Product Description
At one time, the Book of Psalms held a central place in the worship of biblically faithful churches. In many congregations, however, the Psalter has become neglected—not only are the Psalms not regularly sung, but the public reading of them has been limited to occasions when the text of the sermon is taken from that part of Scripture.
But the Psalms were written for regular use in the community of God’s people assembled for worship. All the various workings of God’s grace in the life of his people call for celebration. Whether speaking specifically of the Messiah, or calling God’s people to confession, praise, or prayer, the Psalms summon the church to celebrate the bounties of God’s multi-faceted gifts.
O. Palmer Robertson here examines twenty-five psalms, reflecting the variety of messages and structures found across the entire Book of Psalms. The author argues that originally the Psalms were intended to be used with interactive congregational responses and his translations reflect this understanding.
This book aims to help congregations rediscover the riches of the Psalms in their fullness, that the full-orbed testimony of the Psalter, as it touches every experience of weal and woe in the life of God’s people, may again find a voice in the current worship of the church.
In reference to the introduction on page 4, the pdf of the psalms selected for this volume is available to download here.
Paperback, 376 pages
Publication Date: 2025
Table of Contents
Introduction
Psalm 1: The Way of the Righteous, Magnifying God’s Law 5
Psalm 2: Submitting to the Son, Magnifying God’s Messiah
Psalm 8: The Measure of a Man, What is Man?
Psalm 11: The Tried and the Trusted, Trusting God Through Trial
Psalm 14: The Atheistic Fool, The Folly of Atheism
Psalm 15: Abiding Securely in Holiness, Holiness Assures Safety
Psalm 16: Overcoming Life’s Last Enemy, Preservation even in Death
Psalm 32: A Guidebook for the Guilty, The Blessedness of Sins Forgiven
Psalm 44: A Prayer of the Perplexed, The Plea of an Innocent Sufferer
Psalm 80: The Man at God’s Right Hand, Lamentation, but with Hope in God’s Saving Hero
Psalm 82: The Judge Judges the Judges, God Judges Human Authorities
Psalm 84: Yearning for God’s House, The Blessings of Worship
Psalm 87: Born Again in Zion, A Missionary Psalm
Psalm 91: Abiding Safely in His Presence, Safety through Trusting God
Psalm 95: Worshipping God your Rock, Worship God Rather than Hardening Your Heart
Psalm 96: A New Song about the Old Story, Singing a New Song to the Lord
Psalm 99: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’ Practical Effects of God’s Holiness
Psalm 106: Trust and Obey, Summoning the Disobedient to Trust and Obey
Psalm 110: The Glories of our Priestly King, The Messiah as Priest and King
Psalm 113: ‘Hallelujah’ for God’s Help to the Humbled, Give Praise to the Lord for His Help
Psalm 118: A Eucharistic Psalm, Messiah’s Deliverance from Death
Psalm 126: Rejoicing over Restoration, Joy at Deliverance from Exile
Psalm 128: The Happy Hearth, Blessing in Life’s Basics
Psalm 132: From Cross to Crown, God Confirms the Covenant with David
Psalm 146: Praise the Covenant LORD, Help of the Helpless, Praise God for His Mercy to the Needy
Appendix: On the Translation of the Divine Name
Author
O. Palmer Robertson was born in 1937 and is a graduate of Belhaven College and Westminster Theological Seminary. He gained his ThD at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, has pastored congregations in Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Maryland, and has taught in Westminster, Reformed, Covenant, and Knox Seminaries in the U.S.A. He is now Principal and Director of African Bible University in Kampala, Uganda, lives in Uganda with his wife, Joanna, and his sons Elliot, Daniel, and Murráy.
