Singing in the Reign: The Psalms and the Liturgy of God's Kingdom

by Michael Patrick Barber

Christians know the Psalms, sing the Psalms, and pray the Psalms more than any other book of the Bible. Yet, even as believers have grown more devoted to individual psalms, they have lost the big picture-the single sense that unites all the psalms as one coherent book. Michael Barber is at the forefront of an emerging movement in biblical theology. With this book, he is recovering the narrative plot that was the common heritage of Jews and Christians in the ancient world. Barber shows how King David serves as an example for the chosen people as they struggled in exile. As David was rescued by the Lord, so would Israel be restored as a kingdom for all ages. This is the story of Christ as well, whom Barber reveals as the "new David." And, in Christ, it is the story of every Christian. The Psalms bring us-in our reading and in our prayer-from suffering and pleading to glory, triumph, and praise. Barber's analysis follows upon an extensive introduction by Scott Hahn, Ph.D., detailing the historical, cultural, and theological background of the Psalter.

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Theology, Scripture

188 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Joseph R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Singing in the Reign: The Psalms and the Liturgy of God's Kingdom gives the reader a theology of the Psalms focused on the Davidic covenant and the longing for the restoration of Israel. The Psalms reflect the understanding and expectations of God's people throughout salvation history. First, the author looks at the covenants God made with Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David. Second, he shows David's as the culmination of the Old Testament covenants. David is entrusted to rule God's people. After the kingdom of Israel is divided and exiled, the later Psalms show the longing to return to the Promised Land and to be reunited (the northern kingdom was carried off, never to return; the southern kingdom eventually returned under Persian Emperor Xerxes circa 539 BC). Basically they long for the restoration of David's kingdom. Third, the author gives both a high-level analysis of the entire book of Psalms and a low-level look at the individual Psalms. Finally, he shows how Christ fulfills this desire to see God's kingdom restored. Christ explicitly claims He is restoring the kingdom, though not in the political or military way some expected. His Church is the fulfillment of that kingdom, inviting all nations and peoples to worship the loving Father of the Jewish covenants.

The book is a fairly quick read, though in the introduction Scott Hahn recommends re-reading this book several times to gain greater insight into the Psalms. The book is jam-packed with fascinating ideas that are well-grounded in the Bible and well-reasoned. The emphasis on David's covenant and the restoration of the kingdom is something I hadn't considered before. I've gained new appreciation of what the Psalms are saying and how they fit in to salvation history, a part of which is my own salvation. Finding that relevance is important. Praying the Psalms is not just a corporate act of the Body of Christ or a pleasant-sounding hymn on Sunday, but a real encounter with God, both presenting one's own expectations and listening to God's call for us to come to Him, to love Him as He loves us. Such a give-and-take is made possible by the greater understanding given by books like Michael Barber's Singing in the Reign. I plan to add this book to Thomas More's The Sadness of Christ as spiritual reading for Lent next year.

[Melissa Steadman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Prequel Novela, set 1000 years before the book A Game of Malice and Greed. This starts off the new series by the Twisted Sisters in the kingdom of Osaria. This story follows Kyra and her family in a time before the gods abandoned the world. This little taste of this new fae world has me so ready to jump into A Game of Malice and Greed!

[Matt Candler · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my first introductions to reading the psalms as an organized book. Some good insights in here, and not an overwhelming read, gets your mind in the game in a short amount of time.

[Maximilian Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent when he is talking about the Psalms, but the last third goes on a tangent, whereas the space could have been used better to explain the structure of the Psalms more.

[Henry]

Surprisingly this wasn’t a great resource for the Psalms, but does have helpful discussion of Scott Hahn’s biblical theology, including his helpful understanding of Romans.

[Claire Gilligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good! The first half of the book goes through the themes of the psalter: the overarching themes of the whole thing, those of the five "books" scholars break the psalter into, and aspects of individual important psalms. Definitely an excellently detailed introduction to the psalms, academically rooted without being inaccessible.

The second half of the book addressed the perennial "Why does this matter?" question, connecting the psalms to the theme of God's kingdom in the rest of the Scriptures.

At <200 pages, it's perfect for anyone who wants a taste of a good Catholic understanding of the psalms and their incredible importance!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very insightful commentary on the 150 Psalms. While Barber does not give a full analysis of each specific psalm in this short volume, he does a good job of pointing out themes in the psalter. While the psalms are not necessarily organized in a perfect pattern, he does a good job of pointing out which psalms go together and what general patterns do exist.

While it is a short volume, it did give me good general insight into the book of Psalms. I do the liturgy of the hours, which focuses heavily on the psalms, so this book was very helpful toward that devotion, and I definitely learned a lot from this book.

[Niffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

The author is obviously very knowledgeable and this book is extremely well researched. Some of the book got a little too bogged down in facts and footnotes which detracted from its overall readability.

I suspect that this book is better digested in smaller chunks with a copy of the Psalms close by. I expect I will revisit it in the future.

[Janine Brouillette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first good detailed book that I have read on the Psalms. This is a good read, but I can see myself going back and reading it again with my Bible as a detailed Bible study. Mr.Barber describes how the Psalms are divided into 5 books and some say that "Moses gave Israel the 5 books of Law and David gave Israel the 5 books of Psalms." Each verse and each Psalm is special but seam so much more when read as a whole.

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book filled of inspiration. I couldn't put it down. I really connected with this book and I have taken so much from it and applied into my daily life. Everyone needs to read this at least once. I will be reading it again soon. Excellent writing and insightful words. Thank you for my free copy. This book has been a blessing!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via the Goodreads First Reads program.

I really appreciated this book. It truly shows the beauty of the Psalms. I also loved the way they tied the Psalms with the New Testament.

It was definitely a great read, and worth the time spent reading it.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book, but wasn't ready to read it this summer. It definitely must be read in tandum with the Psalms. I will be revisiting this book.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good addition to the recent study of the Psalms I completed.