Book Review: John Piper - A Sweet & Bitter Providence

Genre: Theology/Christian Living
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: January 31, 2010

If you follow my blog or read my reviews very much at all, you know of my…shall we say, interest in the ministry of John Piper. “Interest” doesn’t capture it at all, really. The running joke in my Bible study is how many Piper references I can throw out when I’m teaching. I respect the man immensely and while I read widely and across theological and other boundaries, I lean heavily on him for many of my theological positions because he makes such strong, biblical cases for his.

All this to say, as much as I try to be objective, I’m a little biased in my opinions of Piper’s latest book, A Sweet & Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God. That being said, you should definitely read it.

The book is basically an expositional look at the book of Ruth. This sometimes forgotten book is a treasure-trove of insight into the nature of God, suffering, race, and sexual purity. Piper expertly mines the book’s narrative, pointing out what the author of the book is trying to communicate, then pastorally applies those insights to our lives today to help us face suffering with God’s providence in mind, face sexual temptation with God’s holiness in mind, and approach the diversity of races with God’s plan of redemption through Christ in mind.

I would heartily recommend this book to every Christian, but especially those facing a trial or suffering of any kind. It’s a difficult truth, but God’s sovereignty over all things, including difficult things, is comforting at its core. In the book of Ruth, Naomi learns this, and we need to be reminded of this truth as well. What looked like a hopeless situation to her was actually God working out his plan of salvation for the whole world since Ruth would marry Boaz and enter into the bloodline of Christ.

I have yet to find another author who is able to make the scriptures come alive so much for me. Piper writes with a theological sharpness that fits perfectly with his pastoral tenderness towards those who suffer. He values doctrine but doesn’t beat people over the head with it. He encourages them with it. I consistently find the passion in his writing to be contagious as it stirs me up to study the scriptures even more for myself. And more than anything, he helps me love God more. This book did that for me, and I hope it will for many of you as well.



This book was provided for review by Crossway.