The Lord Our Shepherd

by J. Douglas MacMillan

The Lord Our Shepherd [Paperback] [Jun 02, 2003] MacMillan, J Douglas

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Devotional

125 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet book- in the best sense of the word. It is extremely encouraging and draws out your heart to Christ as your shepherd. The first chapter is the author's personal testimony and I always enjoy testimonies and that was especially true of this one. I have talked with someone who knew the author when he was alive and they spoke very highly of him. One of the unique perspectives he has was that for many years he was a shepherd himself. He knows what sheep are like and he knows a shepherd's attitude to his sheep. So he is able to shed a lot of light onto the 23rd Psalm and to do so in a very heart-felt, winsome way. However, this book is not really an exposition of the Psalm. He does a little bit of exposition but that is not its primary aim. The one weakness I noticed in this book is that sometimes he seems to be reading a bit into the text, stretching it to say things I wasn't sure it was saying. Sometimes he seemed to be teaching more from his experience than from the Bible. It's not that he taught anything wrong or hurtful, it was that God's word wasn't always handled carefully in the teaching of what was good. That I still gave it five stars shows you how overwhelmingly good it was in general.

A few quotes:

"We so often say, 'thank you Jesus, for loving me,' but how often do we just love him back in return?"

"Do not want to be a big sheep! They are a perfect pest to the shepherd."

"There is a great difference between shadow and substance: the shadow of a snake cannot sting you, and the shadow of a sword cannot kill you"

"How can he say that the rod of chastisement comforts him? For one reason only. The crook, the shepherd's instrument, whether it is used as a staff or a rod, is held in the same hand; it is the hand of the shepherd."

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming read and a wonderful example of beautifully illustrated preaching that is both theological and pastoral.

[Ben Hegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balm for the soul. Similar in many ways to David Gibson's wonderful book on the same Psalm, but with the excellent feature that the author was formerly a shepherd. Many illustrations from his years farming on the Ardnamurchan peninsula abound and are really helpful to relate this Psalm and the Lord's teaching to everyday life. I knew that this book would be good as it had been recommended to me but I didn't think it'd be this good. It's wonderful. At only 86 pages it's accessible for every believer. I highly recommend this book to everyone who can find it (I got it at a second hand bookshop as I don't think it is in print anymore, sadly). Tremendous!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books. MacMillan has a beautiful way of expressing the intimacy between the shepherd and his sheep. Have already given away two copies and read it twice. I'm sure I will keep going back to this book for refreshment.

[Iain Hamill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book. Brilliant exposition of Psalm 23.