Jonah
Key Learning from Wednesdays
June 2024 - Present
Middle of the Week Bible Study
Jonah’s fear and pride cause him to run from God. He does not wish to go to Nineveh to preach repentance because he feels they are they are worthy of destruction. The first half of the book is familiar to us, the second half, not so much. Meets in the Cafe.
⁃ The sign of Jonah: Paradox of under God’s judgement and reliance on His deliverance; Nineveh was only told repent and they did.
⁃ Jonah himself a prophet to the Northern Kingdom (2Kings 14:25) before Nineveh
⁃ Parallels in Jonah to Jesus; judgment, condemnation, and death before new life
⁃ That fish/whale - three days in the belly
⁃ Cetology: The study of whales
⁃ Assuming a whale could swallow a man, No escaping the digestive process
⁃ Sign of Jonah usage in the Lutheran Service Book (LSB) - typifies Matthew’s usage as Jesus's suffering, death, and resurrection; One who is greater than Jonah is here.
⁃ Shoel the furthest point away from God; different from Hell in someway
⁃ Jonah’s Journey: From Mount Zion, down to the sea, then down to the bottom of the sea.
⁃ Chapter 2 follows the same outline as Chapter 1 and has parallels with Chapter 4
⁃ A sample of liturgical prayer with its references to various Psalms.
⁃ Sign of Jonah -Solar Eclipse on June 15, 763 BC : Interesting but not compelling; Desire by some to dismiss the role of the Holy Spirit?
⁃ 40 a good number does it mean at time of testing and of hope?
⁃ Nineveh rediscovered in 1939 near Mosul and the finding of an outside source that validates events in Kings and Chronicles.
⁃ The Reformers held up Nineveh as an example of true contrition
⁃ Some how we explored Exodus 4:24-26
⁃ Sign of Jonah - The Pharisees knew their Scripture and still hated their enemies, grace is given to the gentiles
⁃ Jonah came across as the antagonist in this book, why did the church embrace him as an Archetype of Jesus?
- Jonah’s Lesson:
• God has the right to be gracious when and where he pleases
• Are you okay with God loving your enemies?
• Parallel’s to the Prodigal Son (Nineveh is the prodigal son, Jonah the other brother)
⁃ The paradox of God:
• (Open Theism) God is open to changing his mind
• (Classical Theism) God is omniscience.
⁃ Mobi Dick had a lot of insights into the book of Jonah
• Ahab (Jonah) seeks vengeance on the white whale (God)