Jude
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 58, No. 1 – Fall 2015
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
By Gordon Wenham. Wheaton: Crossway, 2013. 208 pages. Paperback, $16.99.
Gordon Wenham’s The Psalter Reclaimed consists of several lectures given from 1997 until 2010. Each chapter deals with important and specific issues in the study of the Psalter. From singing to ethics, Wenham covers key topics, both academic and pastoral, about the book of Psalms.
Wenham begins chapter 1 by asking, “What are we doing singing the Psalms?” (13). He answers that believers are learning theology through self-involvement when singing the hymnbook known as the Psalms. While not attempting to persuade believers to stop meditating on the Psalms quietly, Wenham clearly wants churches to use them as a significant source for corporate singing. Similarly, he argues in chapter 2 that believers should pray the Psalms, just as Jesus and the apostles did. Specifically, Wenham points to the theological and practical importance of praying lament psalms for both private and public settings (45–48).
Turning to currents in research, Wenham works through reading the Psalms canonically in chapter 3. He gives a succinct review of scholarship, including French and German sources. Beyond summary, Wenham argues that a canonical reading provides “a deeper and richer theological reading of the Psalms, one that is especially congenial to the Christian interpreter” (76). While he asks some incisive questions about canonical reading, he does not seek to answer them all. For Wenham, the whole Psalter, the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament function as more important canonical contexts than others (77). Noting the importance of the New Testament, he then deals with messianic reading of the Psalms in chapter 4. Wenham attacks the “assured results” of critical scholarship that lead to a non-messianic reading of the Psalms. Using insights from a canonical reading, he argues that the New Testament authors were not reading the Psalms prophetically, rather the arrangement of the Psalter moves interpretation to a messianic reading (96). He hints that the editors of the Psalter saw a Davidic ruler who would suffer (Ps 22). Thus, there was an original meaning of the lamenter of Psalm 22, but another level of meaning, which is seen in the canonical arrangement, points to a ruler who had not yet appeared (101).
In chapter 5, Wenham wrestles with the often-dismissed topic of ethics in the Psalms. He moves this rather new discussion in Psalms studies forward by arguing that the Psalms are demonstrations of what believers should do. Simply put, believers should be like God (121). Wenham acknowledges that the topic of ethics in the Psalms is only in its beginning stages. This essay, along with his monograph Psalms as Torah (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), is important for the development of subsequent scholarly research. From ethics Wenham moves logically to his next topic, the imprecatory Psalms, in chapter 6. Working his way through the history of interpretation, thankfully Wenham interacts with recent German scholarship, which too often goes unread by students of the Psalms. In short, Wenham finds the imprecatory Psalms helpful for the faithful because the one praying knowingly leaves the authority and action with God. Similar to Zenger, Wenham wants to show believers how the imprecatory psalms are similar to laments and that both of these kinds of psalms have a strong sense of theology and reality. For example, he argues in agreement with Clinton McCann’s work that the cries to God in Psalm 109 are by no means un-Christian or sub-Christian. These imprecatory prayers teach believers to care for one another and bear their burdens.
In chapter 7, Wenham reads Psalm 103 canonically. In doing so, he connects the psalm’s important theme of steadfast love to Exodus 34:6–7. Wenham rightly notes the echoes of Exodus in the literary prophets, such as Jonah and Joel. From these canonical connections, Wenham wants believers today to see the forgiveness Moses and David experienced. To encounter the Lord’s steadfast love, the believer is to obey the Lord (159).
Following his study of Psalm 103, Wenham discusses the role of the nations in the Psalms. Once again employing a canonical reading, he begins the last chapter with important methodological notes. He sees Psalm 2 as critical in the study of the nations. He then works through the rest of the Psalter using Psalm 2 as context for his reading (165). Briefly noting specific psalms throughout his treatment, he shows the nations as impotent armies. The Lord will defeat these nations, and the nations will, in turn, praise the Lord (Ps 148, 150).
The topics of praise and lament pervade this brief work. These topics now become the outline for evaluation of his book. There are numerous reasons Wenham’s work has earned praise. First, he moves the study of the Psalms forward, especially in his study of the ethics of the Psalms. Second, he asks piercing and difficult questions about hermeneutics, even regarding the ways that he himself reads the Psalms. Third, Wenham interacts appropriately with English, French, and German scholarship. Even though there are a number of important works available in English, several notable studies are only accessible in German or French. Fourth, and perhaps surprising to some given the previous point, Wenham’s essays are practical for pastors, students, and the general public. Fifth, and in line with the fourth, he writes with clarity. With that praise, there is some room, albeit small, for lament. In short, Wenham asks innumerable questions, many of which he does not seek to answer. Even though it is understandable that the author cannot work through every question he raises systematically, constant questions with no attempted answers can leave the readers frustrated. This lament, quite like those in the Psalms, soon turns to praise because any frustration experienced by the readers should lead them to research the questions themselves. In sum, this brief work serves as an excellent resource for pastors, teachers, and students to think through major issues in Psalms studies and more importantly to reclaim the Psalter by praying and praising with the Psalms.
