Where many others have read a large number of Piper’s many books, I have not — And I will not be slow to get my hands on his other writings. I am not sure if all of his texts are as thorough as The Pleasures of God is, but if they are than they certainly need to be read through.
Like I said, Piper is thorough. I understand that this is his third edition of this text, and it was first written in a time that was not completely cluttered with shallow books. Piper draws from Spurgeon and Edwards and is not afraid to walk through the exegetical process himself (or refer to works he has written in the past on the passage) when it comes to offering interpretations of the Scriptures. He can hang at the academic level, but, as his reputation serves him, he is a pastor through and through.
The book itself came from his ernest seeking to better understand who God is and what brings God pleasure. It was not to dig through the nitty-gritty of a passage in order to write a new paper/book on the matter, but Piper truly was seeking out the heart of God (and, in turn, the heart of man).
So to share my thoughts on the book as a reviewer — I feel I was just as caught up in getting to know the man and heart of Piper as I was with learning about the heart of God. The book is devotional and deep, and is not intended to be easily waded through. I appreciate the addition of footnotes, the study guide, and the indexes in the back. This is obviously the result of hours of meditation and study. It is not a sloppy journal of random thoughts. The crux of the message is similar to the preaching of Moses in Deuteronomy, in that by knowing we (God’s people) might do. The better we know God and what pleases Him, the more we desire to provide Him that pleasure. The Gospel is about more than just God’s people; God is at the center of it.
Pick up your copy here.
*This book was free with my promise to post an unbiased review.
