Customer Reviews

The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God

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After reading the review of this book, I was at first disappointed that this was a poem, not a discussion on Job. However, when I received it, my first reaction was how amazing the photography was. It is an absolutely beautiful book to admire from an artistic perspective.

To my surprise, the book came with a CD featuring the author reading the poem the way he meant it to be read. I have listened to it again and again. This is a very nice addition to the book.

As to the content, the four poems contained within this book build upon each other. From the loss of all that Job had, his conversation with his wife, his dialogues with his "friends," and finally, a retrospective look at all that happened to him (by way of a conversation with his first daughter after the crisis, Jemimah), Piper ends each poem with an exhortation to a Christian in suffering, causing the reader to focus on the grander scheme of God's plan for us.

He does take artistic liberty with the repentance of his wife (not recorded in Job, but implied in the closing chapter) and the conversation with Jemimah, but I see nothing wrong with doing so. The message of Job is not compromised, and it is very conceivable that such conversations took place.

So far, this book has found very practical use in the lives of several of my closest friends, and we have wept while reading the closing poem of this book. The main thrust of the book is that God unkindly permits suffering in order that He might kindly show us more of His glory, and His glory is not an abstract concept but the beauty of His manifold perfections. O Christian, there is much comfort in our sovereign God!

What we have lost, God will restore;
That, and Himself, forevermore.
It won't be long before the rod
Becomes the tender kiss of God.

Job is a hard biblical book to get a handle on. About the time you "get it" another layer of mystery and majesty comes to light. The accomplishment of this brief book is to do full justice to the complexity of the book of Job and at the same time lead the reader to see and delight in the mystery of God and the majesty of God. My copy came with CD in which the author reads his work aloud. Listening to this thoughtful and passionate delivery made my heart yearn for God--and almost even long for Job's "experience" of God.

I have deeply enjoyed this poem like all of the books that I have read thus far from John Piper. I have heard many people talk about Job and his misery, but Piper has not only wrote about Job's misery but about the mercy and Sovereignty of God. The Sovereignty aspect is often left out of the picture when people talk about Job. This poem, especially the last pages, demonstrates that God has, is, and always will be in control of every thought and action. I would reccomend this to anyone but especially to the one going through difficulties, not in order to get his mind off of his problems and onto Job's, but rather to get his mind off of his problems and onto to God's Sovereignty.

I was introduced to this book by a friend who is losing sight due to diabetes and a botched retina surgery. Questioning God, this dear person found a book about the life and times of Job. A literature major, she could hardly wait to share it with someone. This book and accompanying CD is read by the author. What a unique and inspiring treat was in store for me!

I was impressed with the fresh and original way Piper presented this book. The poetry was magical! His award winning photographer, Ric Ergenbright, offered exquisite visuals that were perfectly suited to the poetry.

I never would have believed that I could ENJOY reading about the life of Job until I read (and heard) Piper's rendition.
Of course, he has taken poetic license with the text.
However, it absolutely is one one of the best, most thought provoking texts I have come across in a while. I have even persuaded my small discussion group to go through it with me and they are loving it too!

It takes little imagination to consider that Piper may have had some "unusual" insights into the life and meaning of the man Job.

My comment after first hearing and reading it was, "Job has been given a bum rap!"

May I suggest that you read and discuss it with someone else. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book is a wonderful account of the Job story that puts it the storty in great poetic narrative. A very beautiful book with artwork and text that will leave you captured and emotionally filled. The very meaning of the story of Job of faith in God in the midst of storm and suffering is captured and passed on through this touching book. I would recommend it for anyone who loves art and wants to experince the beauty of God even in the midst of pain and suffering. Wonderful material!

My wife bought me this book for my birthday during my first year in China (2003), and it has been picked up more than once. The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God does not rank as one of my favorite Piper books, but both the writing and photography are beautiful. The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God is an interpretive poem which Piper reads on an accompanying CD. Job is my favorite Old Testament book, and an example of wisdom literature. Here we have a man who has his riches destroyed, his family taken, and his own body afflicted yet Job ended up at the feet of the Almighty, in humility, worship, and praise. We all face suffering at some point in our lives, but what makes calamity endurable is that His sovereign goodness and bounty of love sustains us. Job is a primary example of steadfast, persevering faith in the face of extreme suffering.

While I bought this book as an addition to my collection of landscape books, Piper's gorgeously wrought poem about Job's simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting story was a lovely bonus. God blessed Piper with a way with words just as He blessed Ergenbright with a talent for capturing images of His glory.

The only great flaw with the poem was that Piper let his Calvinistic views slip into it and indicated that God and not Satan was responsible for Job's suffering. Not only is Satan not mentioned until the end of the poem, but Piper completely omits any mention of the exchange between God and Satan before Job's calamity and instead installs a non-existant conversation between God and Job, in which God strongly hints that He's considering taking Job's children to "let you know me more." This is very wrong; not only did this conversation NEVER take place between Job and God, but this image of God is loathsome to me. Killing innocent children just to bring an already righteous man closer to God? This is not only nonsensical, but paints God as a being who only thinks of us as pieces on a chessboard. Piper speaks of throwing God's sovereignity overboard by not acknowledging His hand in everything, but this is not true; God will not thank us for giving Him credit for Satan's foul doings! God's goodness and Satan's sadistic and hateful harm done to the human race are not connected at all. Piper's implication turned my stomach and completely opposed what I got from Job's story (which I re-read after reading this book), almost completely ruining the poem for me.

I actually considered returning the book, until I realized that Piper's personal take on Job's story was not the most important aspect of the book: the story itself was. I don't have to agree with Piper's reason for Job's suffering in order to appreciate the grand majority of the poem. The most important and central message is still there: Job's incredible faith and God's eternal mercy in relieving him of his suffering and giving him new life and new meaning. These points were eloquently caught in Piper's gorgeous and empathetic prose. Ergenbright's talent cannot be overlooked either, however; his gorgeous pictures wonderfully compliment the poem, often fitting the description, both literal and metaphorical, that Piper gives in the story.

Because of my initial disappointment, I orginally intended to write a review warning readers that only those of Calvinistic views could appreciate it. Happily, upon further reflection of both myself and the poem, I realized I was wrong. There is a gem here for everyone: we have all suffered and clung to a shred of hope in a tunnel of darkness. This book shows that the only eternal hope is our Lord Christ. Hold to Christ, and He will carry you to a new dawn.

Wow! What insight! Very touching and real. The song included added a wonderful touch. I now have a greater understanding of Job and his great pain.

I discovered this book (with accompanying CD) on my mom's coffee table and picked it up because the author was a college classmate. This is an exquisite retelling of the story of Job from the Old Testament in a lyrical poetic style reminiscent of some of C. S. Lewis's poems. The word images are vivid and visceral. The persistence of Job's trust in God in the face of unimaginable suffering gives a thoughtful response to the question of how an omnipotent and loving God can co-exist with evil. The ending scene, Job's conversation with his young daughter, is touching. I've enjoyed this book, both reading the text and listening to the CD. (Some authors can't read their own works, but this preacher/author definitely can). I keep placing orders for this book to give as gifts to friends or co-workers who experience difficult times.

JOHN PIPER IS A VERY TALENTED RELIGIOUS POETRY WRITER & THEOLOGIAN.

THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT PROTRAIT OF THE BIBLICAL "JOB" BY SATAN & BLESSINGS BY GOD.

IT WILL BECOME A VALUABLE ADDITION IN MY PERSONAL LIBRARY, JUST AS JOHN PIPER'S RELIGIOUS POETRY ON THE BOOK OF "RUTH" HAS BECOME !!!