Missiological significance of the book of jonah

While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. This post continues some of my work sharing the significance and application of specific books of the bible. Jonah started out and made his way into the city the distance of one days walk, and proclaimed. Dec 10, 2017 the relevance of jonah strange as it may seem, i was moved to write this article while reading a book on palestinian liberation theology. I am drawn to the book of jonah not only because i. What is the meaning of the biblical story of jonah in. The book of jonah, written primarily in the third person, does not explicitly name the prophet as the author of his own account, but we have no reason to doubt either the inspiration or the historical veracity of the book. The book of hosea consists of fourteen chapters, which was the record for a minor prophet until zechariah tied it a couple centuries later.

Finally, the book of jonah reminds us that theological understanding is exemplified in a persons attitudes and actions. What jonah can teach us about gods sovereignty in missions. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish. Although the book is written in the third person, the traditional view is that jonah is the author of the book, and there is no persuasive reason to theorize about an unknown author.

I welcome your feedback and insights into these important books of the bible. Theology is a practical, not a merely theoretical discipline. The book of jonah has been attacked by the destructive critics. The vast majority of commentators and students of the book of jonah still adhere to one of the first three readings or some combination thereof see david kimhi on 1. The mysterious symbolism of jonah and the fish biblical. Lewis describes the book of jonah as a moral romance. As such, they miss the real point of the storya parable about the universality of gods love for all human beings. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. Book of jonah has to me the air of being a moral romance, a quite different kind of thing from, say, the account of king david or the new testament narratives, not pegged, like them, into any historical situation. The storyline to this point is a drily humorous and largerthanlife portrayal one should note the repeated use of the adjective g. 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. The book of jonah has suffered from many jokes over the years, so it has not been taken seriously, or studied in depth, in many places.

Israel, the northern country consisting of ten tribes, and judah, the remaining two tribes in the south. For jonah should have obeyed gods word and went to nineveh straight away. Jul 12, 2016 the book of jonah divides on this massive point. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. Jonahs reluctance to bring that message mirrors the israelites equally stubborn disinterest in the relation of the assyrians to god.

Jonah, theology of bakers evangelical dictionary of. The significance of jonah jonah, called by god to preach to the ninevites. The book of jonah highlights gods patience and loving kindness, and his willingness to give those who disobey him a second chance. The book of jonah stands as an important link in the prophetic chain, giving readers a glimpse of christ s death and resurrection hundreds of years before they actually occurred. The global message of jonah for today the message of jonah is an urgent call for the global church to extend to others the compassion they themselves have received. But he could not understand how god could love even foreign nations who did bad things. These last verses succinctly sum up some of the main issues in the book, namely gods compassion and jonahs hardness. The sermon i preached in my seminary homiletics class was on jonah. It is significant that jesus brought the two great miracles of the book of jon into relation with himself and his preaching. He shows in particular how ruth overflows with allusions to genesis.

Mckeowns insightful commentary will enable students, pastors, and laypeople to better understand the ancient book of ruth so that they can better apply its message and wisdom today. But i do remember itand wish i still had the manuscript for that sermon. Book of jonah, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. Unfortunate or not, the book of jonah, which may best be understood as a parable, is included in the section known as neviim in the hebrew bible tanach and the prophetic books, the twelve, in english versions of the bible. Jonah, gods objectionable mercy, and the way of wisdom.

The book of jonah, therefore, is a statement made through the wonderful medium of the story of jonah of gods compassion even of a pagan people like the ninevites who were enemies of the jews. One way we do this is through tangible acts of love such as financial generosity, hospitality, sharing of resources and personal possessions, and advocacy on behalf of those in need. Set in the reign of jeroboam ii 786746 bc, it was probably written in the postexilic period, some time between the late 5th to early 4th century bc. Why indians choose to follow jesus despite opposition the. May 31, 2016 book of jonah has to me the air of being a moral romance, a quite different kind of thing from, say, the account of king david or the new testament narratives, not pegged, like them, into any historical situation. Please think with me about the ongoing relevance, even to palestinian christians, of the old testament book of jonah. The men of nineveh repented at the preaching of jonah. Jonah went at once to nineveh in accordance with the lords command. Chapters 1 and 2 in that sense shouldnt even exist.

Listen to chuck swindolls overview of jonah in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. Despite its small size the book of jonah continues to attract scholarly interest, not. Jonah has awakened, and, in the metaphorical sense, the dry ground represents the solid truth of the higher conscious state. The book of jonah demonstrates the sovereignty of the almighty as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan. The significance and application of the book of jonah. In contrast to nahum, the book of jonah demonstrates that gods care and forgiveness extends to the oppressor, nineveh. He ignores a series of questions seeking to ascertain his nationality 1. Interestingly, the book of jonah consists of only 4 chapters, 48 verses, and just over 1,300 words. We read nowhere in the book that jonah confessed his sin and received a new heart. Our theological enterprises must therefore be judged at least in part by their fruit. Nov 21, 2012 the most difficult and troubling passages often open their meaning and significance in the most beautiful way when the historical and cultural background of the text is grasped. The severe winds and boisterous sea that god sent, then miraculously calmed jonah 1. This was strange, because usually the preacher is pleased when the congregation repents, but jonah wasnt. I cant remember if the sermon on jonah was the only one i preached before the class.

This description of god goes back to yahwehs revelation of himself to. But who then wrote the book and where do those intimate details of the story come from. Why indians choose to follow jesus despite opposition christs message of love, forgiveness, peace and justice is too compelling to resist. Jehovah looked down upon nineveh and observed the wickedness of these people jon. The title of the studysalvation belongs to the lordcomes directly from jonah 2. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim in the hebrew bible. When god calls abraham to offer his son isaac as a sacrifice, abraham gets up early in the morning and goes, but when god calls jonah, jonah runs away. It has been long established in missiological discussions that.

