purpose of the book of jonah

The prophet at first refuses to go to Nineveh, the godless Assyrian city, because, he says, “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” . The Aim of the Book. search for the genre of the Book o f Jonah, scholars attempt to identify why the book was written, making claims ab out the author ’s role and his intentions in the process. The Book of Jonah is a book of the Nevi'im ("Prophets") in the Hebrew Bible.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. VII. The purpose of the book of Jonah. A. As he states, A Historical Overview. Solomon was outdone northward, Damascus was taken, the borders of Israel were Some of the key truths to emerge from this book are that • God calls His people to seek the repentance of the nations. The purpose of the book of Jonah is much deeper and richer. Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed to Tarshish.” LESSON #3 – Don’t RUN from your purpose. The story of Jonah is a story of an intensely patriotic, a highly partisan nationalist, who got his allegiance mixed up. Similarly, D. Peach gives a sensible summary on the main purpose of the book that totally ignores the most disturbing and powerful message Book of Jonah has The book of Jonah is an Old Testament story which tells about how the prophet Jonah refused to follow the Lord. Other lessons may be learned from the subordinate parts of the narrative, but this is the central truth of the Book of Jonah. While Jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing Jonah as … The Talmud ascribes the composition of the Twelve Prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly (Bava Batra 15a).Rashi explains that the books were bound together in one scroll because each was so short that some might get … One other obvious hyperbolic element in the book is the repentance of animals together with the Ninevites, which influenced a number of scholars to challenge the historical level of the book. It’s a story that is needed today. The message in the book of Jonah is that the love and mercy of God extends even to these foreigners, and so His people must not be too quick to judge and condemn them. The book of Jonah is Narrative History and a Prophetic Oracle. Overview. Ironically, the book of Jonah is filled with irony, parody and exaggeration that are often overlooked by many interpreters. The purpose of the Book of Jonah was to encourage all God’s people to extend mercy to the nations of the world, something they were not at all inclined to do. THE MEANING OF THE BOOK OF JONAH [1]. ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE OF JONAH: 42 The Book has two parallel halves: chapters 1&2 and 3&4. You can read the entire story in just 15 minutes. A few highlights of the book that I found particularly interesting were on this perspective, meaning the story of Jonah’s life and the decisions made. II. John H. Walton, “The Object Lesson of Jonah 4:5-7 and the Purpose of the Book of Jonah,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 2 (1992): 47-57. This inward focus of Israel is also seen in Jonah. Consider! Argument. Jonah prophesied during the peaceful and prosperous time of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23–28), who ruled in Israel (the northern kingdom) from 782 to 753 b.c. The book of Jonah is about an event that Jesus said took place in history. The History and Purpose of the Book of Jonah. Purpose. Key personalities include Jonah, the captain and the ship’s crew and the people of Nineveh. ! Rather than being a series of oracles of the prophet, this book tells of an episode in the prophet’s life. Although the book of Jonah is not about world missions, the theme of God’s mission to the world is definitely present in the book. One of the most intriguing facets of studying the Book of Jonah … Lewis describes the book of Jonah as a “moral romance” !! The Lord called Jonah to go to the great Assyrian city … domain assumptions … This is the central theme of the book of Jonah: that God loves in freedom. Unlike most other prophetic parts of the OT, this book is a narrative account of a single prophetic mission. A. The purpose of the book of Jonah is to show God's people that His plan is exceedingly compassionate (God is gracious) and exceedingly certain (God is sovereign). [Alan D Cole; Theological Research Exchange Network.] 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." In this cycle of the story, we note the structural pattern of the book: The authority selects Jonah for a mission, and the latter is constantly reminded of it. Mark Futato: The primary purpose of the book of Jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compassionate character of God, and in self-reflection 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. Jonah: Hampton Keathley IV: 06/18/2004: An Introduction to the Book of Jonah: David Malick: 06/14/2004: 3. A. Jonah's reaction is known only from his very eloquent silence. Nineveh’s Repentance and Jonah’s Wrath (Jonah 3 & 4) Bob Deffinbaugh: 06/03/2004: 2. the purpose of the book of jonah. 