The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary, Psalms 1-50

The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary #2

by Christopher Ash

Commentary from Christopher Ash Sets Out a Deeply Christian Study of Psalms 1–50

While reading Psalms, it is common for commentaries to focus on Old Testament meaning, without connecting it deeply to Christ’s fulfillment in the New Testament. By studying Scripture this way, believers miss out on the fullness of God’s word. The key to experiencing authentically Christian worship is learning a Christ-focused approach to praying and singing the Psalms.

In this thorough commentary, Christopher Ash provides a careful treatment of Psalms 1–50, examining each psalm’s significance to David and the other psalmists, to Jesus during his earthly ministry, and to the church of Christ in every age. Ash includes introductory quotations, a deep analysis of the text’s structure and vocabulary, and a closing reflection and response, along with selected quotations from older readings of the Psalms. Perfect for pastors, Bible teachers, and students, this commentary helps readers sing and pray the Psalms with Christ in view.

Exhaustive: Christopher Ash’s exegesis explores how the Psalms are quoted and echoed throughout the New Testament
Applicable and Heartfelt: Explains how a Christ-centered approach to reading the Psalms influences doctrines of prayer, prophecy, the Trinity, ecclesiology, and more
Ideal for Pastors and Serious Students of Scripture: Written for Bible teachers, Sunday school and youth leaders, and small-group leaders

Genres: Christian

736 pages, Hardcover

Published July 9, 2024

About the author

Christopher Ash works for the Proclamation Trust in London as director of the Cornhill Training Course. He is also writer in residence at Tyndale House in Cambridge, and is the author of several books, including Out of the Storm: Grappling with God in the Book of Job and Teaching Romans. He is married to Carolyn and they have three sons and one daughter.

Reviews

[Faith Key · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of the best things i've ever read - the end

[Danny Daugherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. An excellent pastoral commentary on the first fifty Psalms, with particular attention to how Christ is present in each and every Psalm- the righteous man of Psalm 1, 15, and 24, the anointed Son of Psalm 2, the suffering King of Psalm 3-10, the resurrected death-defeater of Psalm 16, the suffering sin-bearer of Psalm 22 and 32, and on. Deeply helpful for my personal study, meditation, and enjoyment of the Psalms.

[Jonathan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb resource that is wonderful for devotions (showing you Christ and challenging the heart). It is also a great addition to sermon preparation as it adds canonical, Christologocal and historical insights.
A masterpiece.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed with this volume. Overall I felt like it was bloated with lots of incredibly rich quotes and lacking in exegesis. I also felt like Ash's interpretation was repetitive and even mechanical at times. There is almost no interpretation at the time of composition (apart from a statement on what others say), and nearly every Psalm ends with the same explanation of how we can interpret it through the Totus Christus hermeneutic.

This is good for devotional use, but not sufficient for serious study and preaching.

[Craig Dorrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic commentary. Ash does brilliantly in examining the Christ-centred nature of the Psalms, and how they can be applied to the modern Church today and throughout history.

He also gives important information on the OT background and context of the Psalms and does not ignore this important part.

And I enjoyed how packed it was with quotes from the reformers and church fathers.

[Neil Burleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been using this commentary for personal devotions as I study through the Psalms. The format is well suited to devotional use or light study. A knowledge of Hebrew or an extremely technical background is not necessary to appreciate this resource.

I appreciate Ash's perspective as he seeks to bring a christological reading back into Psalms interpretation, which has been a neglected perspective from most commentaries in the last century or two. Their focus has been almost exclusively on the historical-grammatical context of the writing, but the prophetic element has been largely neglected. On the other hand, commentators from the church fathers through the reformers took the christological approach almost uniformly.

While a return to this perspective is refreshing, there are times where it feels like a bit of a stretch at times to bring Christ and the church into every single Psalm to the near exclusion of its historical context. Nevertheless, when used in conjunction with other sources, it remedies a too frequently omitted interpretive lens.

Overall, I really enjoy this resource, but I am glad to have some other Psalms commentaries to use as well.

[Frank Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

The breadth that the author accomplished in his full commentary on the Psalms is impressive. He is also consistent in seeking (and demonstrating) his proposed Christ-Centered approach. I am very happy to praise these book based on these two characteristics. For me, the reading of the commentaries is not at the same level as other books I have read from the author. The discussion on the Psalms seems to be more like one would expect from an Encyclopaedia as the carefully explains the meaning of the original Hebrew words or phrases. To me, it has made the reading considerably dryer than I would have hoped.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've used this book in my devotions at various points over the last 6 months. I've enjoyed the exposition, the Christ-centred focus and the application points for each psalm. I look forward to doing the same with volumes 3 & 4 in due course.

[Kevin Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine companion to the Psalms. Not the most rigorous, technical, or deep commentary, but his consistently Christ-centered approach with the barrage of quotations from his supporting cast is always edifying.