Daniel Wilson says:

This is audio Bible study at its finest, and that needs to inform your listening approach. Here’s what I mean.

John Piper’s new book, A Sweet & Bitter Providence, is out in audio format at christianaudio.com. The book is more of a Bible study than just a drive-by reading. It is more polished than a sermon, more fervent than a commentary, with more Biblical depth than the typical Christian book.

Piper tackles issues like sex, race, and the sovereignty of God head-on. With gripping clarity, he opens the Book of Ruth chapter by chapter and proves that the three-thousand year old book is still relevant today.
So here is how I would approach this audiobook and turn it into an excellent Bible study on the Book of Ruth.

- Read a chapter of Ruth each week. Meditate on it, pray over it during your time with God.
- Then, set a time each week to listen to the audiobook. Approach it as a Bible study by digging into the text yourself, and then listening to John Piper add depth to your understanding.

You will enjoy the narrator of the audiobook. He puts enough expression into his voice to avoid sounding mechanical. I had a slight complaint at first blush as the narrator read all of the verse references. But that turns into an asset when you use the Bible study approach.

*Get a Taste for the Book: A Quote*
“One of the great diseases of our day is trifling. The things with which most people spend most of their time are trivial. And what makes this a disease is that we were meant to live for magnificent causes.

“None of us is really content with the trivial pursuits of the world. Our souls will not be satisfied with trifles. …So our souls shrivel. Our lives become trivial. And our capacity for magnificent causes and great worship dies.

“The book of Ruth wants to teach us that God’s purpose for his people is to connect us to something far greater than ourselves.”

Note: This review was done as part of the christianaudio Reviewers Program. #

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Jeff Baines says:

John Piper’s book A Sweet and Bitter Providence is a great book on Ruth and a look into the deeper meaning behind some of the key passages in it. While Piper does a good job making and backing up his points, he is sometimes repetitive. Often going over or making the same point over and over to drive it home which gives the book at times a feel of a sermon. The main context of this book I would say is hope and joy regardless of the situation. He makes several points on how to deal with hard times (or God’s bitter providence as Piper calls it) and find Gods plan in that which Piper backs it up with scriptures and stories.
I agree with the other reviewers in saying that it would be much better if John Piper was speaking on it. To me the speaker was a bit monotone and slow which led to me getting distracted at times. But the speaker did do a good job pronouncing all the cities and names correctly along with emphasizing the major points even though he didn’t get excited like Piper does while preaching. Overall this is a good book on the subject and worth the 3 hours that it took to listen to it. #

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Andrew Wencl says:

John Piper does it again! The book, A Sweet and Bitter Providence, beautifully portrays the book of Ruth as nothing less than one of the greatest love stories ever told, written not by some chronicler or historian, but by the sovereign will of God. Piper explains through this story how both the good and bad things in our lives are both determined and controlled by God, telling a story that is greater than you or I could tell, ultimately bringing glory to God and bringing us joy and pleasure in Him.



Though this book is one of his shorter ones, Piper has crafted a masterpiece worthy of the fame his other works have gained for him. He provides comfort to the weary and hope for the suffering.



The narrator, Grover Gardner, also narrated Desiring God, another book by Piper that I downloaded a few months ago. Combining the voice of the narrator with the style and prose of the book, it feels like you’re wearing pajamas in front of a warm fireplace listening to a kind grandfather sharing his wisdom after a life of great heartache replaced by joy. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in love stories or God’s providence, or just wondering about how the negative experiences in this life could glorify God or ultimately bring you joy. #

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