Bringing the Psalms to Life: How to Understand and Use the Book of Psalms

Rating:
Summary: A book worth reading but it misses its mark
Review: Bringing the Psalms to Life is a book built on a wonderful concept but one that does not live up to its promise. It builds appreciation for the Psalms by identifying common threads of human experiences that are found in the Psalms - e.g. reversal of fortune, anger, abandonment etc. It suggests ways to deal with the violent revenge themes of the Psalms that we find difficult to reconcile with our image of God ...

Unfortunately, the book is ultimately dissatisfying. While large portions of the Psalms are quoted, with a few exceptions, only small bits are actually discussed in the text. And of the human situations described in the Psalms only a handful of archtypes are discussed.

Therefore, I find the book interesting as a way to see the Psalms through the eyes of another or as a pointer towards an interesting classification of Psalms based on the human situation calling forth the Psalm ... but I would not recommend it as a place to start for gaining appreciation of the Psalms.