The Pleasures of God by John Piper
Week 8: Chapter 7 — The Pleasure of God in the Songs of Israel
Read Chapter 7 of The Pleasures of God. Key Scripture: Psalm 147:1; Psalm 22:3; Colossians 3:16.
Previewing Week 8 of The Pleasures of God
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
The God who sings over his people also takes pleasure when his people sing back to him—and this week, Piper helps us understand why corporate, heartfelt worship is not an optional extra but something close to God's heart.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.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?
2.Psalm 22:3 says God is 'enthroned on the praises of Israel.' Piper takes this as a picture of God's special, pleased presence in the midst of his people's corporate worship. What does it mean in your experience—or in your church's experience—for God to be 'enthroned' in worship? What does genuine, God-pleasing worship look like versus a performance?
3.Piper argues that singing is not incidental to Christian worship—it is commanded, meaningful, and specifically pleasing to God. Colossians 3:16 connects singing with letting the word of Christ dwell richly. How do truth and music reinforce each other in worship? What is lost when worship becomes either all intellectual content or all emotional experience?
a.Think of a specific song or hymn that has shaped your theology. What truth did it deposit in you that a sermon alone might not have?
b.Are there ways in which your personal or church worship has become more performance than genuine praise? What might need to change?