Treasuring the Psalms is a guide to how to read one of the most heavily referenced books of the Old Testament. The book is written from an American Evangelical Christian perspective, and so has a different emphasis perhaps that those more used to Roman or Orthodox usage. That said, it does guide you through understanding how the Psalms were brought together, why the structure is the way it is, the historical events which surrounded the writer of a given psalm. The author then goes on to discuss how we can interpret the Psalms in the light of Jesus Christ and how they may be prophetic, how we can reflect on the Psalms ourselves and how we can apply the to our own lives.

The Psalms as we usually know them are as translations from Hebrew and as such there have been decisions about which meaning to apply. The author does reference certain words in the Hebrew text to illustrate this point as to provide a deeper and more nuanced interpretation. This is however an introduction text and one that encourages further study. The author has provided discussion questions at the end of each chapter which could be used individually or as part of a study group.

Overall an interesting book and a rounded introduction to the topic.

This book outlines the Psalms and offers insights into their history, context, theology, and application. The structure of the analysis was well-organized and therefore easy to follow. I look forward to reading through Psalms again with new information to consider. I thought the book ended too soon because I wanted more analyses, but realize that contributes to a well-deserved five-star rating. This book is excellent as a stand-alone for folks reading Psalms for the first or hundredth time, or it may be used to supplement a Psalms Bible study/Sunday school/small group study. I am reading 2 Samuel and this absolutely enriches my understanding of David’s life.

Thank you to NetGalley and IVP Academic for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Ian J. Vaillancourt does a beautiful job of guiding you through a deeper study of the book of Psalms so that you too may treasure the Psalms in a whole new way. As a Christian who reads through the Psalms daily, I enjoyed how he broke it down into three sections, Canonically, Christologically, and personally. By focusing on the Psalms in this way we study not only through David's eyes, but also as it pertains to our Savior, as well as us personally.
The book of Psalms reveals to us the majesty and magnitude of God's power, who Christ is, and His beautiful purpose to call a people to Himself. I would recommend this book to anyone who desires to know God in a deeper way, I guarantee it will cause you to joyfully worship our Lord and Savior and treasure the Psalms as they were intended..