The book of Psalms is a favorite of Christians, even though we frequently read it in portions and pieces, hopscotching through the familiar and avoiding the odd, the unpleasant and the difficult. But though the individual psalms arose from an assortment of times, experiences and settings, the book is composed in a deliberate pattern, not as a random anthology. The meaning of the Psalms is discovered in this pattern and order.

Michael Wilcock has written a sort of travel guide to the Psalms. In the first volume, he invites us to begin our journey through the gateway of Psalms 1 and 2, with their summons to obedience. In the second volume, The Message of Psalms 73--150, he ends with Psalm 150, singing its song of praise. In between we pass through all the "yes, buts" of faith--the conflicts, the burdens, the mysteries and the sufferings of life. In these laments and praises, hymns and liturgies, the Bible continues to speak clearly today.

About the Bible Speaks Today (BST) Series:

Edited by J.A. Motyer and the late John R. W. Stott, the Bible Speaks Today commentaries are characterized by what Stott called a "threefold ideal . . . to expound the biblical text with accuracy, to relate it to contemporary life and to be readable." As such, each contributor in this series is both a noted scholar and a working pastor.

The BST series, now complete, covers all sixty-six books of the bible (Old and New Testaments) in fifty-five volumes. If you preach or teach from Scripture, the Bible Speaks Today series will help you apply the timeless biblical message to the everyday experiences of your listeners. And if you study the Bible on your own, these volumes will be a helpful resource focusing on the significance of God's Word for your own life and work.