Ahhh, it's always a pleasure to finish a thick book. With thin books, you might desire more--perhaps a sequel or two--but thick books, ah, thick backs leave you full and eager to read anything but more of the same. But I digress. What is this thick book, that I so eagerly started, lethargically plowed through and then finished with a renewed burst of enthusiasm? Well, Joshua is a commentary on Joshua, the sixth book of the Hebrew scriptures. The Biblical book is a macho book, a tale of battle and conquest, of ideals and duty and mighty miracles. This commentary is likewise a macho book. Like the leader Joshua who lent his name to the book, Professor Harstad boldly marches right into his study, challenging all those scholars who would try to remake the text into one more suited to their own ideals. Which is not to say that Joshua is exciting. Like the other volumes of the Concordia Commentary series, it's a scholarly work written for pastors and other biblical scholars who know a whole lot more than I do. There are plenty of times my eyes glazed over or I ended up skimming to a more comprehensible section. But that's the fault of the reader, not the author. Professor Harstad brings a lot of textual and archeological knowledge into the book. And throughout it all is the clear focus that the book of Joshua points toward the future Joshua--Jesus--who is leading His people into the future Promised Land.
--J. ( )