The Vitality of Worship: A Commentary on the Book of Psalms

The Psalms have been central to Jewish and Christian tradition and spirituality across the centuries. In them people of all times and places have found echoes of their own experiences, whether of praise or perplexity, certainty or doubt, quiet assurance or agonized questioning. This commentary on the book of Psalms by Robert Davidson seeks to show how a knowledge of the place the Psalms originally had in the worship of ancient Israel enables them to come alive in worship within believing communities today. Taking primarily a theological approach to the Psalms, Davidson looks at each numbered Psalm in turn, discussing its relationship to the other Psalms, its message according to its original context, and its enduring theological significance. Davidson's special concern to highlight the continuing relevance of the Psalms for worship -- in ancient times and now. According to Davidson, when we recognize in the Psalms their reflections of our own life experiences, they can be significantly more helpful to our private spiritual lives and our public worship than many of the hymnbooks currently being used. In drawing on contemporary worship sources, both Jewish and Christian, this excellent commentary will appeal as much to general readers and worship leaders as to scholars, students, and pastors. - Publisher.