Reflections on the book of jonah

Jonah 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. The book of jonah is about god and how great his heart is toward prodigal sons and daughters who run away from him. The story shows us how merciful god is, by contrasting his mercy with jonah s hunger for revenge. Reflections on the authenticity of the book of jonah. Jonah 14 new american standard bible nasb jonah s disobedience. Though some modernists argue that the concept of a bodily resurrection of christ from the dead was unknown in old testament times, jesus demonstrated otherwise. In recent years, jonah has seen an explosion of critical and favorable attention. Another reflection respects the spheres of greatest usefulness for the servants of god, and admonishes them to watch for the leadings of providence, rather than give way to their own desires and inclinations. Men are not always the best judges of the department of service by. Book of jonah has created wide gaps, even among likeminded theologians. Reflections on the biblical unconscious, avivah gottlieb zornberg writes, the book of jonah invites interpretation from the first verse to the last. The book begins with god calling jonah to pronounce judgement on the city of nineveh.

A short reflection on jonah the torch boston colleges. Gaebelein has written, the typicalprophetic meaning of the story of jonah is authorized by the words of the son of god. We sin against the spirit of the book jonah in trying to take it as real history. Dive into an intriguing tale of mercy in the book of jonah. Jonah 14 nasb jonahs disobedience the word of bible. It never crossed my mind that it might have a shred of historical truth in it, since i had. Jonah bible study journals free online bible study.

The book of jonah is one of my favorite books in the bible. Gaebelein has written, the typicalprophetic meaning of the story of jonah is authorized by the. I have loved the book of jonah from the first time i read it. What jonah said revealed that he was one who knew god and the character of god. Jonah doesnt want the job, so he runs away and gets on a boat with some sailors. The primary purpose of the book of jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compas sionate character of god, and in selfreflection on the. There verb that is used here for appoint appears several times in the book of jonah. A short reflection on jonah the torch boston colleges catholic. Sometimes we are not jonah, and that is also a good thing. There is a paradoxical recognition that the closer one comes to god, the more one becomes conscious of the chasm separating gods wisdom from our own. So he went down to joppa, found a ship which was going to tarshish, paid the fare and.

God has no problem removing you from your comfort zone. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. Introduction to jonah leaders reflection diocese of york. Jonah began by going a days journey into the city, proclaiming, forty more days and nineveh. Sep 23, 2020 jonah is called upon by god to announce the impending destruction of nineveh if the people dont repent of their generally evil ways. There is a further challenge in being absolutely committed to god, while still respecting moral. The book of jonah is different from the other prophetic books of the bible. The reason the book of jonah ends in a question, with an unfulfilling literary ending, is to pose the moral dilemma to the reader. We often think of the book of jonah as being about the conversion of. Reflections on the book of jonah quek koh choon, may 2019 shutterstock. Faith doesnt exist in a vacuummore reflections on the. Jonah, the man who ran from god catholic daily reflections.

Now, i dont mean to imply that the book of jonah is a testament to the inexorable will of god. Read part one am i my enemies keeper part two when you fall or feel like a failure, remember jonah. All podcasts bibleproject reflections exploring my strange bible reading plan. Jan 09, 2012 the following is a reflection on jonah 3. For example, we see it when god appointed a great wind and caused a. Reflections on the authenticity of the book of jonah pastormatthew. The primary purpose of the book of jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compassionate character of god, and in selfreflection on the degree to which their own character reflects this compassion, to the end that they become vehicles of this compassion in the world that god has made and so deeply cares about. Love god greatly is dedicated to making gods word available to our beautiful community of women and now, women have the incredible opportunity to share gods word with children through this study uniquely crafted for young hearts. He is the one who commanded the big fish to swallow jonah and later vomit him out. There are exactly two sundays when anything from jonah is readthis week, and proper 20, year a, when jonah 3.

Jonah, a stubborn fellow, did just the opposite of what he was told. As early as the 1st century christian theologians have been prominently discussing. The story follows jonah, a prophet called by yahweh to prophesy destruction on. Pfeiffer, states, it is fictiona short story with a moral like the book of ruthor the stories about daniel jonah is a perfectly good short storywith a beginning, a middle, and an endthe author of jonah. The story is probably written between the 8th and 3th century bc. It also contains one of the most concise expressions of gods love for us coupled with his understandable frustration over the fact that we just dont get it. This is part four of a series of reflections on the book of jonah. Set in the reign of jeroboam ii 786746 bc but written in the postexilic some time between the late 5th to early 4th century bc it tells of a hebrew prophet named jonah son of amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. One is that it is a story about an unfaithful prophet. Jonah was probably the only prophet called to prophesy to a foreign gentile. This image lends intrigue to ones imagination and is somewhat fairytalelike. Why so little jonah in the lectionary lectionary reflections.

He was gods instrument to carry out gods will on earth. Not only was nineveh known for its wickedness, but it was also the capital of the assyrian empire, one of israels fiercest enemies. Reflection and repentance sermon series on the book of. Finger introduces a new bible study series on jonah, providing background, a literary analysis, and lessons we can learn from this book. Like us, jonah initially responds to his prophetic call with fear. But what we may easily forget is why jonah was swallowed by the whale.

