Before I read this book I didn’t know what to make of the way the Psalms were laid out which was largely due to my own personal difficulty in discerning the reason for the Psalms’ arrangement. This book convinced me that there is definitely a flow in the Psalter. It is packed with a lot of information, that even after I finished reading it I realized I probably have forgotten a lot more than I could remember. I think it is worth purchasing even as a reference which I plan to use in this manner in the future whenever I study or preach from the Psalms.
According to the author the purpose of book 1-5 of the Psalms can be summarized as Confrontation, Communication, Devastation, Maturation and Consummation. The overarching theme of Book 1 of the Psalms is confrontation in which David confronts a multitude of enemies as he goes about trying to establish God’s kingdom. This struggle continues in book two but now with a new focus of communications with foreign nations that calls the nations to worship the true and living God. Book 3 describes devastation of both the Northern and Southern kingdom of Israel and pleas for God’s deliverance, while Book 4 we see the writers of the Psalms grow in their spiritual understanding of the destruction and exile followed by book 5 that considers Israel’s return to the promise land and beyond.
You're welcome! Thank you for the review. :)
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