Garden Psalms

The deepest desires of the heart are explored through Psalms that teach us lessons of life from the beauty of a garden . . . that help us discover the beacon of guidance from a lighthouse . . . that encourage us to celebrate the wonder of love. The stunning imagery and poetic expressions of the Psalms have inspired and transformed the hearts of countless souls through the centuries. Now Honor Books, the leading publisher of gift devotionals, has added exquisite full-color art and heart-stirring prayers with selections from best-loved Psalms. God has been providing for the daily needs of His children since the Garden of Eden. Readers will find He promises to bless them daily out of His abundance through which they can enjoy the peace and comfort of His presence. Each devotion will give the reader another look at the richness and abundance of living and walking in the will of God.

William Brown introduces a new method of exegesis, particularly for biblical poetry, that attends to the metaphorical contours of the Psalms. His method as proposed and demonstrated in this book supplements traditional ways of interpreting the Psalms and results in a fresh understanding of their original context and contemporary significance.

A Walk Through David’s Garden is a daily devotional that takes you through the book of Psalms with the clear and compelling goal of magnifying the great God of the Bible. Written in an easy-to-read yet theologically sublime style, the devotional will give you a newfound love for God. At the conclusion of each day’s devotion, there is a “word of the day,” which explains a theological concept in your daily reading. For instance, the first word of the day is “righteous,” which the author explains means to conform to a correct standard. He writes, “Men can only be righteous if God makes them so. When anyone believes Jesus Christ the Righteous One, God declares that sinner to be righteous; that is, God declares him to be without guilt. All other paths to righteousness include man’s self-effort and lead to a very dark place.” Gaining a love for the psalms by reading this work will not only feed your soul—it will also cause you to sing a new song to God for all His mighty acts.

Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, scholars have traced out the rich and complex traditions of biblical interpretation in Second Temple Judaism. Little attention has been given to Psalm 80, however. Andrew Streett demonstrates that this psalm, which combines the story of Israel as a vine ravaged by others with hope for a son of God who will restore the peoples fortunes, became a rich trove for eschatological hope. This study traces interpretations of Psalm 80 through many texts and argues that the psalm was an important biblical text through which early Christians understood the Christ event.

In most of these outlines Rev. Dr. Penney has selected a verse or two from each of the 150 Psalms with a view to helping students and Pastors and, indeed, all who preach the Word. They are primarily intended for the preacher but can be used for Bible Studies in the Psalms, either individually or in group situations. They can also be used as daily Bible readings by everyone, and are very valuable for meditation and prayer. A brief introduction to each Psalm is included to give a simple picture of the purpose of each Psalm and the circumstances in which it was written.