Analysis of Joshua Rest -Land Won by Turabian Format - Essay Example

? Joshua: Rest-Land Won. Everyman’s Bible Commentary series. By Irving L Jensen. Chicago: Moody Press, 1966. 128 pages. Introduction Christianity, being one of the major religions of the world, attracts a large loyal following. It is because of this that several exceptional theological books have been written to aid in the understanding of the bible and Christianity. One such book is written by Irving L Jensen as a commentary on the book of Joshua. The book titled Joshua: Rest -Land Won is one of the many theological commentaries written by Irving Jensen. It is an important piece of literature for Christians and anyone who wants to get an understanding of the book of Joshua in a simplified, easy to understand format. The author of the book is an accomplished theological writer with more than sixty books already published. Before his death, Jensen held a BA degree from Wagner College and worked for thirty years as professor at Bryan College in Tennessee. This paper is a knowledgeable review of his informative commentary on Joshua and the journey to the Promised Land. Summary of the Content Even for a person who is not acquainted with the book of Joshua, Jensen’s commentary provides a good resource for studying the entire text. In this detailed analysis, the author puts the book of Joshua in its chronological setting. He traces the flow of events through four parts that detail the journey of the Israelites. The central character in this commentary is the biblical Joshua. The author portrays Joshua as a revolutionary leader who was handpicked by God. His main duty was to lead the Israelites through the remaining part of the journey into the Promised Land. The author provides brief biographical information on Joshua to make the reader acquainted with the kind of leader he was. To take the reader through the journey, Jensen avails a map detailing Joshua’s three campaigns at the beginning of the text. The commentary begins with an account of the death of Moses and the handing of power to Joshua as depicted in Deuteronomy, followed by four parts that depict the journey under Joshua, as well as the conquest of the Promised Land. The first section handles the preparations that were involved before the conquest, followed by a subsequent section detailing the actual conquest. The third and fourth parts deal with the issues of inheritance and consecration as outlined in the book of Deuteronomy. Written in a plain and nontechnical style, this eloquent commentary contains a map, an outline, clear annotation, and a very useful bibliography on Joshua. Another valuable aspect of the book is the comparison the author makes between the proceedings in the book of Joshua and the main beliefs of Christianity illustrated by the New Testament. Evaluation of the Text Like many other works of Jensen, this particular commentary employs a clear nontechnical style. This style is easy to follow through and comprehend. What captures the attention of the reader is the way Jensen outlines each progress in the journey to the Promised Land. For instance, before embarking on an analysis of Joshua’s leadership, the author provides information on events preceding the coronation of Joshua as the leader. He then follows with an analysis of the events that follow until the Israelites settle in the Promised Land. Since the sequence of events is easy to follow through the commentary, Jensen’s work makes an informative read. The author certainly achieves the goal of making the reader understand the journey and conquest from his point of view. According to Jansen’s commentary, the book of Joshua gives Rehab (the harlot who saved the spies) a special place in the conquest.1 This view is emphasized in the book of Mathew (1:5) which reserves a prime place for her in the Messianic history. Another positive about the book is the way Joshua is portrayed as an admirable mentor.2 This is certainly a perspective most Christians ought to take when reading the book of Joshua. Most people read the book of Joshua as a chronological account of the events during (and after) the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land. However, Jensen’s commentary takes the role of Joshua as a prime perspective for viewing these events. The events are, therefore, not merely a narration describing a sequence of events, but a detailed analysis of the events. The commentary sees the role of heroes in the conquest ass taken as essential in understanding the book. It is important to note the way the theme of rest is brought out clearly in the text. According to the commentary, the dominant theological theme in the text is that of rest. The author argues that having travelled through the wilderness for forty years under Moses Joshua is given the mandate of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. The period after the conquest is marked by peace and prosperity under the rule of judges. Taken from this angle, this an advice to Christians not to give up and continue waiting upon the Lord and believing. Critique Any book about Christianity written by a Christian is unlikely to observe absolute objectivity. Criticizing a book of such an experienced scholar and personal mentor like Jensen is not an easy task. However, accomplished or not, all literary materials have their weaknesses and that is what we will address in this section. Though the book gives a detailed commentary of the events in the book of Joshua, I do not agree with the idea propagated by Irving that portraying Rehab as a hero justifies her actions. On the contrary, it portrays the forgiving nature of God. The lie that Rehab told was meant to protect servants in Gods army. Should she have lied? She probably could have excused herself from the scenario and handed over the spies. However, if she had taken this path, we probably would not be mentioning her now. It is that lie, considering the danger she was putting herself in that makes the sacrifice great. This part is very important to understanding the context in which the biblical Joshua operated. Compared with its peers, the book does the job of outlining events in the bible relatively well. Most commentaries of this nature have been written by Jensen himself and take a similarly simple and nontechnical approach. He divides the book of Joshua into four sections. However, there are a few things the author could have done differently. For instance, I could have divided the material into two sections. The first section is that of conquest. Here, I would outline the whole military experience in the book of Joshua and illustrate Joshua’s military accomplishes leading to the conquest of the Promised Land. In the second section, I would have outlined the period of settlement and division of the spoils from the conquest. It would also be important to include how Joshua prepared the Israelites for life after his demise by drawing them closer to God. He became increasingly spiritual towards the end. In these two sections, the author could have covered every aspect in the book of Joshua as well as the themes of land and rest. Despite this oversight, the book still covers most of the perspectives in the life of Joshua. This sound breakdown of the book of Joshua offers a precise, valuable commentary on Israel’s takeover of the Promised Land. Conclusion This is a tremendously useful book that assists in the comprehension of the whole book of Joshua and its religious relevance to contemporary Christianity. Though diseased, the literary contributions of Irving are very important for any student of theology. Therefore, this book (along with other books in this series) should be made a compulsory companion to students of theology. Bibliography Jensen, Irving L. Joshua: Rest-Land Won. Everyman’s Bible Commentary series. Chicago: Moody Press, 1966. Read More