A Sheep Remembers

by David B. Calhoun

The Twenty-third Psalm is probably the best known of all the chapters of the Bible and among the most memorable words ever written in any language. It is so familiar that it would be easy to think that we can learn nothing more from it. But through exposition intermingled with prayers and personal testimony, David Calhoun reminds us that this psalm has great depth, and that lifelong meditation on its words will help Christians to understand just what it is to be a sheep under the care of the ‘good Shepherd.’

Each of the ten chapters in A Sheep Remembers contains a version of the Twenty-third Psalm or a hymn that is based on the psalm, followed by commentary on the verse that is being considered; writings from shepherds that help us to understand sheep and their ways; prayers, quotations and stories that illustrate the theme; and in the last place, the author’s own personal testimony.

This is a striking and profound little volume that will give much spiritual help to readers at all stages in the Christian life.

Genres: Christian Living, Theology, Religion, Christianity

200 pages, Paperback

Published August 24, 2021

About the author

David B. Calhoun is Emeritus Professor of Church History at Covenant Theological Seminary, St Louis, Missouri. He has taught at Covenant College and Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) and served as principal of Jamaica Bible College. Prior to his appointment to Covenant Seminary in 1978, he was the overseas director of Ministries in Action.

Reviews

[Chris Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful walk through the 23rd Psalm by one of my favorite seminary professors. This was Calhoun's final book and it reads as if you are listening to his wisdom gleaned from a lifetime of service to the Lord.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of writings of all kinds from a lifetime of reading all centered around Psalm 23. What a great resource of materials for those studying this incredible psalm. This author adds his flourishes and comments, all of which bring the reader to a new understanding of this incredible psalm.

[Blue Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflections of a dying sheep on the faithfulness of his Shepherd using Psalm 23 as a framework. My dad read this book multiple times to my mom when she was in the last days of her cancer. This book blessed my soul so much and I actually enjoyed it more than “The Lord of Psalm 23” by David Gibson (which I lowered to 4 stars after reading this one).

This book contains the most powerful scriptures, quotes, stories, and reflections of a godly man as he prepares to meet the Shepherd Who has faithfully led and sustained him. Calhoun describes it as “an autobiography of grace”)

I love how this book is laid out, with 10 Chapters representing the 10 statements of Psalm 23, and each chapter organized by:
1. Commentary (exposition the text)
2. Sheep and Shepherds (to help us understand sheep and their ways)
3. Prayers, quotations & stories (illustrating the theme of the text)
4. Calhoun’s Testimony (very personal reflections)

Calhoun makes much of his Shepherd while less of himself. If the Lord allows me to prepare for my death, this will be one that I go to (along with Baxter’s “Dying Thoughts’). I also may reread this one at the end of every year.

Some Quotes (of note, most of this book was Calhoun quoting others. Almost like he was graciously sharing the greatest pearls that have sustained him from a lifelong “quote book”):

- “In this single little word ‘shepherd,’ there are gathered together in one almost all the good and comfortable things that we praise in God.” - Luther

- “It is only after we have read, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalm 22) that we come to ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’” - Spurgeon

- “Unmerited grace will finish what it began” - Plumer

- “Christians have a theology of failure (1 John 1:8) … but we also have a theology of recovery (1 John 1:9)” - Calhoun

- “This song of trust celebrates I AM’s competence, not the sheep’s efforts. Our ultimate destiny is not dependent upon our godliness; it is dependent upon God’s own nature.” - Waltke and Houston, Rutledge

- The Psalms enable us to “think and behave theologically when in extremis.” - Charry

- “We must not fret about not doing God those supposed services which He in fact does not allow us to do. Very often I expect, the service He really demands is that of not being (apparently) used, or not in the way we expected, or not in a way we can perceive.” - CS Lewis

- “But in verse 4 David writes, ‘You are with me.’ When things are going well we may be content to talk about the Lord; but when we approach the valley of the shadow of death, and the sky darkens and the thunder rolls, we hurry to speak directly to him.” - Calhoun

- “It is a happy thing to be afflicted towards heaven.” - Spurgeon

- “Sheep, more than other animals, are easily frightened … their whole trust is placed upon the shepherd they know, and whose presence is always comforting, and whose absence creates fear and disturbance.” - Lamsa

