12-Week Study & Discussion Guide

The Pleasures of God

by John Piper·85 discussion questions

Lead your group with the discussion already prepared: a reading plan, thoughtful questions, and printable handouts for everyone.

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Week 1 — FreeRead the Preface and Introduction of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Psalm 16:11; Zephaniah 3:17.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Piper opens with the premise that a person's deepest enjoyments reveal their deepest character. Do you find that claim convincing when you apply it to human beings? Can you think of an example from your own life where someone's delight revealed something important about who they are?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 12-week study and discussion guide for The Pleasures of God by John Piper, with 85 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

What does God enjoy? The question itself feels almost audacious—as if we are peering behind a curtain we were never meant to lift. Yet John Piper argues in The Pleasures of God that this is precisely the pathway into knowing God most deeply. Just as a person's deepest delights reveal their truest character, so the things that make God glad unveil his glory more fully than a catalog of his mighty acts ever could. Drawing from rich veins of Scripture, Piper explores a series of specific divine pleasures—God's delight in his Son, in his own name, in his creation, in his people, in their prayers, in his fame among the nations—and shows that each one is a window into the heart of the living God. Far from being a cold systematic theology, this book is an invitation to wonder, worship, and a joy that unites with God's own joy.

This study guide is designed to walk you through The Pleasures of God one chapter at a time, over twelve weeks. The pattern for each week is simple: read the assigned chapter slowly (a journal nearby is a good idea), then work through the discussion questions either on your own or with a small group. The questions move through the chapter in order—beginning with what the text actually says, moving toward personal application, and ending with a question that connects the chapter's theme to Christ or to the book's big picture. A closing prayer is included each week to help you move from reflection into worship. This guide is not a quiz; it is an invitation to think hard and feel deeply about who God is.

By the end of this study, you should expect two things: a larger God and a deeper joy. Piper's consistent aim is that beholding God's delights would awaken and purify our own delights, so that we find ourselves increasingly glad in the things that make God glad. That is the telos of the whole book, and it is the telos of this guide. Come expecting not just new information about God, but a genuine encounter with him—the kind that, as Piper loves to say, leaves you more satisfied in God than when you began.

Week 1: Introduction — The Pathway of God's Delights

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Read the Preface and Introduction of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Psalm 16:11; Zephaniah 3:17.

Before diving into any specific pleasure of God, Piper lays down a surprising claim: that the pathway of God's delights is itself a pathway into knowing God. Take a moment before reading to ask yourself: do you believe that what God enjoys reveals who God is?

1.Piper opens with the premise that a person's deepest enjoyments reveal their deepest character. Do you find that claim convincing when you apply it to human beings? Can you think of an example from your own life where someone's delight revealed something important about who they are?

2.Why might studying the *pleasures* of God feel surprising or even uncomfortable as a theological exercise? What assumptions about God might make this approach feel strange?

3.Piper insists that God's joy is not a weakness or a concession to human categories, but a genuine perfection of his nature. What Scriptures does he point to early on that suggest God experiences something we can rightly call delight or pleasure? What do those passages tell you about the kind of God the Bible describes?

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Week 1 sample · first 3 questions

Group handout: The Pleasures of God

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12-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Introduction — The Pathway of God's Delights7 questions
  2. Week 2Chapter 1 — The Pleasure of God in His Son7 questions
  3. Week 3Chapter 2 — The Pleasure of God in His Creation7 questions
  4. Week 4Chapter 3 — The Pleasure of God in His Fame7 questions
  5. Week 5Chapter 4 — The Pleasure of God in His Grace7 questions
  6. Week 6Chapter 5 — The Pleasure of God in His People7 questions
  7. Week 7Chapter 6 — The Pleasure of God in the Prayers of the Upright7 questions
  8. Week 8Chapter 7 — The Pleasure of God in the Songs of Israel7 questions
  9. Week 9Chapter 8 — The Pleasure of God in His Word7 questions
  10. Week 10Chapter 9 — The Pleasure of God in the Death of His Son7 questions
  11. Week 11Chapter 10 — The Pleasure of God in Doing Good to All Who Hope in Him7 questions
  12. Week 12Review & Reflection — The God Who Delights8 questions

Week 2: Chapter 1 — The Pleasure of God in His Son

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Read Chapter 1 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Matthew 3:17; John 17:24; Proverbs 8:30–31.

