Exploring Psalms, Volume 2

John Phillips Commentary

by John Phillips

Books in the John Phillips Commentary Series are designed to provide pastors, Sunday school teachers, and students of the Scripture with doctrinally sound interpretation that emphasizes the practical application of Bible truth. Working from the familiar King James Version, Dr. Phillips not only provides helpful commentary on the text, but also includes detailed outlines and numerous illustrations and quotations. Anyone wanting to explore the meaning of God's Word in greater depth--for personal spiritual growth or as a resource for preaching and teaching--will welcome the guidance and insights of this respected series.

704 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2002

About the author

Dr. John Phillips was born in Britain. He served in the British Army in Palestine where he saw many of the events which led to the birth of the State of Israel. After the War he joined the Bank of Montreal and went to Canada. In the Canadian north-west he founded and pastored a small church in a bi-vocational capacity. He served as assistant director of the Moody Bible Institute's Correspondence School and became well known as a Bible teacher in the Moody Evening School and over the Moody Radio Network. For four years he directed the Emmaus Correspondence School, one of the largest in the world at that time with courses available in over 100 languages. Returning to Moody Bible Institute he traveled widely as an itinerant Bible teacher for the Institute's Extension Ministry. He is best known for his EXPLORING and INTRODUCING books. He has written on all the New Testament books and on numerous Old Testament books including EXPLORING GENESIS, EXPLORING PSALMS (2 vols), EXPLORING PROVERBS (2 vols) and EXPLORING THE MINOR PROPHETS. Dr. Phillips' resources have been the companions of pastors, teachers and Bible students everywhere who have turned to them for instruction, illumination, and illustration.

Reviews

[Jamie Pennington · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is a bit opinionated and behind the times. At times I found his own personal opinions shopanistic and biased.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023: Enjoyed a reread of John Phillips commentary as a companion to my walk through the Psalms…it’s truly a gem!

2006: Excellent

[Mark Uncommon Valor]

Although The Title of this psalm declares it a psalm of David, some scholars have challenged that. They say the psalm contains a number of Chaldean expressions, so David could not have written it ; it must have been written at a much later date than David's day. In that case, where did the title come from ?

Why should we assume that David had no contact with Chaldea ? Wasn't his empire a phenomenon that would interest other great powers like Egypt, Assyria, Babylon ? Didn't his kingdom stand astride the most important trade routes of the ancient world ? Wasn't Israel at one end of the Fertile Cresent and Chaldea at the other end ? Hadn't Abraham himself come from Chaldea ? Wouldn't the Chaldeans want to establish diplomatic relations with this new power in the west, if for no other reason, to insure the safety of their caravans ? Why should David not know some Chaldean words, supposedly of Chaldean orgin ( 139:3,4,8,and 20 ), are found in earlier books of the Bible written before the days of David, books like Leviticus and 1 Samuel. So why not let David have the credit for this psalm ?

The writer is obviously a poetic genius and a man who knew and loved God. God is referred to by name six times and by personal pronoun thirty times. The psalmist refers to himself fifty times. It is a song of profound spiritual experience. All such experience is, by its nature, personal and intimate . . . the engagement of a soul with God.

by John Phillips : Intro. to Psalm 139 commentary.