 Book Reviews Our friends the psalms
Reviewed by Craig M. Kibler February 2002 |
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| “No collection of poems
has ever exercised as much influence on the Western world as the Book of
Psalms,” C. Hassell Bullock writes – and he’s absolutely
correct. Is there anyone who can walk away after reading a psalm and not
identify with the author, not lament their situation or praise the work
of the Lord or glorify him? The psalms are familiar friends, they are personal poems, songs of pain and joy, sadness and repentance, despair and great faith. And this familiarity is one of the greatest attractions of the psalms – they appeal to the believer and non-believer alike. Just think of how many people can recite the 23rd Psalm. Step-by-step, Bullock takes the reader through the various types of psalms (lament and praise, for example) and provides guiding principles for interpreting them. Take, for example, those of lament. Bullock tells us that this, the largest category of psalms, “should not surprise us [because they] contain so much praise, or that they are so often accompanied by a vow to praise the Lord for his mercy and deliverance.” Lamentation, he says, “is never very far away from praise.” Bullock helps the reader gain a grounding in the psalms by placing them in chronological and historical perspectives. He also examines how psalms have been used in worship services, tracing that use up to the present day. The book, illustrated with drawings and charts, is suitable for classroom use, and each chapter includes an outline and objectives. This is a text that anyone desiring an introduction to, and an in-depth study of, the psalms can put to excellent use. It is easy to use, substantive in its material and clear in its presentation. |
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