Bruce Waltke, James Houston, and Erika Moore The Psalms as Christian Lament: A Historical Commentary (Eerdmans)

One of the way we demonstrate our lack of immersion in the Psalms is our lack of familiarity with lament, our lack of practice in doing it well and in being comfortable with others lamenting. This book is a wonderful help in reclaiming this biblical practice and thus reconnecting with the church through the ages.

The introduction alone is worth reading as Waltke and Houston treat the reality of suffering, our need for lament and the way the Psalms help us in this area. Then the authors selected 10 psalms, provided exegetical study of them and then paired that study with an investigation of how key voices in the history of the church have dealt with each psalm. Church leaders whose treatment of the Psalms are considered here include Jerome, Gregory of Nyssa, Chrysostom, Augustine, Erasmus, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and others. This is a beautiful example of reading the Bible along with the church through the ages.

I am enjoying this book already and am looking forward to spending more time in it.