James W. Sire, Praying the Psalms of Jesus (Downers Grove: IVP, 2007), 222 Pps., $16.00
James W. Sire (Ph.D., University of Missouri), formerly a senior editor at InterVarsity Press, is a frequent guest lecturer at colleges and universities in the United States and Europe. He has written many books and Bible studies, most of which are available from IVP. The current title under review attempts to demonstrate how the psalms that relate closely to the mission of Jesus can also become our answering speech. The central thesis of this book is that the psalms give us insight into God himself. Indeed, through the psalms we come to know both who God is, and who we are. The studies in this book continue the method first set forth by Sire in his Learning to Pray Through the Psalms. In the course of these pages, Sire pointedly examines nine different psalms, their relation to Jesus, and their fulfillment in Jesus. Sire lists five different goals in relation to this book, all of which are laudable: to learn what the psalms say about prayer, to learn to pray the psalmist’s words, to develop corporate prayer from the psalms, to explicate more fully the heart of Jesus as he prayed the psalms, and to suggest how by praying the psalms of Jesus, one can gain insight into humanity of our Lord.
Sire makes a bold assertion that every psalm is a psalm of Jesus (10), as each one of them undoubtedly was filtered through his mind via training in his youth. In fact, he is recorded as using the psalms more than any other Old Testament book. It’s not surprising, then, that at key moments in his life on earth, Jesus of Nazareth turned to the psalms for words to express his deepest thoughts and emotions. Fortunately for us, in the psalms, we too have a voice from eternity (12). As Sire acknowledges, it is not hard to foresee Jesus, his mind and heart saturated with the words and thoughts of the psalms, going off early in the morning to pray. In so doing, they became his answering speech to his heavenly Father. Sire forthrightly states that his desire for his readers is to inculcate the psalms Jesus used into their lives as well, making the psalms their answering speech back unto God.
Sire begins the journey into the mind of Christ by immersing readers into several psalms which Jesus himself refers to and fulfills (e.g. 22, 110, 118, 2, and 69). Within the second half of the book, entitled ‘The Psalms in Jesus’, several psalms that Jesus would have meditated upon are examined. The psalms in the second half of the book, though not typically considered messianic in orientation, all focus upon the heart and mind of Jesus (e.g. 29, 23, 45, and 80). Structural analysis of each psalm helps the reader to grow in their ability to read the Psalms. The guided personal prayer liturgy included within each chapter helps one go deeper in the experience of praying the Psalms.
Although every one of the mentioned psalms is analyzed according to its distinctives, there are some general patterns of exegesis that one ca note from Sire’s analyses. I will note five, which are applicable not only to the genre of psalms, but also to biblical interpretation in general: that one must read each psalm in context, the relation of each psalm to its author, the relation of each psalm to its community, its place in the life of Jesus, and its place in the life of readers today. Whereas most of the book focuses upon private reading and private prayer, each chapter also includes a guide for group study and includes a ‘directed prayer’ experience that is to function as a means to focus the thoughts and yearnings of the group, which should generate closer fellowship within the members of the group. The intended audiences are people interested in spiritual formation, people engaged in personal bible study, people interested in prayer or prayer ministry, and small group leaders. As such, I heartily recommend this title for both private devotional usages, as well as corporate study groups at local churches.
Bradford McCall
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA