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  • Essay / The Book of Jonah - 1723

    Jonah, the fifth of the minor prophets, is believed to have lived during the reign of Jeroboam II, when the kingdom was divided. (Lockyer, 198) Although the Book of Jonah is quite short, only two and a half pages, it has no shortage of themes. Because there are so many themes it is difficult to categorize them or determine their main message. (Anchor 936 and New Interpreter's 490) These themes range from flight, prayer, second chances, wrath, compassion, and God's mercy, to name a few. The following will provide a brief explanation of each previously mentioned theme as it relates to the book of Jonah. The first theme, flight and its consequences, is found in chapter 1:1-2:1. Jonah is called by God to go to Nineveh and preach because their wickedness has become a concern to God. Jonah's name means "dove", which means "messenger". Ammitai is the father of Jonah; Ammitai means truth, which is interpreted as the son of “truth”. The interpretation here is that Jonah is a messenger of God's truth. (Hor) As a prophet and "messenger of God's truth", it is Jonah's responsibility to do what God asked, but Jonah chooses to flee and gains passage on a ship bound for Tarshish . There are many possible answers as to why he ran away, but the reason is not revealed until chapter 4:3. However, even as Jonah flees his responsibility, the presence of God surrounds him in the form of a “violent storm” or a great wind. (New Interpreter's 494) This is God's indirect way of speaking to Jonah and brings about the next series of events that sets in motion the consequences. Frightened by the storm, the sailors began to throw the cargo overboard to lighten the load. One interpretation is that the sailors were trying to lighten the middle of paper......Eugene. You can run, but you can't hide. http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=43475&ContributorID=7251Keck, Leander E. et al. “The Book of Jonah.” The New Interpreters' Bible, Volume VII. Nashville: Abingdon Press 1996 Leiter, Mark. How God corrects a bad attitude. http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon. asp?SermonID=54054&ContributorID=5995Lockyer, Herbert. All the men of the Bible. Grand Rapids: ZondervanMagonet Publishing House, J. Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation. Ed. John H. Hayes. Nashville: Abingdon PressMagonet, Jonathan. “Jonas, Book of.” The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Ed. David Noël Freedman, et al. New York: DoubledayThe New American Bible. Catholic Bible Press. Nashville Wilkins, Mike. Praying in the belly of a fish.http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon central_pro/quick_save.asp?SermonID=47464