- “Sickness is a sacred thing and one of God’s great ordinances.” - JC Ryle

- “The pace of the experienced man of God is a walk.” - Spurgeon

- “The highest degree of faith is to be able to wait, sit still, and not complain … Jesus loves to show the world that his people can wait.” - JC Ryle

- The Psalms are “an anatomy of all parts of the soul … griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities.” - Calvin

- “I often pray, ‘Help, Lord.’ At times that is all I can say, but it is a good prayer, and God hears it.” - Calhoun

- “Let me know that the work of prayer is to bring my will to thine.” - Valley of Vision

- “We are chased, so to speak, not by enemies but by the goodness and mercy of God.” - Calhoun

- “People pursue happiness, but happiness pursues the saints and those who entrust themselves to God Himself.” - Selderhuis

- “One is the Psalm of the cross (Psalm 22), the next is the Psalm of the crook (Psalm 23), and the third is the Psalm of the crown (Psalm 24).” - MacMillan

- “In Him … grace has almost out-graced itself.” - Valley of Vision

- “It’s not your job to make sense of everything … let God gather up the fragments. Let God finish the story.” - Billings

[Bethany Bowen-Wefuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, meandering journey through Psalm 23.

The author includes many poems and hymns based on Psalm 23. This was my favorite:

“In pastures green?” Not always so; sometimes
He, who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me
In weary ways where heavy shadows be;
Out of the sunshine warm and soft and bright,
Out of the sunshine into the darkest night.
I oft would faint with sorrow and affright,
Only for this, I know he holds my hand;
So whether in the green or desert land
I trust, although I may not understand.

“And by still waters?” No, not always so;
Oft times the heavy tempests round me blow,
And o’er my soul the waters and billows go.
But when the storms beat loudest and I cry
Aloud for help, the Master standeth by
And whispers to my soul, “Lo, it is I.”
Above the tempest wild I hear Him say,
“Beyond this darkness lies a perfect day.
In every path of thine I lead the way.”

So whether on the hilltops high and fair
I dwell. Or in the sunless valleys where
The shadows lie, what matters? He is there;
And more than this, where’er the pathway
Leads, He gives to me no helpless broken reed,
But His own hand, sufficient for my need.
So where He leads me, I can safely go,
And in the blest hereafter I shall know
Why, in His wisdom, He hath led me so.

Harry B. Barry

[Hobart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---

All the circumstances of the pilgrimage—want, weariness, journeyings, wanderings, perplexities, the shadowed mysteries of the valleys, the thronging enemies, and the infinite beyond—are present; and the singer knows them. They are, however, only mentioned to sing of their negation by the graciousness of the Shepherd. Want is cancelled. For weariness he has green pastures of rest. On journeys he leads by pleasant ways. From wanderings he restores. Through perplexities he guides, and that by right ways. In the valleys of death's shadow his presence cancels fear. In the presence of enemies he makes a feast, and he is a host royal in bounty.

WHAT'S A SHEEP REMEMBERS ABOUT?
RIght out of the gate, Calhoun cites Spurgeon: "I cannot say anything new on this text...But I can remind you of old and precious truths," and that's pretty much Calhoun's mission statement, reminding readers about Psalm 23. He's not trying to shake things up with a new understanding, he's not going for bold scholarship, or something along those lines. It's simply an exercise in taking a slow look at what we already know, to remember the old and precious truths.

Each chapter takes a verse (or less) and reflects on it—the chapter starts with a version of the Psalm or a hymn based on it, then there's a commentary on the phrase(s) examined, something written by a shepherd to help the reader understand (literal) sheep and their ways, illustrations from others to help understand the theme of the chapter and then a part of his own life story. The commentary sections are largely strings of quotations from other writers of various theological persuasions and varying degrees of orthodoxy, with a little addition from Calhoun--mostly to tie them together.

PREPARING TO DIE
Calhoun talks about this in the book a bit—the Puritans had a practice to prepare for death, when terminally ill (or at least when they would suppose they were), they'd meditate on death, and the state of their soul as they neared it. In many ways, that's what this book was for him.

Calhoun had been battling cancer for years, and he knew his death was imminent—he actually died shortly after delivering the final version of the manuscript to the publishers. You can tell from the latter chapters that he was very aware of the shortness of his time. Which adds some poignancy to this work—particularly the chapters concerning "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" and "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
I don't typically talk about this kind of thing—because, why would I? But these merit a mention.

