Reformation Commentary of the Bible: Old Testament Volume XIII--Psalms 73-150

Reformation Commentary of the Bible: Old Testament Volume XIII--Psalms 73-150 

Edited by Herman J. Selderhuis

IVP Academic

ISBN 978-0-8308-2958-3

This book is part of a larger study called the Reformation Commentary on Scripture. In each of these studies, the editors attempt to go back to the original source material of the Reformation, and then put different Reformation ministers and theologians side by side in their take on a specific passage of Scripture. 

The Reformation Commentary on Scripture has four goals:

• Renewing contemporary Biblical interpretation by bringing to light Reformation era interpretation
• Strengthening contemporary preaching through exposure to biblical insights of Reformation writers
• Deepening understanding of the Reformation and the breadth of perspectives represented within it
• Advancing Christian scholarship in the fields of historical, biblical, theological, and pastoral studies (xvi-xix)

This particular commentary is on the second half of Psalms (roughly), covering books three, four and five of the Psalms. There is another RCB commentary that covers Psalms 1-72. This particular collection is edited by Herman Selderhuis, a church history professor in the Netherlands with particular expertise in the Reformation. 

The Psalms offer a unique role in Scripture. They are primarily the songbook and prayer book of the Bible. Yet, they also are often quoted by Jesus and Paul, both as prophetic of the Christ, and as essential to the development of Christian theology. Editor Herman Selderhuis addresses both these issues wisely in his introduction, allowing for and identifying the diversity of approaches to the Psalms, and including all of them to speak through the excerpts in different ways and at different times. 

I have grown to love the Psalms, so for me, it was interesting to see how different interpreters read different individual psalms during the Reformation era. Here are a few of the things I enjoyed learning:

• In their study of Psalm 100
• Luther contends that Psalm 100 is a prophecy of Christ
• Calvin uses the exhortation to joy to say that the joy is a result of spiritual regeneration
• Other lesser known commentaries speak about the centrality of praise and adoration of God as we enter worship
• In Psalm 119, commentary can, in part, lean toward the value of Scripture, and conversations about the doctrine of Scripture in the Reformation
• In the Psalms of ascent, I was delighted to read words like 'beauty" and :"majesty", because they are both focusing on worship and engaging the aesthetic nature of biblical literature in poetry
• In all of these commentaries, it is nice to see the ease of moving between theological and pastoral concerns

 All in all, I would recommend grabbing this and reading it at times, both for ministry, but even for devotional help as one prays through the Psalms and seeks pathways of deeper prayer as one does so.