I recently read The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms. I have mixed feelings about this book.

First, the good.

This is a great introduction to the Book of Psalms. The first part of the book contains some great background information on Hebrew poetry, the authors of the Psalms, the types of Psalms, and how to read and use the Psalms. These sections are not overly academic, but help answer some of the major questions and issues that people face when they read Psalms.

I really enjoyed the two pages on personalizing the Psalms (pp. 25-26) as I firmly believe that all Scripture is helpful for learning about ourselves, about God, and how to communicate with Him. The Psalms especially are helpful in learning how to pray and interact with God. These two pages show how you can use the Psalms to live a life in conversation with God.

Third, the Quick Reference charts starting on page 29 were also helpful. They showed some of the difficult words that readers will encounter in Psalms, the different types of Psalms, and a few other things.

Fourth and finally, I really liked the layout and summary section for each and every Psalm. On a single page, we learn the theme, the background, the structure, and some special notes about the Psalm, as well as some helpful notes for reflection. These pages are beautifully illustrated with pictures and images that connect with the subject of the Psalm. Each chapter reminded me of a perfectly crafted blog post on one of the Psalms. Frankly, I think that as more and more people read blogs, we should (and will) see more and more books follow the “blog post” layout structure. This was a brilliant decision by the editors of this series.
[Read more…]