The Pleasures of God by John Piper
Week 11: Chapter 10 — The Pleasure of God in Doing Good to All Who Hope in Him
Read Chapter 10 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Jeremiah 32:41; Deuteronomy 30:9; Psalm 35:27.
Previewing Week 11 of The Pleasures of God
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
The book's final full chapter lands on a note of overflowing, eager, relentless divine goodness—Piper wants us to see that God does not merely tolerate doing good to his people; he *delights* in it. This is where the whole argument comes to rest.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.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?
2.Piper distinguishes between a God who does good reluctantly (out of obligation) and a God who does good eagerly (out of delight). Where in your Christian life do you act as if God is in the first category? What would change if you genuinely believed he is in the second?
3.The phrase 'with all my heart and all my soul' in Jeremiah 32:41 uses language that elsewhere in the Old Testament is reserved for Israel's call to love God wholeheartedly. Piper notes that God here applies it to himself. What is the effect of that? What does it say about the symmetry God desires between his love for us and our love for him?
a.How does knowing that God loves you with all his heart affect how you respond to the command to love him with all your heart?
b.Does this feel like good news, or does the command side of it still feel like a burden? Why?