A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

Phillip Keller, a former shepherd, takes apart the 23rd Psalm and investigates it line by line, sharing stories from his own experiences and explaining elements from the perspective of caring for sheep throughout the course of the year.

When I was in college, I heard a series of short sermons that had been inspired by this book, so it had been on my TBR list for awhile. Unfortunately, I think the sermons were the better parts of the book. Though there were some nuggets of wisdom and some details of caring for sheep that I never would have connected to lines in the psalm, I was left underwhelmed. Many of the thoughts are overly repetitive. Keller was a lay preacher, and some of his points seemed to me rather thinly connected to the psalm show more through a bit of wordplay, and not backed up by the meaning of the original words or Bible scholarship. More personally, I thought his wording old-fashioned (this was published in the '70s) and was a little put off by his choice to quote the King James Version. Cautiously recommended for some of the details that do connect strongly with the psalm. show less

The beauty of this book lies in the fact that very few people could have actually written it. As an acutal shepherd, Keller probably has some of the greatest insights ever set down on Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want…”). He takes the Psalm from a mere metaphor and explains why and how the images that David wrote are so applicable to the Christian life. He dissects the Psalm in the best sense of the word — and he shows how Christ is our Good Shepherd and cares for us even more deeply than the best human shepherd. Also, he shows how humans and sheep are so similar — and why we need someone to walk alongside us.

Read my full review here: show more target="_top">http://letseatgrandpa.com/2011/03/29/book-review-28-a-shepherd-looks-at-psalm-23... show less

This dated book (published in the'70s) is written by a pastor who had worked as a shepherd in Africa and elsewhere and who applies his knowledge of the herding of sheep for practical interpretation of the 23rd Psalm. Each chapter of the book (twelve in all) takes a line from the Psalm and discusses it in detail from the perspective of the sheep or the shepherd. Keller's audience is obviously those who are Christians but he is trying to reach out to Christians who would be sympathetic to nonbelievers and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ for those who had yet to cultivate a deeper personal relationship and spiritual connection by means of the Holy Spirit.
Keller actually says that his book is the first one to be published by an actual show more shepherd. Some strange things are said in the process of his reflections on Christ as a Good Shepherd. He says that some of his friends are the most talented and respected scientists and professors in the country but they too have an unsatisfied spiritual thirst for God which only Christ can satiate. Here he is referring to the conclusion that being a Christian does not guarantee a prosperous life or a life without soul destroying pain and hardship. He also says that "the Beats" (beatniks and hippies) also have a tendency to live indulgent and dissolute lives. This is a book with warnings about a world at large and our western culture specifically which even then was growing anti-Christian. But rather than adopt an attitude of fear and resentment about the unsympathetic elements to living a Christian life in the world, Keller opts for a quiet peaceful confidence in Jesus as a sheep would for its good and faithful shepherd.
This theme of Christ as shepherd has been taken up by other preachers since Keller's book and it seems to have been a handy approach to keep people's attention. I've heard a few like reflections on the internet by some who may not have even known of the existence of Keller's book. This short work would be categorized under: Christian Living, Devotionals, Biblical Reflections, and Self Help. I was given this book as a gift and it was a very fast read during Lent 2021. show less

A thoughtful insight into the most famous Psalm. I enjoyed reading the words of an actual shepherd and gaining a more complete understanding of this familiar passage. This small book is a detailed examination of one of the most iconic metaphors for God's relationship to his people. Lovely.

I would give this a 3.5 really. The editing was a little sloppy. The exegesis was questionable at points, but I expected as much given the nature of the book. By the end, the author had lost me. I couldn't agree with some of the connections he was making especially. That said, I loved the shepherding stories from the author. It really did push me to rethink this Psalm. I am going to have to examine some of my assumptions about this text and give it a fresh look. For that reason, I am glad I read this book.

This was such an interesting book to read. Having the first hand insights into shepherding and sheep applied to biblical truth was so helpful in understanding more deeply Psalm 23 and a lot of different truths found in the Bible. It’s an easy read but profound.

In this book the author tells the story of the 23rd Psalm from the Shepherd's point of view. He likens us to sheep (as does Scripture) and makes it very clear that the purpose of the shepherd is to make sure his sheep are free from predators, are fed, and have a place to lie down and rest. Great analogies. I started this in mid 2024 and just finished. There were three components to my study of this book: The book, the workbook, and the auditory edition. They were all complementary. 72 pages