doubt, the Old Testament lends itself more readily to this discussion. The authors look at some of the more obvious passages and then bring in some Ancient Near Eastern traditions to show some of the similarities with Israel's surrounding cultures. The back half of the book is dedicated to the New Testament and traces Jesus as a warrior (obviously against Satan, his demons, and death) and the New Exodus. The book also considers Paul as a Holy Warrior of Christ and it looks at the divine war within the Revelation (Longman takes an a-millennial view). The section on the New Testament was very enlightening because it provides a perspective that is rarely considered. The first half of the book provides for easier reading but the second half of the book creates a very different and challenging perspective for Bible students. I found myself amazed in 2 Kings when Elisha prays that the eyes of the servant be opened and when they are he sees that the mountain is full of horses and chariots of fire. God revealed to this servant that God is, in fact, a warrior. If passages like that or the comments on "the LORD of hosts" in Isaiah amaze you, then this book is for you.

Many Christians today might be surprised by the title of this scholarly monograph. It certainly doesn't sound devotional or inspirational, yet this topic is vital to a correct understanding of God and His redemptive plan in history. As Moses sang after God delivered Israel from the hands of the Egyptian army: the LORD is a warrior (Exodus 15).The authors go through both the Old and New Testaments to demonstrate the pervasiveness and importance of this theme in Scripture. Beginning with the Old Testament, the authors handle the themes of God fighting for His people, God fighting against His people, the understanding of Holy War and the cosmic battles in the spiritual realm that occur alongside physical, earthly battles. In the New Testament, many will be most surprised to find that Jesus, "meek and mild," is actually a divine warrior that defeats the enemies of God and His people. There is some really good stuff at this point, especially about the mission of Jesus. Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman and yet Immanuel, came to destroy the works of the devil and He did so when He crushed the head of the serpent at Calvary! The book ends with a discussion of the divine warrior, Christ, and the divine warfare depicted in the Revelation. This is not Christian jihad explained, far from it, rather it is an understanding that the most important battle is above and beyond our sight and power, that God fights His own battles and won the most important battle for us against what Longman and Reid call the "apocalyptic alliance:" of flesh, sin, law and death. Furthermore, this is a battle that spans Scripture and is crucial to our understanding of redemptive history, the mission of Christ, and our own salvation.Highly recommended...by the way, if you are a preacher, this stuff will preach!