Sep 21, 2015 this post continues some of my work sharing the significance and application of specific books of the bible. The book of jonah demonstrates that ancient peoples who were outside of that mosaic covenant relationship with jehovah were nonetheless accountable to heavens moral law. In reality, the book of jonah is about none of those things. The book depicts the larger scope of gods purpose for israel.

The missiological significance of ezekiels concern for the nations as evident in the use of the recognition formula unpublished ancc ma. In conclusion, i encourage you to read jonahs prayer again while he is in the belly of the whale. The significance of the book of jonah sermon by alexander. When the call of god came to him, jonah could not see beyond his own selfish desire for god to punish the assyrians. However, the book of jonah is presented in a nonhistorical setting. Jonah, gods objectionable mercy, and the way of wisdom the. The book exemplifies the miraculous power and supremacy of god over his entire creation. Our interpretation, however, explains the plot, the characters, and the dialogue as embodying the primordial struggle between justice and mercy. In his prayer, jonah rightly described god as a merciful and compassionate god, slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster. Verkuyl says, the book o f jonah is so significant for understanding the biblical basis o f mission. The book of jonah revolves around jonahs memorable complaint to yhwh 4. The nations as yahwehs partner, in theology of the old testament minneapolis. Verses 12 this book is a story about god and jonah.

Nursi reads this as the culmination of affirmation of divine unity, the foundation stone of islam. The book of jonah really should have been two chapters shorter. It should have begun in chapter 3 really if you think about it. All this for people he disrespected, disliked, even hated. Unfortunately, many christians get hung up on whether or not the book of jonah is historical. The foundational source for the book was likely jonahs own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. Let me share with you seven great lessons from the book of jonah. Beautifully balanced, deep and profound jonahs adventure opens a window into the heart of god. An expressly theological reading of the biblical book of ruthin this commentary james mckeown approaches the book of ruth as part of the whole canon of scripture, exploring not only the content of the book itself but also its relationship to other biblical books. Oct 11, 2015 the book of jonah is part of gods holy word, and it is part of gods truth to us, and it has the same authority as any other book in the bible. Landscape the story begins in israel, moves to the mediterranean seaport of joppa, and concludes in nineveh, the capital city of the assyrian empire, along the tigris river. Sep 14, 2017 regardless of our views and opinoins of jonah, there is much to be learned regarding from this famous prophet and his journey in the belly of a whale. Jonah, ruth, and esther cliffsnotes study guides book. The amazing power of god was illustrated by these miracles.

Thus, jonah p experienced the reality that the sustainer is one, he is the causer of the causes and of their effects. Date since jonah prophesied during the reign of jeroboam ii 782753. But it displeased jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. The book begins with god telling jonah to go to the great city of nineveh. Atla religion database with atlaserials, ebscohost accessed. The prayer is clearly about jonahs soul, and it is a great read when your lower nature seems to be ruling your life. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author. Why indians choose to follow jesus despite opposition. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. Nineveh was an enormously large city a three days walk across. Jonah behaves so badly in the story that the average reader becomes quite disgusted with him. Unlike other old testament prophetic books, jonah is not a collection of the prophets oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. Jonah, the book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The book of jonah is part of gods holy word, and it is part of gods truth to us, and it has the same authority as any other book in the bible.

Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish learning. From way back, i have long been interested in the theological and missiological meaning of jonah. The purpose of the book of jonah is to show gods people that his plan is exceedingly compassionate god is gracious and exceedingly certain god is sovereign. So, isnt he going to save those who are sincere in following their own religion. This article suggests that a reexamination of jonah s missiology will show that a via tertia exists between these two extremes, one that is consistent both with a careful reading of jonah by itself and with a redemptivehistorical approach to biblical mission. Regardless of our views and opinoins of jonah, there is much to be learned regarding from this famous prophet and his journey in the belly of a whale. Missiological dichotomy, biblical theology, and the via tertia daniel c. An insight into the prayer of jonah p in the quran. This can be a logical conclusion due to ones improper understanding of the books theological message, which ultimately or. Jul 18, 2012 jonah has awakened, and, in the metaphorical sense, the dry ground represents the solid truth of the higher conscious state. Missiological dichotomy, biblical theology, and the via. A call to personal responsibility, tradition 30, no.

Jonah is a book that probes the perplexing question of why gods mercy is sometimes dispensed to people who do not seem to deserve it. For example, in the book of jonah, the author selected a person who reportedly lived during the times of the prophet amos. Apr 28, 2017 interestingly, the book of jonah consists of only 4 chapters, 48 verses, and just over 1,300 words. The book of jonah was likely written between 793 and 758 b. This did not mean, however, that jonah remained the same. The concluding interview between god and jonah, especially the question with which the book ends, further indicates that its purpose was didacticjonah was intended to serve as an object lesson, illustrating in bold relief the stupidity of the attitude that the author perceived in the books intended readership. The men of nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of jonas. During the time of the minor prophets, the nation of israel had divided into two separate countries, each with its own government.

Set in the reign of jeroboam ii, it was probably written in the postexilic period, some time between the late 5th to early 4th century bc. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. As jonah was three days and three nights in the body of the fish, so should the son of man be three days in the heart of the earth. His discussion also touches on such related topics as universalism, feminist studies, and the missiological significance of the book of ruth. The story concerning this man was designed to show the attitude that the jewish people had taken toward foreign nations. The word of the lord came to jonah and jonah refused. Thanks, leroy, for your comments on the book of jonah and the book by n.