Henry Van Dyke, Jr. (1852-1933) writes of true religion that it is "the same in every man and in every age." As the Psalter exemplifies that spirituality that is timeless and common to all the saints, his aim in The Story of the Psalms (1887) is to "bring these ancient and sacred poems into close connection with the men who wrote them, -- men of like passions, and sins, and trials, and hopes, and aspirations, with ourselves."
In this volume, after a brief list of notable reference works on the Psalms and an overview of the Psalter, Van Dyke focuses on these particular Psalms, devoting a chapter to each: 23, 24, 31, 32, 42, 46, 51, 57, 63, 72, 90, 107, 118, 127-128, 133, 134, and 137. He analyzes the authorship and context of each Psalmist, and the lessons that we can glean through circumstances to which we, the reader, can relate.
Van Dyke was, besides a being a famous minister in his day, a student of literature, and a lover of poetry, being a notable Tennyson scholar and an accomplished poet himself. He also authored The Poetry of the Psalms (1900). It has been said of him that he brought literature into his preaching, and preaching into his literature. In The Story of the Psalms, Van Dyke has ably developed edifying meditations based on important themes that connect the Psalmist and all the saints to Christ. Add this book of Psalm meditations to your digital library, for although it is not well-known today, it is rich in the spirituality of the Psalter.