James Sire: Praying the Psalms of Jesus
Although every one of the mentioned psalms is analyzed according to its distinctives, there are some general patterns of exegesis that one can note from Sire’s analyses. I will note five, which are applicable not only to the genre of psalms, but also to biblical interpretation in general: that one must read each psalm in context, the relation of each psalm to its author, the relation of each psalm to its community, its place in the life of Jesus, and its place in the life of readers today. Whereas most of the book focuses upon private reading and private prayer, each chapter also includes a guide for group study and includes a ‘directed prayer’ experience that is to function as a means to focus the thoughts and yearnings of the group, which should generate closer fellowship within the members of the group. The intended audiences are people interested in spiritual formation, people engaged in personal bible study, people interested in prayer or prayer ministry, and small group leaders. As such, I heartily recommend this title for both private devotional usages, as well as corporate study groups at local churches.
Reviewed by Bradford McCall
Category: Biblical Studies
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