Come and See: David and the Psalms

Because I have been asked to lead a Bible study of David for my church (which is of a protestant denomination), I have undertaken an extensive study of books and Bible study guides that might serve as the basis for this study. Thus far I have thoroughly reviewed more than a half dozen books and study guides produced by a number of denominations and publishing houses, and "Come and See: David and the Psalms" is by far the best. This 202 page softcover book is a true study guide. The biblical material progresses through Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and the Psalms and occasionally crossreferences other Old Testament and New Testament passages. It is well organized into 22 lessons. Each lesson has three to five pages of explanation, along with several pages of excellent questions that require meaningful study to answer. This is truly an in-depth Bible study, and both the scholarship and writing are of high quality. I have found no factual errors, and in fact, I have learned a great deal of historical background and much about the original Hebrew text. This high praise might seem strange coming from a protestant. However, the plain fact is that this study is signficantly better than anything else I have been able to locate. Of course, the book contains quotations from various Popes and Catholic theologians, and it makes some references to Catholic doctrines that are generally rejected by protestants. Furthermore, some of the questions at the end of each lesson make reference to a "Catechism of the Catholic Church." But these Catholic references are not overbearing, and they do not undermine the overall quality of the study guide. They help explain where our Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ are coming from. It is too bad that protestant denominations have not produced a study guide of David that is this good. Until they do, this book is in a class by itself.

I got this to start a Bible study with other Catholic mothers at my church and ended up having a couple of mothers from other denominations attend. It was a really good place for us to start since we read from the Psalms every day at Mass. The book has everything laid out for you so anyone could lead a group since the research work is already done for you in the book. I was worried that this would be too hard for me to do but the book made it very easy. I plan on using others from this series for future studies. It even gives guidelines for good group dynamics at the beginning.