Calhoun includes an Addendum of Additional Versions of Psalm 23—the versions included in the text were good, but I guess that there just weren't enough chapters for everything he wanted to use. I haven't seen most of these before and I'm glad I was exposed to them.

The Bibliography is your standard bibliography, but Calhoun includes some personal notes describing the works—that's a nice touch, and I wish more people would do that.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT A SHEEP REMEMBERS?

How could I be joyful when my body was slowly, perhaps not so slowly, dying? I have lost sight in one eye and the other eye is failing, as is my hearing. I have been hospitalized seven or eight times in the last three years with pneumonia. I can no longer swallow food or talk very well. And, most disturbing, my mind is letting me down. How could I be joyful when all this was happening to me? In the valley I learned that joy comes, not from my feelings, nor from my daily experiences, but from the inner conviction that my life is going according to God’s plan. Joy is a gift of God. David wrote, 'You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound’ (Psa. 4:7).

This book isn't just about Psalm 23 in the abstract, it's about Calhoun's Shepherd guiding him through his cancer. The latter is what made this book worth reading.

Like the other book I've read by Calhoun, In Their Own Words , the bulk of the text seems to be tiny quotations—that quotation I open this post with isn't Calhoun, it's G. Campbell Morgan—and it's one of the longest quotations Calhoun uses, many are a single sentence long. It takes a certain genius to have these various sources on hand and be able to cite them together in such a way to present an argument. But really, Calhoun seems to use these to frame his argument, rather than to support it.

I appreciated the work, I profited from it—but I think it could've been stronger. If there was more of Calhoun, and less a medley of other writers—I think it would've been.

Still, it's hard to walk away from time in this Psalm and not be refreshed. And the quotations, sayings, metrical versions, and paraphrases assembled here all help that endeavor. It's hard to say anything bad about that.

[Bill Pence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ligon Duncan writes a warm Preface for this wonderful devotionally written book by one of my favorite professors at Covenant Seminary, where he taught for 30 years. I had two church history classes with him early in my time at Covenant, and he was also the speaker at our church years ago for a men’s breakfast. Duncan writes that the Lord called Dr. Calhoun home just as this book had been safely delivered to the publisher.
Calhoun, who describes himself as a preacher and teacher, tells us that the twenty-third Psalm is probably the best known of all the chapters of the Bible and among the most memorable words ever written in any language. In this book he tries to explain the words of Psalm 23 as David meant them, but also in the fuller light of the New Testament, a light that the psalmist partially saw. Psalm 23 is about the Lord Jesus Christ.
For each chapter, the author has selected a version of the twenty-third Psalm or a hymn that is based on the psalm. The chapters of the book are divided into four parts: commentary on the verse or part of the verse that is treated in that chapter; writings from shepherds that help us to understand sheep and their ways; prayers, quotations, and stories illustrating the theme of the chapter; and, in the last place, his own testimony. Although I enjoyed this entire book, it is that final section that I most enjoyed and looked forward to.
He writes that it was during the fall semester of 1987 that his doctor called to tell him that he had a relatively rare form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma (mantle cell lymphoma), a cancer almost always fatal within five years. Even today less than ten percent of people with mantle cell lymphoma have lived ten years. Occasionally his cancer would be in remission for a year or two, but it always returned. He would live more than 33 years after being diagnosed with an incurable cancer.
This book reads like a devotional, sprinkled with readings and hymns. You might want to consider reading one of the relatively short chapters each day.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
• Psalm 23 is not instruction in the law of the Lord. It is not exhortation. From its first word to its last, it is a testimony of the Lord’s love and faithfulness to his people.
• God not only saves us when we are lost sinners, but he restores us when we are wandering Christians.
• It is God who chooses my path, and even when that path leads to a ‘valley of deep darkness’ it is the right path for me.
• God does not promise that we will face no evil; he promises that we need fear no evil.
• When things are going well we may be content to talk about the Lord; but when we approach the valley of the shadow of death, and the sky darkens and the thunder rolls, we hurry to speak directly to him.
• God doesn’t promise to take away our troubles, but he promises to bless them.
• For Christians, pain is productive. It takes wings, goes somewhere, and does something. It glorifies God. It sanctifies us. It blesses others.
• God is in our darkness. And in his own time and in his own way he will change the night into day.
• Heaven will be amazing, astounding, overwhelming, but it will not be strange. It will not be like going to a foreign country, where we don’t know the language, the customs, or the people. It will be more like coming home after a long (or, for some, not so long) journey in a distant land.

