©2000, Banner of Truth and Trust, 368 pages in Volume 1 and 294 pages in Volume 2 in paperback.

Our personal and family devotional life is easy to neglect. Studying God’s word is a spiritual battle. Our often over-scheduled lives squeeze out a regular time for reading the Bible. We are too busy with the things of this world-sports, bodily exercise, or watching the latest reality show. Sometimes family devotional life is not developed because we have never seen it practiced in the lives of others and do not know where to begin.

These reprinted volumes can be a great aid for personal and family devotions. Neither the author nor the publisher would desire the reader to primarily read man’s word about the Bible rather than the Bible itself. However, a work such as this can be a rich supplement to one’s study of scripture.

The author, a nineteenth-century English evangelical, has divided the Psalms into easily read portions for study. Comments are provided throughout each section. Chapters are three and four pages in length, allowing more than one chapter to be devoted to one Psalm. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of the verses to be studied.

Psalms is as great book for those lagging in their devotional life to study. Of course it is also an excellent resource from which the Bible student can be ministered to again and again.

Psalms speak to a wide range of life situations. In them, the inspired writers speak from the heart regarding the importance of worship and meditating on God’s word, a lack of understanding of God’s providence, their need for repentance, the recounting of God’s work in history, daily trials, and preparation for one’s deathbed.

The reader is constantly confronted with evil and enmity towards Christians. How is the Christian to respond? We live in a day when the world’s and Satan’s enmity is downplayed. Psalms provides a great antidote.

The Psalms also point us to Christ and his atonement. This is an insight we need to see throughout the Old Testament. Law does a fine job of pointing to Christ throughout his remarks on the various scripture passages.

Law writes simply and sincerely.  He keeps the reader focused on the heart and its relation to Christ. His writing is pointed. The margins of my copies have my notes regarding well stated remarks that I want to remember.

This book provides good encouragement for developing a devotional life in the midst of busy schedules. Passages of scripture are broken into manageable sections. The author’s explanations are easy to grasp, yet full of depth. His comments provide much on which to meditate and apply to one’s life. Although the comments are directed mainly to one’s heart, personal reflection can find many ways to apply these truths to culture and community.

One can use this for personal growth. The same passage can then be used to instruct the family as a whole.

Law writes for the purpose of a believer’s encouragement and sanctification. Readers can expect to profit from the instruction he provides.

Review ©2007 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia