A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper is a short and sweet look at the sovereignty of God displayed in the book of Ruth. The book was surprisingly easy to read while still packed with rich content. As usual with Crossway books, the typesetting was pleasant.

A Sweet and Bitter Providence goes through the story of Ruth showing how God intentionally weaves hard circumstances like famine, widowhood, and barreness into the lives of Naomi and Ruth. Things things are part of God’s beautiful plan for their lives; they are also part of His design for the lineage of Jesus.

Piper gives seven reasons we might want to study the book of Ruth. He turns these seven reasons into applications: "Study the Scriptures," "Pursue Sexual Purity," "Pursue Mature Manhood and Womanhood," "Embrace Ethnic Diversity," "Trust the Sovereignty of God," "Take the Risks of Love," and "Live and Sing to the Glory of Christ." I love that this book about God’s sovereignty is an exhortation to trust God instead of just an academic observation.

I enjoyed reading A Sweet and Bitter Providence and recommend it to most adults who enjoy reading. Reading it makes me excited to see what will come out of Pastor John’s recent writing leave.

You can download a free pdf copy of A Sweet and Bitter Providence for personal use from Desiring God.

You can purchase A Sweet and Bitter Providence (affiliate link) from Westminster Books.