Have you stopped and listened to a Christian hymn or worship song recently? Did it sound any different? Richer? Fuller? Sweeter? As we all look into an uncertain future together, wise Christians will keep turning to truth-filled music to vent our fears and strengthen our faith and renew our hearts with the faithfulness of God. … More The Sweetening of All Our Songs
Sometimes a gift grows on you. Several years ago, after I completed a dissertation on the Psalms, a friend gave me a small hardback copy of the Psalter. It wasn’t fancy or expensive. But over the years, it’s become one of the best gifts I’ve ever received—a book for prayer more than reading—because now, more than … More 5 Reasons Pastors Need the Psalms
I never imagined I’d be sloshing through two feet of brown floodwater in our church building two weeks after my installation service and three months after we moved to Houston. But there I was this past Friday, with my brother Mike, kayaking across the parking lot and gliding through the glass doors and then wading … More Singing in the Rain
Last night I went for a walk along the bayou near our street, trying to decompress and straighten out my mind. There, in the humid twilight of a Houston summer night, I found myself in a familiar place: struggling to pray. It’s not that there’s too little to pray about; if anything, there’s too much. … More When You Don’t Have a Prayer
The following is the manuscript of a sermon I preached at Fellowship Church in Louisville, Kentucky (audio here). Psalm 78:1-8 (ESV) 1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of … More Lesson and Legacy: Tell the Coming Generation (Sermon from Psalm 78:1-8)
For a kaleidoscope of reasons, we often assume that lament implies doubt. We assume that crying out to God in our pain is somehow an inherent indictment against his character and our faith. We’re fearful or ashamed of expressing our frustrations, our complaints, and our sorrows to him — for a tapestry of reasons that … More Trusting God Enough to Lament
Every generation of Christians must study and apply the Scriptures afresh in order to hear the voice of God speaking by his Spirit to his church through his Word. Wisdom does not neglect past interpreters, teachers, and authors; we lean on them for insight and wisdom as we dialogue with the dead. But we must always “bake … More Book Review: A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 3 (90-150) by Allen Ross
Occasionally I post responses to questions I receive from my students or other readers. Here’s my answer to a question that came by email recently. Student Question: When David is lamenting his pursuers and the dangers he’s facing, are we to interpret those only as human enemies, or can we apply the idea to the workings … More The Enemies in the Psalms (Student Question)
A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89) (Kregel Academic, 2013) is the second installment in Allen Ross‘s multi-volume commentary on the Psalter in the Kregel Exegetical Library series. Ross currently serves as Professor of Divinity in Old Testament at Beeson Divinity School. This second volume covers Books II-III of the Psalter (42-89). Ross introduces each psalm with … More A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89) by Allen Ross (Review)
How are you shaped ethically? What experiences nuance your beliefs and behaviors? What factors determine your rights and wrongs, creating your categories of good, bad, and ugly? I am convinced that everything we experience shapes us. What we see, what we hear, what we feel — everything. Human beings are a startling blend of two … More Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Review)
The Psalms are the pulse of the saints. The Psalter expresses the peaks and valleys of God’s people throughout the centuries, mapping the landscape of our lives and echoing the rhythm of our hearts. What would Christians do without the Psalms? The Psalter is the only God-breathed hymnbook, and it’s as magisterial as we might … More The Case for the Psalms by N. T. Wright (Review)
davidagundersen.com 