Preaching and Teaching the Psalms

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dec 2006 by Bluedorn, Wolfgang

Preaching and Teaching the Psalms. By James L. Mays. Ed. Patrick D. Miller and Gene M. Tucker. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006, ix 189 pp., $19.95 paper.

This edition of important previously published essays and articles and unpublished congregational lectures and sermons represents much of James L. Mays's work on the Psalms written for a general audience. The editors have chosen eight significant essays published between 1990 and 2006 along with thirteen previously unpublished congregational lectures and sermons to draw a picture of Mays's contributions to the believing academy, pastors, and lay people.

The first section, "Studying the Psalms," contains six reprinted essays mainly from Festschriften, some of which are now out of print, along with a selection of previously unpublished congregational lectures on prayer-psalms. These essays assume a theologically informed audience, while many observations are more edifying in nature. Therefore one can not expect either a theological discussion or an exhortative sermon; the essays contain both these elements, though both on a rather superficial level. Most essays in this section depart from a theological theme and consider it throughout the psalms to rather different degrees. Hence, for example, while Mays's considerations on the structure of the psalms appear rather shallow, his reflections on the self in the psalms are more developed. Along this line, Mays's research of past theological literature and two brief bibliographies supplementing two essays have unfortunately not been updated by the editors, so that important publications and even revised editions of books mentioned that have been published after the first publication of the reprinted essay have not been incorporated. Nevertheless, Mays's outlook on prospective issues in the studies of the Psalms continues to be valuable even ten years after its first publication.

In the second section, "Interpreting the Psalms," the editors have included Mays's reflections on theological issues like Christian prayer, God's mercy, God's reign (Psalm 8; 22; 23; 51; 103; 133), Christ's advent (Psalm 24; 82; and 98), and their applications to the believer. As these essays address a general audience in a congregation, their style is rather sermonic in nature. The limited space devoted to each psalm forbids a detailed exegesis or scholarly discussion. Instead, Mays includes personal experiences with the psalms and so challenges believers in their own Christian life. Hence, while the applications may appear pious, they often lack firm basis in the preached psalm. In some cases, one may even use other psalms and still apply the same message to the believer.

Seven devotions on selected psalms (Psalm 1; 9:19; 13; 51:13; 98; 100; 142) Mays apparently gave in different churches on the occasion of liturgical festivals (e.g. advent, lent) complete the book with the third section, entitled "Preaching the Psalms." Since these devotions are rather short (no sermon is longer than three pages), they can only reflect briefly on one or two issues and apply them to the audience.

The book is directed at a general Christian audience and useful for praying, preaching, and teaching selected psalms. While its title assumes an introduction or a guide for preaching and teaching the psalms, the reprinted essays give an overview of Mays's studies on some of the psalms, and the congregational lectures and sermons give examples of taught and preached psalms. Christian believers will discover the treated psalms afresh for their personal faith, pastors will pick up new ideas as they preach the psalms even in the liturgical year, and lecturers, who are also concerned about the spiritual formation of their students, will gather new suggestions as they preach, teach, and guide their students in using the psalms and applying them to their own lives.

Wolfgang Bluedorn

ECWA Theological Seminary, Jos, Nigeria