A shepherd and his sheep…this conjures up a mental picture of a calm pasture, a flock of genteel, contented sheep and an overseer who wiles away his time watching over the flock by reading or playing soothing music. What an idyllic portrait! But there is much more to this characterization than meets the eye. Most of us have no idea what it necessitates to be a shepherd or what the “personality” of a sheep entails. But it would be advantageous to find out since the Bible refers to Christians as sheep and Jesus Christ as our Shepherd.
I can’t think of any book that enlightens the reader to this subject as well as A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, by Phillip Keller. Being raised in East Africa where the culture is still steeped in the traditions that the Psalmist knew, allows the author to give us a line by line exposition of the Psalm that manifests the nature of the shepherd and his flock. One sees the helplessness of the sheep without the shepherd and the unselfish love that the shepherd has for the (His) sheep. Sure, most of us can recite the 23rd Psalm, but after reading this book one will truly understand the Shepherd-sheep relationship as never before.
This short easy to read gem has been re-printed many times and is readily available. I would suggest that one looks for an older copy so as to be sure that the King James Version is used. Whether read for your own devotions or used in family devotions one can’t help but come away with a greater admiration and affection for the Shepherd of the soul.
You can purchase the book here.
1 comment:
Vicki, the LORD has blessed you with an insatiable desire to read. Your shelves are full of (read) books. Your knowledge is vast. I so enjoyed Mike Huckebee's book last month. I look forward to "A Shepard Looks At Psalm 23" .....can I borrow that one too?
Tim Z.
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