On 26 June 2022, I had the honor and joy of proclaiming God’s word from Psalm 102 at Bay Ridge Christian Church (BRCC) in Annapolis, MD—the church I attended during the season of my undergraduate studies at St. John’s College.

Bret Hicks, the lead pastor at BRCC and a mentor of mine, is on sabbatical, and the elders of the church have been preaching a series on the Book of Psalms with an emphasis on the practice of prayer. It is in that context that I was invited to give an exposition of Psalm 102.

Video Recording

You can hear and watch the sermon on Psalm 102 here (starting around 45:12 in the video):

If you would like a manuscript, please contact me.

Bibliography

Sources Directly Contributing to the Content and Form of the Sermon

• Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms: A Translation and Commentary. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2007.
• Brueggemann, Walter. “The Costly Loss of Lament.” Pages 98–11 in The Psalms: The Life of Faith. Edited by Patrick D. Miller. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1995. Originally in JSOT 36 (1986): 57–71. (My exposition is in part an argument against Brueggemann’s positions.)
• deClaissé-Walford, Nancy, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth Laneel Tanner. The Book of Psalms. NICOT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014.
• Futato, Mark D. Interpreting Psalms: An Exegetical Handbook. HOTE. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2007.
• ———. “Psalms.” Pages 341–55 in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: The Gospel Promised. Edited by Miles V. Van Pelt. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016.
• Gerstenberger, Erhard S. Psalms, Part 2, and Lamentations. FOTL 15. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001.
• Longman, Tremper, III. How to Read the Psalms. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1988.
• Miller, Paul E. J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019.
• Motyer, J. Alec “Psalms.” Pages 484–582 in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. Alec Motyer, and G. J. Wenham. 4th ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVasrity, 1994.
• Vroegop, Mark. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019.
• Waltke, Bruce K., James M. Houston, and Erika Moore. The Psalms as Christian Lament: A Historical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014.
• Westermann, Claus. Praise and Lament in the Psalms. Translated by Keith R. Crim and Richard N. Soulen. Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1981.

Sources Indirectly Contributing to My Preparation

• Brownback, Lydia. Sing a New Song: A Woman’s Guid to the Psalms. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017.
• Fokkelman, J. P. Reading Biblical Poetry: An Introductory Guide. Translated by Ineke Smit. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
• Gregory of Nyssa, Tractatus in Psalmorum Inscriptiones (PG 44.434–608).
• Guthrie, George H. “Hebrews.” Pages 919–95 in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Edited by G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007.
• VanGemeren, Willem A. Psalms. REBC 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.
• Vermigli, Peter (Martyr). Sacred Prayers Drawn from the Psalms. Translated and edited by John Patrick Donnelly. Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies 34. Kirksville, MO: Truman State University Press, 1996.
• Waltke, Bruce K. “Christ in the Psalms.” In The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson, edited by Robert L. Penny, 26–46. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008.

Recommended Resources

Big Ideas. Bekah and I have been reading Vroegop’s Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, which I highly recommend for devotational reading in general—let alone for someone who is about to preach a sermon from a lament psalm. Vroegop’s investigation of the lament-psalms and the Book of Lamentations goes beyond a formal analysis in an effort to revive the practice of biblical lament for churches and individuals.

Introductions. As I noted in a previous post for my sermon on Psalm 90, I appreciate Futato’s overview of the Psalms in the van Pelt’s Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament, and I would recommend it to anyone thinking through how a particular psalm fits into the context of the Psalter and the Bible as a whole.

Commentaries. I consulted some technical commentaries, and the most influential for this particular sermon on a lament psalm was Houston’s reception-historical work and Waltke’s commentary in Waltke, Houston, and Moore’s Psalms as Christian Lament. The volume has a good balance, and while I do not agree with Waltke across the board, I find him consistently insightful and edifying. Note that this volume is not a commentary on the whole Psalter (it has chapters on Pss 5, 6, 7, 32, 38, 39, 44, 102, 130, 143), nor is it only a line-by-line commentary. It is something of a monograph combined with a commentary. It has a wealth of thoughtful reflection on the selected psalms’ effect and reception in the history of the church, as well as good technical discussions of their form and language.