11)
Suggestions
for studying the Psalms (Saxe)
i)
Study the Psalms in their historical setting.
ii)
Keep in mind the character of the Psalm you are
studying.
iii)
Remember that the Psalms are poetry.
iv) Keep
in mind the law of double reference (for example, references to the Davidic
King but finding greatest fulfillment in Messiah).
v) Study
each psalm with the determination to let it do something to your own soul.
12)
Value of the
Psalms
a) Luther: these hymns enable us to look
directly into the heart of God's saints.
b)
Leupold:
i) "There
does not seem to be any situation in life for which the Psalter does not
provide light and guidance. Thus we are
struck by the fact...that there is really nothing that is new to life under the
sun. We have yet to hear of men who have turned for guidance to the Psalter and
have not found it. This may be partly due to the fact that the tone of this
book is always stimulating. Or it may be
because the insights and the comforts of the psalms are always so much to the
point. They are not the fruit of
abstract meditation. They did not grow out of the study of the scholar. They
were born out of real-life situations. They are often wet with the tears and
the blood of the writer."
ii) Frequent
use does not wear them thin.
iii)
The psalms continually carry the reader into the
immediate presence of God. They do not refer to Him in the abstract. God is not a God of the distance to the
psalmist. All the psalms were prayed on
the steps of the throne of mercy. The light that emanates from that presence
somehow gives light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Bibliography for the Psalms
Alden, Robert. Psalms Vol. 1: Songs of Devotion. Vol. 2: Songs of Dedication. Vol.
3: Songs of Discipleship. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1974.
Allen, Ronald B. And I Will Praise Him: A Guide to Personal Worship in the Psalms.
Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992. (Published in 1980 under the title Praise: A Matter of Life and Breath.)
Archer, Gleason L., Jr. Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Chicago, Ill: Moody Press,
1964.
Chrisman, C. H. Better Than Gold. Minneapolis, Minn: Bethany Fellowship Inc., 1963.
(Ps. 119)
Ellisen, Stanley A. Knowing God's Word: Interpretive Charts and Outlines. Nashville,
Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984.
Gaebelein, A.C. The Book of Psalms: A Devotional and Prophetic Commentary. New York, NY: "Our Hope"
Publications. 1939.
Hobson, Robert G. All the Days of My Life.Lubbick, Texas: Missionary Crusader, Inc.,
n.d. (Psalm 23. He's the father of Dick
Hobson, CBC's 1996 Family Camp speaker.)
Leupold, H. C. Exposition of the Psalms. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1959. (I really like
this one!)
McNeill, John. The Twenty-Third Psalm. New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company,
1927.
Meyer, F.B. The Shepherd Psalm. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Publishing House,
1953.
Olsen, Erling C. Meditations in the Psalms. Vol 1-2. New York, NY: Loizeaux
Brothers, Bible Truth Depot, 1939.
Pettingill, William. Christ in the Psalms. Findlay, Ohio: Fundamental Truth Publishers,
1937.
Robinson, Haddon. Psalm Twenty-three: A Devotional. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press,
1968.
Saxe, Grace. Studies in the Psalms. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1968. (Too
bad: it's out of print. This is a great
tool for personal study in the Psalms.)
Schultz, Samuel J. The Old Testament Speaks. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Pub.,
1960.
Spurgeon, C.H. The Treasury of David: An Expository and Devotional Commentary on the
Psalms. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Guardian Press, 1976. (The original 7 volumn edition was published
in London by Passmore and Alabaster, 1870-1885.) (Without doubt a classic. Still extremely helpful today.)
Stott, John. Favorite Psalms. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1988.
Wilkinson, Bruce and Kenneth Boa. Talk Thru the Old Testament Vol. 1..
Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983.
Wilmington, H. L., Wilmington's Guide to the Bible. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Pub.,
Inc. 1981
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