W. Phillip KellerCritiques

Keller presents profound spiritual truth in his story of the “worthless” animal thought to be untrainable, who ultimately becomes a magnificent and valuable sheep dog—similar to how God's love can transform our worst characteristics into blessings.

Travel the Shepherd's path to the green pastures and cool, refreshing waters of Psalm 23. As a shepherd himself, W. Phillip Keller shares his insights into the life and character of sheep--and of the Good Shepherd who loves and cares for them.

It was very good, learned a lot about sheep that can definitely be applied to humans......all we like sheep....173 pages

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Travel the Shepherd's path to the green pastures and cool, refreshing waters of Psalm 23. As a shepherd, W. Phillip Keller shares his insights into the life and character of sheep--and of the Good Shepherd who loves and cares for them.

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.

O Salmo 23 à luz das experiências de um pastor de ovelhas.
Este livro devocional conta uma das passagens da Bíblia mais conhecidas e queridas: o Salmo 23. Através de experiências e conhecimentos das Escrituras, o autor conduz o leitor aos pastos verdejantes e águas tranquilas do salmo. Os leitores serão agraciados com diversos ensinamentos valiosos.
Os cristãos se sentirão inspirados e revigorados através do amor de Cristo. Leia o livro com os olhos do pastor de ovelhas e sinta como seu coração.

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 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.

" live ever aware of God's presence."

Psalms 23 From a Shepherds point of view

A blend of the story of the Prophet Elijah and his campaign as God's representative against Ahab and Jezebel and their son. Woven in with comments on how Elijah's actions are reflected in Christians of today.

Sheep depend on the shepherd for everything. David's psalm is explained line by line in the light of Christ as our shepherd.

Great book for learning about sheep and why they are the particular animal used in Psalm 23. Lori Herold

W. Phillip Keller, author of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 grew up and lived in East Africa surrounded by herders. He explains much of what happens resembles those shepherds in the Middle East. For eight years he was a sheep rancher, and was engrossed with the stories of the Bible. He therefore uses natural phenomena to provide insights into supernatural truth. Keller points out that present day city dwellers miss biblical teachings because they are unable to relate to nomadic folks who live in simplicity.

He brings to bear a shepherd’s insight to this devotional Psalm. He empathizes with David himself and refers to Psalm 23 as “David’s Hymn of Praise to Divine Diligence.” With “I shall not want,” God points out that in our lives like sheep we’ll be free from friction, for he has prepared an ideal banquet for our every need. God leads us to “still waters.” He doesn’t want us to toil on dry, semi-arid soil without having deep, clean, and pure water to drink. This situation is ideal for sheep grazing.

God “restores my soul.” This happens when sheep becomes distressed, but here God is ready to comfort and give them rest. In “paths of righteousness” is our assurance that his flock will strive. Even as they “walk through the valley” is the fact that our Savior knows firsthand the terrain of our lives, just like any shepherd, who leads his sheep in mountainous territory.

“Thy rod and thy staff” brings the sheep comfort as they are guided by a loving, and caring Savior. “Thou preparest a table,” Keller feels this is similar to the feast on Table Mountain near Cape Town, Africa. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” is his everlasting care exercised over the sheep. “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” climaxes this proud and joyous Psalm.

Psalm 23 is considered the nightingale of Psalms. It’s the epitome of feeding, guiding, governing, and defending the sheep. Its climax terminates in everlasting rest – not one of sorrow and pain, but joy, hope, and pleasure. People can say, “O death, where is thy sting!” “Thy rod dost comfort me” as we journey and feed on his Holy Word. Now we reach the zenith, and are guests of God’s everlasting banquet. Keller captures it all in his wonderful little book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.

This was a great book!

I read A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 years ago. This expands on the theme. Being a dog lover I found this story really wonderful and its larger message beautifully articulated.

Phillip Keller, the author of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 32, has spent many years in agricultural research. In this book he looks at each of the twelve phrases in the psalm and explains the agricultural terms and shows how the Good Shepherd is protecting and taking care of us.

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 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.½

I really don't know anything about the author of this one, W. Phillip Keller, so I was a bit on the defensive when reading it. At the end, I don't think I can tell you much about the author's theology, so I remain hesitant to fully recommend it. While the book is basically sound, I don't know how Keller's other books are.

The first part of this book makes one major error that is really unfortunately. Keller was attempting to get his reader to really examine himself before looking at the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5 to see how that fruit would grow, to ask the questions whether our own souls are prepared for the influence of the Spirit, or if we need to seek repentance and faith. That's great, and what he said was good.

Except he took his text from the parables of the soils.

I know he was trying to stick with the theme, but he made the common mistake of using this passage to basically tell us to change what sort of soil we are, which is not the point at all of the parable itself. The parable describes why people react the way they do to the Gospel -- it's because of who they are.

Now, the points that Keller makes are fine, and they can be supported by other passages in the Scriptures, but he does some reading into the text here instead of drawing out of the text.

In the second part, he gets into the fruit of the Spirit -- a term Paul uses in Galatians to describe the vitrues that come forth by the influence of the Spirit. Keller's exploration of these virtues is really good and worth the read.

All in all, Keller's work is not a must read, but not unworthy of the time either.

Rabboni, Which is to say Master

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: http://letseatgrandpa.com/2011/03/29/book-review-28-a-shepherd-looks-at-psalm-23...

What you see is not always what you get – and this true story of a man and his dog is no exception. Woven just under the surface of this simple parable, Keller presents profound spiritual truth. It is the story of Lass, a worthless animal thought to be untrainable, who becomes a magnificent and valuable sheepdog – not terribly unlike how God's love can transform our worst characteristics into blessings that serve to further His Kingdom. Allow yourself to see Biblical truth in this classic tale of what can happen when you yield to the Master.

Philip Keller was born and raised in East Africa, where he grew up with an intense love for the land, its wildlife, and its people. For a time he was inclined to disbelief and cynicism by the way the world distorts and abuses God's handiwork. He struggled to exert his own will against society's pressures - and sometimes even against the will of God. Finally, the Wind of God's Spirit had its wondrous way. The author tells the gripping story of God's loving but abrupt intrusion into his self-centered life. He relives his trek back to Africa and eventually around the world in His service.

"The Lord is my shepherd," starts the 23rd Psalm. And then it goes from there.

It was because of this first line, though, that the Australian shepherd, Phillip Keller, decided to take a look at what this was all about, and what it meant to him, as a shepherd.

Keller is admittedly a layperson when it comes to great theological mysteries, so instead of delving into the deep significance of cups runneth-ing over, he instead looks at it in a more simple light.

If you are interested in biblical studies, and would like to augment your understanding of the 23rd Psalm, then this book may be of interest to you.