Holman Old Testament Commentary - Psalms Kindle Edition

Psalms is one of my favorite books in the Bible and Steven J. Lawson is a preacher and expositor of Scripture I highly appreciate. I put the two together and bought this commentary.I decided to use this commentary as a devotional resource first. I would read one psalm each night and then read the commentary on it. It has truly been a wonderful couple months! The commentaries on each psalm are perfect for this, usually being between four to six pages of writing depending on how long the psalm is. I highly recommend using this volume this way.Aside from this, this is an excellent resource for teaching or preaching giving stories and illustrations to tell, explanations on the text, and structure with which to present.Positives:(1) Thought provoking material in famous quotes to start each psalm, introductions, conclusions, and sometimes life applications, key questions, or deeper insights into the text (usually words studies).(2) Insightful commentary on the text, not extremely technical, but does convey the main idea of each verse well.(3) Has a section highlighted "main idea" for every psalm along with subheadings "supporting idea" to get the main point of each psalm and how it is developed.(4) The outline of each psalm given at the end of each chapter is definitely the strongest aspect of this commentary. Each psalm is broken down verse by verse into an outline with headings for multiple verses and sub-points on every verse or part of a verse. Usually the headings for sets of verses are alliterated. This helps tremendously in teaching or preaching structure and is also informative as another way to explain what verses mean or to follow the logic of the psalm.Things that could be better:(1) I would have enjoyed a much more thorough commentary by Lawson on each verse, word, and phrase. But I understand this was outside the scope of this work. Lawson was able to get Psalms put into two volumes though, possibly the only commentary in this series to do so, and much needed because of the size of the book. So buyers should beware: this is not a technical commentary on every word or phrase. It will give plenty of insightful gold nuggets though.(2) My other issue would be the lack of consistency in the content offered for each psalm. The more well known psalms get the most content (e.g. Pss. 1, 22, 23, 46, 51, etc.), and this is to be expected, but there are often sections added for these psalms that would have been much appreciated for every psalm. For example, some psalms have a Life Application section, but not every psalm. I think it would be immensely helpful to have this section for each psalm to have some application ideas for each one. Also only some psalms have a Deeper Discoveries section that give some exegetical pointers on certain words or ideas. This was really helpful, but again, not for every psalm.(3) Also, these Deeper Discovery points should have been indexed or listed at the beginning of the book for easy reference for the reader, otherwise they might appear commenting on one psalm when another psalm references the same thing but the reader would not know / would not be able to find this note without an index or listing. Sometimes in parenthesis the note is made to reference a deeper discovery in another psalm, but I don't know how thoroughly this was done.So those are some thoughts. Excellent commentary though that really excited me to read the psalms and learn more.I highly recommend it to all.Also, this book started me on the road to buying all the Holman commentaries and reading them to complement personal Bible reading, so buy with caution :)

Steven J. Lawson is one of the best God-centered and Christo-centric expository preachers of our time. He is like a cross between John Piper, James Montgomery Boice and R.C. Sproul. Therefore, if any of those names mean anything to you - you will love this commentary by Lawson.All the commentaries in the Holman series are concise, homiletical in orientation, and immensely practical for teachers and preachers of God's Word.This particular commentary contains an excellent and brief introduction to the Psalms with discussion and explanations of the unique features of the Psalms, including it's title, authors, time period, literary types, book divisions, literary style, figures of speech, acrostics, and why and how they are so life-changing.The first 75 Psalms are covered in this commentary and are broken down in 75 individual chapters in the following manner:1) A title that summarizes the topic of the Psalm.2) A helpful quote that delineates the theme of the Psalm - usually from a great Christian from the past - Lawson is a very knowledgeable Church historian.3) A commentary on the chapter from the Bible which contains - the main idea of the passage and the supporting ideas written out in an expository outline with explanation, grammatical help, and exegetical insights.4) A main idea review and a conclusion for the chapter.5) A Conclusion - usually an excellent illustration of the passage.6) A Life Application - typically questions, commands, and principles to be applied from the passage.7) A prayer based on the passages truths and applications - all very God-focused and oriented toward praise.8) A section on "deeper discoveries" - usually key word studies, theological insights, and historical, cultural, and textual facts & helps.9) A teaching outline for the passage.10) Lastly, issues for discussion taken from the passage.I highly recommend this commentary on the Psalms - especially if you are only going to have one or two commentaries on the Psalms. Lawson is practical, theological, and does a superb job of getting to the heart of each passage without too much discussion of the details. I find that the devotional and practical nature of the commentary makes it very suitable for personal study, as well as the communal study of God's Word.

Both volumes of this commentary on the Psalms are good. They aren't outstanding, but they are good. If you want to study a psalm you haven't studied before, and you want something more than one of the short accounts you can find in some of the quickie commentaries, you might want to begin your study by taking a look at Lawson.

This is a great concise commentary of the book of Psalms. Pastor Lawson gives us the main ideas of each of the first 75 Psalms in this book using his usual concision and depth to teach us God's message. This is a must read for all Christians who want to learn more about God's Word.

Stev Lawson does a great job in explaining each Psalm and how to apply it in one’s life. My husband, who is a pastor uses this for research for our Summer of Psalms series.

Thank you!

This commentary and Lawson's other commentary are must haves for anyone who is preaching or reading through the psalms. It is an expositional commentary with some additional exegetical work laid out at the end of each psalm. Also, Lawson has outlined each chapter; this is very helpful.

Good solid Biblical scholarship written from a conservative viewpoint, balancing Biblical truth with life-focused application. Very helpful for pastors and lay Bible teachers and Sunday School leaders.

What a fantastic volume. David wrote most of these Psalms - about 3,000 years ago and they still meet our expectations for joy, for wonder, for worship! They thrill us!