One of the most respected Old Testament scholars of our time introduces us to the history of scholarship on the Psalter and provides hermeneutical guidelines for interpreting the book— making accessible to us the transforming messages of the Psalms.

Christian scholars write to inspire renewed interest in actively praying, reciting, and singing the Psalms in personal and corporate times of worship, citing its biblical basis and historical emphasis.

The gap between the New Testament and the Imprecatory Psalms is less than we think. When faced with prayers against enemies in the Psalms, we are too quick to assume that these Old Testament authors were ignorant of some basic New Testament ethics. They are self-righteous, thinking they have earned God’s favor. They don’t know that the wicked can repent and be forgiven. They believe in vengeance and hating their enemies. We assume wrongly. These prayers are far more aware than many modern churchgoers of how deeply our own sin runs, so that even when persecuted, we are not automatically entitled to divine help. Even when we are truly entitled to justice against unrighteous attackers, if God rescues us, that is unmerited grace. Further, the psalms are fully aware that their enemies can repent, and they show mercy to them. The Book of Psalms teaches its readers—individuals and the whole people of God—to desire the repentance, forgiveness, and divine blessing of all nations, even the people’s most vicious enemies.

Widely regarded as the modern C. S. Lewis, N. T. Wright, one of the world’s most trusted and popular Bible scholars and the bestselling author of Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope, presents a manifesto urging Christians to live and pray the Bible’s Psalms in The Case for the Psalms. Wright seeks to reclaim the power of the Psalms, which were once at the core of prayer life. He argues that, by praying and living the Psalms, we enter into a worldview, a way of communing with God and knowing him more intimately, and receive a map by which we understand the contours and direction of our lives. For this reason, all Christians need to read, pray, sing, and live the Psalms. By providing the historical, literary, and spiritual contexts for reading these hymns from ancient Israel’s songbook, The Case for the Psalms provides the tools for incorporating these divine poems into our sacred practices and into our spirituality itself.

In a confused world with moral decay, we need clear direction for godly living. While the mention of holiness is not commonly heard these days, the Psalms call us to cultivate holy lives in today’s society. The psalmists not only teach us how to grow in holiness but they draw us into their own rich experiences. The author explores the Psalms to give us a perspective on the nature of holiness and the many important ways we can grow in holiness. The Psalter serves as an invaluable guide for our spiritual formation as followers of Jesus Christ.

"Few books were composed over a longer period of time and have exercised more cultural and religious influence than the Psalms, the longest and most complex collection in the Hebrew Bible and arguably one of the most illustrious and durable texts in history. This book is an introduction to the world of the Psalms that focuses on the content and the poetic forms that are encountered in the collection, guiding the reader toward an appreciation of the purposes of the Psalms, and the contribution to the Scriptures of Israel. There is also some background discussion on the development of the Psalms and an overview of the variety and genres of these poetic texts"--

The Asia Bible Commentary series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. e ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible. This commentary on Psalms 1-72 provides an exposition that the reader can engage with in their own community of faith in the Asian cultural context. Along with a commentary on each Psalm, Dr. Federico Villanueva provides cultural reflections on a wide variety of relevant topics that include the likes of lament, praise, creation, meditation, depression and natural phenomena. This commentary is an excellent resource for pastors, lay leaders and Bible students but will also be useful and relevant for any Christian committed to applying the Bible in their respective contexts.