[Drew Norwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good resource for slowing down and spending time in Psalm 23. Each chapter focuses on one clause and includes the following: (1) a unique rendering of Psalm 23 [e.g., versions drawn from the KJV, the Scottish Psalter, Isaac Watts, James Montgomery, etc.], (2) Commentary [on the clause, which consist mainly of quotes and passages taken from other theologians], (3) Sheep and Shepherds [which focuses on literal sheep and shepherds and draws out the nature of the Biblical metaphor], (4) Prayers, Quotations, and Stories, and (5) My Testimony [Calhoun's own testimony of how the section of Psalm 23 has applied to his life].

[David Nalley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me highly recommend this book by the late Dr. David Calhoun. This was his final work before he went to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This book is unique. Dr. Calhoun uses many hymns, poems, quotes, shepherding experience, prayers, and his own experience to walk the reader through Psalm 23. This book encouraged me, challenged me, and fed my soul. I read this book in preparing to preach on this Psalm.

Through reading Dr. Calhoun’s book, I have a better understanding and love for God who is my Shepherd. I recommend every Christian getting this book and reading it.

[Dogeared Wanderer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psalm 23 is a psalm often quoted and a comfort for every aspect of life. This book is a compilation of hymns, poems, commentary, personal experience, and shepherd know-how. Ten chapters on the ten lines of the Psalm.

One of the sobering things about this book is that the author suffered from cancer for many years, and later died while the book was at the publisher's. God made this psalm come alive to him through suffering, and the author did an excellent job providing a resource of comfort for fellow Christians. Great book!

[Hannah Ring · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique take on Psalm 23. It not only offers commentary on the psalm, but also related puritan prayers, poems, hymns, etc. My favorite part, though, was the addition of stories from literal shepherds. This really solidified my understanding of the parts of scripture that reference The Good Shepherd, and what an intimate relationship that is. I imagine the original readers of the psalms had this context in mind. Now verses that reference sheep or shepherds are even more meaningful to me.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very lovely and unusual book. It's more like a book of clippings (or and old-fashioned handbook) about Psalm 23 than a coherent argument--and that's ok. Lots of thoughts from pastors and scholars of yore. Many many metrical versions of and riffs on the psalm. Some scattered memories and thoughts from the author. Probably best sipped over time rather than read straight through.

The author was a gem, as anyone who ever met him knows. Get this book, or at least give it to your pastor as a gift!

[Robert Darby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a tender read. To get a glimpse into the heart of a man who had wrestled with cancer for 30 years, and was on deaths doorstep was invaluable. To hear Calhoun’s meditations on his good shepherd leading him to these pastures and paths, through this valley was heart-warming. His steadfastness and conviction was so encouraging. This book was a great devotional for my own heart to meditate on Psalm 23 and Christ the good shepherd.

[Ron Comoglio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the thoughtful collections of poetry and prose that made me slow down and see again this very familiar psalm. The work is especially poignant as the author contemplates his own journey with cancer. Highly recommended.

[Michael T Moos · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing.

[Miles Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunningly beautiful devotional reflection on the 23rd Psalm combined with an autobiography of faith from the late David Calhoun.

[Jake Busch · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He restores me soul.” Indeed, a needful restoration.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encouraging and wonderful walk through the 23rd Psalm. Read this one aloud with my 89-year-old mother.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The older I get, the more I appreciate the Psalms. I really appreciated this short devotional.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drawing from his vast knowledge of church history, Calhoun pulls in many old hymns and poems, forcing us to slow down while reflecting on such a familiar Psalm.

[Michael Schmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of the author's own commentary and experiences relating to Psalm 23, along with quotations from other well-known and lesser known authors from ancient church history to the present.

[Kiley Tipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

a breakdown of psalm 23. so beautiful.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short devotional on the twenty-third Psalm that also includes autobiographical testimony, as Calhoun goes to meet his Shepherd. Something I will go back to again.