The Book of Psalms has a long history in the life of the Church. Whenever I’m super down in the dumps I turn to the Psalms to find comfort and help. I love the cries of the Psalmist for God to help him in the midst of difficulty. The Psalms are raw honest and emotional appeals to the Lord God. Many people struggle with a vocabulary to deal with difficult situations. The Psalms provide the vocabulary for those struggling to articulate how they feel. This is why when I read Dale Ralph Davis book Slogging Along In the Paths of Righteousness I was deeply blessed and helped.
The book considers Psalm 13-24 Psalms that speak to a wide range of issues from anguish, assurance, worship, prayer, and of course, one of the most famous chapters in the Bible Psalm 23. The author engages in sound, helpful, and thoughtful exegesis. As he writes, he helps readers to have language to articulate what the Lord is doing in their lives. Often times in my experience people struggle to articulate what the Lord is doing in their lives when asked. While often times I myself have that problem as well when asked, the more I read the Psalms, the more I see David transparency and honesty. Not that there is anything wrong with saying you don’t know with what the Lord is doing in one’s life. At various times as I noted when asked that question I will say I don’t know. Sometimes this happens when I get discouraged and one of my close friends will ask me what’s going on. I simply tell them I don’t know because I may not know at that time. With that said as I’ve noted already the Psalms give Christians a God-given vocabulary to help have language to use when speaking about God’s work in our lives.
Whether you’re struggling to articulate what the Lord is doing in your life or you’re interested in studying Psalm 13-24 this book has something for you. This excellent book will help you to understand the Psalms better and what they mean for your own life. I highly recommend this commentary on the Psalms and believe it will help every Christian at every stage of their growth in grace to grow in their knowledge of the Word of God.
Title: Slogging Along In The Paths Of Righteousness Psalm 13-24
Author: Dale Ralph Davis
Publisher: Christian Focus (2014)
I received this book for free from Christian Focus for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
