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216 Book Reviews

Patrick D. Miller of the . Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013. Pp. xiv + 116. $25.00.

Patrick Miller has consistently provided solid biblical studies. The material in this book was adapted from Miller’s Stone Lectures presented at Princeton Theological Seminary in October 2010. There is no intention or attempt at deal- ing with the whole book of Psalms. As Miller notes, “Because this book arises out of the Stone Lectures . . ., it is in ways more probing than comprehensive or systematic, spotting places where theological issues arise and are addressed, but not in itself a full of the Psalms.” (p. xii) Nonetheless, it is amazing how much of the Psalter has been considered in this relatively brief study. Chapter One is entitled “The Reality of God.” The beginning point is Psalm 14 (=53) which declares with its opening verse: “Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’” Miller reflects on the way “fools” and the “wicked” act out their belief that there is no God in uncaring or unjust ways. He cites a number of different psalms, but especially does he consider Psalm 22 (a psalm to which he returns numerous times in later chapters). The experience of seeming abandonment frequently voiced in the many psalms of “lament” or “petition” make clear “that the large human questions about the reality, existence, and presence of God are not a modern phenomenon. From the beginning they were deeply present in the midst of the community of .” (p. 7) But there is a “counterperspec- tive” which involves not only what humans may know about God but what God may know—or seek to know—about humans, namely how do people act out their commitment to God. The “knowledge of God” is carefully and thoughtfully explored (pp. 10-16). “God among the Gods” is the title of Chapter Two. Psalm 82 provides the starting point. In this remarkable and unique psalm yhwh, the Lord, the God of Israel is pictured as a member of a council of deities which share common responsibilities with respect to the world. This was a common notion in the ancient world (pp. 18-19). Psalm 82, however, describes “confrontation and conflict” between yhwh and the “gods” which lead to the condemnation of the “gods” for their failure to uphold justice (82:2-3, pp. 20-21). The conflict is finally resolved by the implicit claim that yhwh will rule over the “gods of the nations” thereby suggesting that the reality of God “is open to complexity and differentiation, to continuity and discontinuity, while also claiming and insisting on unity and order” (p. 21). Miller notes that “There is only one Lord of the universe, and the claim to be the only one rests upon this God’s insis- tence on a justice-shaped universe.” (p. 28) According to Psalm 82 “the gods

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���4 | doi 10.1163/18712207-12341287 Book Reviews 217 died because they did not sustain a world where justice and deliverance for the weak and the needy could be maintained.” (p. 28) Miller concludes that this matter is present in every issue: “Psalm 82 says God wants to be judged precisely on these grounds, as it concludes: ‘Rise up, O God, judge the earth.’ Maybe this is the most important text in the . If not, it may be the most disturbing.” (p. 28) In Chapter Three Miller considers “The Body of God” or “God-Talk in the Psalms.” He chose five categories to explore. In “Body Language for God” the major concern is with the “face” of God. Psalms 27, 42, 44, 91, and 94 receive the most attention. With respect to “God’s Name” Psalm 22 is again of special interest. In Miller’s third category, “God’s Voice and Speech,” Psalms 18, 22, 29 and 85 provide insight. In dealing with the issues of “God in Relation to Space and Time” Psalm 132 serves as the beginning, but numerous other psalms are noted as well. Finally, “God and Temporality,” the fifth subtopic, is explored by careful attention to Psalms 90 and 102. At the conclusion of this chapter Miller reflects upon “the resonances of all of this with the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.” (p. 45) “The revelation of God in Jesus Christ is the Yea and Amen to all that the Psalms tell us of the person of God in and with us, seen and seeing, named and naming, speaking and listening, here and there, now and forever.” (p. 46) Chapter Four, entitled “Maker of and Earth,” reflects upon the constant affirmation of the role of God as Creator and Ruler of the universe. A number of psalms are touched upon, but Psalms 8, 103 and 104 are espe- cially important. Miller establishes that in the psalms God’s creative activity never ends. In sustaining life the act of divine creation continues. (pp. 48-50) Psalms 8 and 104 present different views of the created order, but both “speak truthfully, wisely, and pedagogically about the place of the human in God’s created order.” (p. 50) Miller concludes that the psalms give “powerful testi- mony to the work of God in creation.” Further “the creative power of God never ceases and God’s providential care is a part of the never-ending making of heaven and earth” which includes “the compassionate deliverance of the weak and the bowed down, the slave and the poor.” (p. 59) “To Glorify Your Name” is the topic of Chapter Five. Miller notes with appre- ciation ’s recognition that “the praises of Israel as found in the Psalms are the biblical articulation of how human beings are to express the glory of God and the joy of God’s presence.” (p. 61) But it is insufficient to understand the Palms as only the human response to the Lord’s actions. Rather, the psalms suggest that “the activity of God is often, if not primarily, initiated by the prior word of human prayers.” (p. 62) Miller turns to Psalm 86 to explore this point. This psalm uses a specific “grace formula” found in six

Horizons in 36 (2014) 199-223