1.Piper argues that God's pleasure in his Son is the most fundamental of all his pleasures, the one from which all others flow. Why does the order matter? What would be lost if we started with, say, God's pleasure in his people rather than his pleasure in his Son?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 2 — The Pleasure of God in His Creation

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Read Chapter 2 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Genesis 1:31; Psalm 104:31; Job 38–39.

1.Genesis 1 ends with God declaring his creation 'very good.' Piper argues this is not a quality-control inspection but an expression of genuine divine pleasure. What difference does that distinction make? How does it change how you read the creation account?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 3 — The Pleasure of God in His Fame

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Read Chapter 3 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Isaiah 48:9–11; Ezekiel 36:22–23; Romans 9:17.

1.Piper opens this chapter by confronting a discomfort many Christians feel: the biblical God frequently declares that he acts 'for his own name's sake' (Isaiah 48:9–11; Ezekiel 36:22–23). What is your initial, gut-level reaction to that? Does it feel self-centered? Why or why not?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 4 — The Pleasure of God in His Grace

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Read Chapter 4 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Micah 7:18; Ephesians 1:5–6; Luke 15:7.

1.Micah 7:18 asks, 'Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity... He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.' Piper dwells on the word 'delights.' What does it change about how you receive forgiveness when you believe that God not only grants it but *enjoys* granting it?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 5 — The Pleasure of God in His People

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Read Chapter 5 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Zephaniah 3:17; Isaiah 62:4–5; Psalm 149:4.

1.Psalm 149:4 says 'the LORD takes pleasure in his people.' Piper insists this is a genuine statement about God's emotional life, not just a poetic metaphor. What is the difference between believing this intellectually and actually *feeling* believed in by God? Which do you more often experience?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 6 — The Pleasure of God in the Prayers of the Upright

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Read Chapter 6 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Proverbs 15:8; Revelation 5:8; Romans 8:26–27.

1.Proverbs 15:8 says 'the prayer of the upright is [God's] delight.' Piper takes this verse as a foundation for the whole chapter. When you read that God *delights* in prayer rather than merely receiving it, what shifts? Does it make you want to pray more or does it feel like too high a bar (needing to be 'upright')?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 7 — The Pleasure of God in the Songs of Israel

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Read Chapter 7 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Psalm 147:1; Psalm 22:3; Colossians 3:16.

1.Psalm 147:1 opens with 'How good it is to sing praises to our God!' Piper explores the question: good for whom? Who benefits from worship—us, God, or both? How does the chapter answer that question, and do you agree?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 8 — The Pleasure of God in His Word

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Read Chapter 8 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 46:10; Matthew 5:18.

1.Piper argues that God takes pleasure in his word not merely as a communication tool but as an expression of his own character—his wisdom, his faithfulness, his power. How does seeing Scripture this way change how you approach Bible reading? Does it make it feel more like encountering a person than consulting a manual?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Chapter 9 — The Pleasure of God in the Death of His Son

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Read Chapter 9 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Isaiah 53:10; Romans 3:25–26; Hebrews 12:2.

1.Isaiah 53:10 says 'It was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief.' Piper does not soften this verse. What is your initial reaction to the idea that God took pleasure in the suffering of his Son? What questions does it raise, and what comfort—if any—does it offer?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 11: Chapter 10 — The Pleasure of God in Doing Good to All Who Hope in Him

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Read Chapter 10 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Jeremiah 32:41; Deuteronomy 30:9; Psalm 35:27.

1.Jeremiah 32:41 says God will 'rejoice in doing them good... with all my heart and all my soul.' Piper calls this one of the most astonishing verses in the Bible. Sit with it for a moment. What is astonishing about it? What does it tell you that is different from how you habitually think about God's relationship to your welfare?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 12: Review & Reflection — The God Who Delights

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No new reading this week. Review your notes, journal entries, and underlined passages from The Pleasures of God.

1.Which chapter or theme in *The Pleasures of God* was most unexpected for you—the one that surprised you most or challenged your existing picture of God? What made it feel new or difficult?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
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About the The Pleasures of God guide

How many weeks is the The Pleasures of God study guide?

This study guide covers The Pleasures of God in 12 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 85 discussion questions across 12 weeks — an average of 7 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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