1. C.S. To affirm God’s freedom to act graciously B. Eugene Merrill, “The Sign of Jonah” (JETS 1980) Soli Deo Gloria, ds moses versus amalek: aetiology and legend in exod. Interestingly, the book of Jonah consists of only 4 chapters, 48 verses, and just over 1,300 words. The book of Jonah shows God’s love and compassion for Gentiles in addition to Jews because God wants to be present with people. xvii 8-16. biblical colophons: a source for the "biography" of authors, texts and books. Through Jonah’s decisions, actions, and thoughts, we gain the lessons of grace and purpose. Literary Characteristics. Through some supernatural events, God convinced him to obey and carry out the Lord’s plan. Pastor Tullian focuses on the gospel aspect of the Jonah story. Thankfully, we do not have to pick one purpose for Jonah, but can focus instead on prominent themes that run throughout the book. 19 Here are a few: God’s Mission. To explore the relationship between mercy and justice Category three has been, by far, the most popular option among interpreters of the book, and THE PURPOSE OF JONAH'S MISSION TO NINEVEH 193 best key to the book. The compact nature of the book is also memorable: the whole story is told in 40 verses, with another 8 giving Jonah’s thankful prayer (Jonah 2:2-9). The distinctive nature of the book of Jonah is revealed in several ways. T he book of Jonah is an Old Testament story which tells about how the prophet Jonah refused to follow the Lord. The book of Jonah recounts real events in the life and ministry of the prophet himself. In other words, “salvation belongs to the Lord” (Jonah 2:10). He didn’t want to go. The whole story ends with the lesson received by Jonah, the purpose of the book having thus been accomplished; and as one can not follow the effects of this lesson on Jonah's further career (unlike the story of Elijah in I Kings xix. before Assyria conquered Israel’s Northern Kingdom. The purpose of this book is to show that God is a merciful and gracious God. Jonah held something bitter against Nineveh. myth, legend and folk-lore in the ugaritic keret and aqhat texts. suggest that the purpose of Jonah is related to showing the Israelites that God is concerned for all people and therefore, they should be concerned as well. It was possibly judgment, offense, anger, etc… Understand that historically Nineveh was an extremely brutal place. Jonah’s role in God’s global intent. John H. Walton, “The Object Lesson of Jonah 4:5-7 and the Purpose of the Book of Jonah,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 2 (1992): 47-57. Jonah’s God was a God that desired people to be loyal to him and show love to him. In this essay, to further treat its tripartite theme, we will analyze and consider the Book of Jonah’s historical context, literary milieu, and theological purpose and significance. The man Jonah was the main character of the book, he was the son of Amittai (Jonah 1:1), and a native of Gathhepher, which was a city of the tribe of Zebulun in the northern Galilee region. Let me share with you seven great lessons from the book of Jonah. Selected Bibliography of the Book of Jonah: David Malick: 06/23/2004: An Argument of the Book of Jonah: David Malick: 06/22/2004: 5. The book of Jonah recounts real events in the life and ministry of the prophet himself. The primary purpose of the book of Jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compas-sionate character of God, and in self-reflection 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 Indeed, Contributions: The Book of Jonah is interesting and unusual in several ways. Literary Characteristics Unlike most other prophetic parts of the OT, this book is a narrative account of a single prophetic mission. 6 This range of time is well past the life of the Old Testament prophet Jonah associated with the reign of King Jeroboam II in 2 Kings 14:25 (788 BC). This was a time when Assyria was not a threat to Israel. The main purpose of the writer was to enlarge the sympathies of Israel and lead the chosen people to undertake the great missionary task of proclaiming the truth to the heathen world. Get this from a library! What keeps you from running after your WHY? The language, style, and theology of the book of Jonah suggest that it was most likely written between 450 and 300 BC. mission imposed on Jonah.13 He calls on Jonah, as God does: "arise, " and his message is "call upon thy God. " Jonah, the son of Amittai, was the friend and counselor of Jeroboam II, who is said to have regained the land of his fathers " from the entering in of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah." Beautifully balanced, deep and profound Jonah’s adventure opens a window into the heart of God. Purpose. The prophet Jonah wrote it approximately 785-760 B.C. First, unlike other prophetic books, Jonah is primarily a narrative. B. ), the lesson itself is in reality addressed to the reader, i.e., to the Jewish congregation. : 06/18/2004: an Introduction to the book of Jonah: 42 the book Jonah... How the prophet Jonah refused to follow the Lord and headed to Tarshish.” lesson 3. He book of Jonah recounts real events in the life and ministry of the book of Jonah is an Testament! 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