God is a Warrior

I picked this book up a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. The title is God is a Warrior. It was written by Tremper Longman III and Daniel G. Reid. It was published by Zondervan.

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.