Anders Max - Holman Old Testament Commentary Psalms 76-150

T o
Samara Preacher's Institute
and
Samara Theological Seminary
Samara, Russia
May God give
the Russian church
a new generation
of biblical expositors
who preach the Word.
Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.
Psalm 119:89 (NKJV)

Today's church hungers for Bible teaching, and Bible teachers hunger for resources to guide them in teaching God's Word. The Holman Old Testament Commentary provides the church with the food to feed the spiritually hungry in an easily digestible format. The result: new spiritual vitality that the church can readily use.

Bible teaching should result in new interest in the Scriptures, expanded Bible knowledge, discovery of specific scriptural principles, relevant applications, and exciting living. The unique format of the Holman Old Testament Commentary includes sections to achieve these results for every Old Testament book.

Opening quotations stimulate thinking and lead to an introductory illustration and discussion that draw individuals and study groups into the Word of God. Verse-by-verse commentary interprets the passage with the aim of equipping them to understand and live God's Word in a contemporary setting. A conclusion draws together the themes identified in the passage under discussion and suggests application for it. Bible teachers and pastors will find the teaching outline helpful as they develop lessons and sermons.

Some of the major psalms are given additional treatment. A Life Application section provides additional illustrative material. Deeper Discoveries gives the reader a closer look at some of the words, phrases, and background material that illuminate the passage. Issues for Discussion is a tool to enhance learning within the group. Finally, a closing prayer is suggested.

It is the editors' prayer that this new resource for local church Bible teaching will enrich the ministry of group, as well as individual, Bible study and that it will lead God's people truly to be people of the Book, living out what God calls us to be.

I want to express publicly my deepest appreciation for several people who have made invaluable contributions to this second volume of the Psalms. Without them, this commentary would not be what it is.

First, I want to thank Julie Riley, who personally typed this entire manuscript. She has done this tirelessly and cheerfully as an expression of her deep devotion to Jesus Christ. Without her faithful efforts, this book would not be in your hands. Her commitment to this work has been unwavering.

Second, I want to thank a small group of people who have proofread this manuscript with a careful eye. I especially want to thank Thad Key, Karl Allen, Ben Stubblefield, Laurie Gibson, Beth Lamey, and Justin Hughes.

Third, I want to thank Steve Bond, my editor at Broadman & Holman. He has provided seasoned editing and skilled oversight for this commentary. Fourth, I want to thank Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. They have heard me preach the Psalms in an abandoned warehouse, in a senior center, in a gymnasium, and in our new church sanctuary. They have been a model congregation, both hungry for the Word and humble before the Lord. No pastor ever had a more godly and supportive flock than I have in them. Pick up their well-worn Bibles, which by now open automatically to the Psalms, and you will discover my sermon outlines and their notes written in the margins of the Psalms.

Finally, I must thank my wife, Anne, and my four children, Andrew, James, Grace Anne, and John, who have sat on the front pew of our church and heard me preach virtually every one of these psalms. Except for the time my twin boys were away at college, my family has not missed a week of my preaching the Psalms over the last four years. I started expositing the Psalms when my boys entered college; and although they have now graduated, I am still preaching weekly, verse by verse, through this great book. My own family's excitement for the preaching of the Psalms has greatly encouraged me in its ongoing series. I am a blessed man.

Most of all, I must thank the divine Author of the Psalms, God himself, who has granted me this extraordinary privilege to preach the Psalms and write this commentary. May the unrivaled glory of God as revealed in the Psalms be unveiled before your eyes as you read this book, resulting in much honor being given to him.

Soli deo gloria
Steven J. Lawson