Observation after jonahs sojourn in the fish, the lord again tells him to. He is the one who caused the mariners to recognise to some degree who he is. The book of jonah is our looking glass as the gates of repentance slowly close for another year. The great fish is just a metaphor for a period of 3 days and nights jonah spent on his own, repenting before the lord. In the end, god won and jonah went to nineveh to preach. Faith doesnt exist in a vacuummore reflections on the book. The short book of jonah is probably the most commonly read of the minor prophets.

Imagine what would have happened if jonah would have just listened to god from the very beginning. The book of jonah is one of those pieces of biblical literature accustomed to taking a beating from skeptics conditioned to not only dismiss it but to regularly. Instead, he becomes the icon of the son in his victory over sin and death. What jonah can teach us about gods sovereignty in missions. The book of jonah offers valuable lessons in regards to this fear and shows us how we can become the prophets we are called to be. Indeed, it is a common phenomenon for students to find within the classrooms of even supposedly christian colleges teachers who find. God never gives up on jonah and the people of nineveh because he is slow to anger, loving and compassionate. Book of jonah reflections in 5781 the jewish world. It may have left us with much less of that fairytalelike story but it certainly would have saved jonah and others a great amount of stress. Jonah s preaching was, in the end, a great success.

The story is presented much like that of elijah and elisha. Jonah 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. In her commentary on jonah in the new interpreters bible dictionary, the eminent feminist hebrew scholar phyllis trible settles on jonah as midrash. Perhaps because of the fascinating story of him being swallowed by a whale. The book of jonah is different from the other minor prophets, for it is the personal experience of the prophet himself. However, as the story unfolds we can see how the lord draws him from fear to faith such that he becomes a powerful witness to the city of nineveh. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. Thankfully, we have the ability to leave the protagonist jonah behind with the setting sun for a more positive, confident, satisfied, and consolable self. The warning furnished by this history, to beware of allowing expected results to interfere with present and pressing obligations. The book of jonah april the short book of jonah is probably the most common ly read of the minor prophets. There are a couple of different ways to interpret the book of jonah.

It is a book of contradictions, which ends in an unanswered question. Reflection and repentance sermon series on the book of jonah. Incidentally, the book of jonah actually focuses on god. The prophet himself is told to go to nineveh, but he heads in the opposite direction.

If you have ever attended church, sunday school, or bedtime story sessions as a child, you have likely heard about the story in the book of jonah at some point. Jan 16, 2012 why wouldnt you include enough of the book of jonah to allow preachers and people to wrestle with it. Jonah told the men on the ship exactly what to do to get the wind and the waves to settle down, but instead, the men did their best to row back to land. The sailors thanked their own gods for saving them, and never thought of jonahs god again. Cashmere presbyterian worship for sunday 24th january 2021. Anne shave reflects on the lesson to be learnt from the book of jonah. A midrash is a type of jewish literature that explicates a biblical text or teaching. Though the book contains no direct prophecy, the experience of jonah is itself a reflection of the message of god. Rather than a series of poetic prophecies, it is primarily a narrative.

Yafit, jonah and the whale the book of jonah covers only four chapters. Reflections on the book of jonah living in the last days. Now the word of the lord came to jonah the son of amittai, saying. Read chapter 3, which actually represents the way jonah would have preachedthough not the way the book of jonah itself sees things. And jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights 1. Jonah, whose name means dove, was one of the earliest prophets. Jonah shows us that we find gods merciful justice hard to accept as humans, we tend to desire revenge and punishment, rather than mercy. He is the one who brought out a storm to prevent jonah from fleeing. Set out for the great city of nineveh, and announce to it the message. In this story the point being made is centered around the jonah 4. Rather, i think that jonahs story is intended to be. The book of jonah is a largerthanlife story of every individual who seeks closeness with god. Apr 01, 2007 the sign of jonah tells us how those details are grounded in the person and preaching of jesus christ. We know this from the book of 2kings, where a prediction of jonah was fulfilled in the days of jeroboam ii 2kings 14.

Through satire and compelling storytelling, the book of jonah reveals to readers why god is compassionate to evildoers in the past and present age today. The book concludes with god asking jonah, should not i pity nineveh. Typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people. The foundation of the book of jonah is the fact that god loves all of gods created beings and wants to be in relationship with. The book of jonah presents a beautiful type of the resurrection of christ from the dead. It is easy to miss how radical the story of jonah was.

The book of jonah is one of those pieces of biblical literature accustomed to taking a beating from skeptics conditioned to not only dismiss it but to regularly mock those willing to uphold the idea of its historicity and authenticity. Jonah is one of the most beloved old testament prophets. Also on this site is a reflection on the gospel lesson for the same day, and a version of the prayers of the people for all epiphany. Through satire and intricate storytelling, the book of jonah invites readers to consider gods compassion and mercy that extends to us and our enemies. We have freewill and god will let us exercise it now the word of the lord came to jonah the son of amittai, saying, arise, go to nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me. Substantive work, while differing through the centuries, has been dedicated to the book of jonah. The book of jonah for as jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly. Sep 12, 2020 if jonah could tell us what he learned from his experience i think it would go something like this. Of the fifteen old testament passages read in orthodox practice at the vesperal divine liturgy of holy saturday, the fourth consists of the entire, brief book of jonah. The story follows jonah, a prophet called by yahweh to prophesy destruction on an enemy of israel unless they repent. And, even with that against me, god can still use me to. Jul 02, 2020 the book of jonah is a short narrative book about a prophet who doesnt really act like a prophet of god at all.