I come from a tradition that reads the Psalms through, every month, as part of daily prayer. We also regularly chant the Psalms in worship. So the Psalms have played an integral and primary role in training my own prayer language.
This collection has eighteen highly-esteemed biblical scholars to share perspectives on the way we faithfully read the Psalms, and how those same Psalms influence and shape our prayers and worship. The Psalms highlights the theological, literary, and canonical shape of the book in an accessible way for pastors and Sunday School teachers.
The book itself is divided into five parts. Part I highlights the way the Psalms have been studied in academia in recent years. It sets the context for the various ways the Psalms are read in the rest of the collection. Parts II and III discuss a variety of psalms from two different genres (lament and praise). Part IV is perhaps the strongest part of this collection, and discusses the key areas for contemporary Psalm studies. But it's Part V -- "Communicating the Psalms" -- that most pastors will find useful.
The Psalms is a real treasure for Psalm studies. It brings together so many different voices -- much like Psalms itself -- who together still sing the praises of God and give voice to the variety of genres in the Book of Psalms itself. Most importantly, this book reminds us God's words speak to all of God's faithful, not just isolated individuals.
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I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review here.