April 12th, 2010
Piper, John. Ruth: Under the Wings of God. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2010. 90 pp. $21.99.
Introduction
I have review numerous books by John Piper and therefore do not really need to introduce anything about him. Regardless, you can find more about John Piper and his ministry at DesiringGod.org. There are numerous resources available for free.
This particular book of poems comes as a reflection from Piper’s exegetical work on Ruth which was published a few months prior to this one. That book is entitled A Sweet and Bitter Providence.
Review
This is not a book of exegetical thoughts though it is based on Piper’s sermon preparation for the book of Ruth. In this book of poetry, John Piper takes artistic license as Obed, Ruth’s aged son, tells his young grandson about how God cared for his mom during some rough times. Obed tells how God brought his mom and dad (Boaz) together and how his dad had to redeem his mom in order for them to be married. That grandson is a little 8 year old inquisitive boy named David.
While I am not one to do well with reading poetry–I always seem to notice the rhythm and rhyme more than the content–I found this one to be a fun and unique way of looking at the book of Ruth. Personally, I had to read the book twice in order to be familiar enough with it to better see the content. Aside from that one personal issue, I greatly enjoyed the storyline and the angle in which the story was shared.
Recommendation
If you are not into reading poetry, this will be a tough read (as I shared above). If you are into poetry, then you will greatly love this book. I have found that my children loved the reading of this book because of the rhythm and rhyme. It makes for a memorable story for the children.
Christian Book Notes 