04/05/2025 – Day 279 – Jonah – Chapters 1 – 4 /. The meaning and significance of Jonah’s message for us today.
For this reading, there is a post dated from 02/20/2021 that gave a summary excerpt of the book of Jonah from Halley’s Bible Handbook. For this post, I am pulling excerpts from the Introduction to Jonah in the “Apologetics Study Bible”:
IS THE STORY OF JONAH FACT OR FICTION?
“… Moreover, two things tip the balance in favor of Jonah as history. First, the form of the book does not fit easily into any of of the suggested fictional categories; everything about its form suggests a historical work. Second, the use Jesus made of the account of the Jonah implies that He considered the book historical (Matthew 12: 39-41; 16:4; Luke 11: 29-30,32).”
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF JONAH
“The reign of Jeroboam II allows us to date Jonah somewhere between 793-753 B.C. although his mission could have occurred after Jeroboam died…
It is significant for the meaning of the story to know that the Assyrians were feared throughout the ancient Near East and threatened the very existence of Israel shortly after the time of Jonah. In their inscriptions the Assyrians boast of their conquests and of their cruel treatment of prisoners of war.”
THE MEANING OF THE BOOK OF JONAH
“To some extent it is possible to interpret Jonah in more than one way because the meaning drives from narrative rather than from explicit statements. Nevertheless, there are some clues in the story that should help. Here are two.
The first clue involves the intended audience of the book. It would have to have been written to Israel or Judah, not Assyria. So how would an Israelite have reacted to this book? Other prophets complained that Israel failed to respond to their messages, but the Nineties responded immediately to Jonah’s simple statement, ‘In 40 days Nineveh will be overthrown!’ (3:4). Jonah’s story would have been a rebuke to the Israelites and an exhortation for them to like wise repent.
A second clue is found in the reason that Jonah gave God for why he fled. He knew that God was merciful and would forgive the Nineties, not destroy them. Jonah represented Israel’s provincial attitude that the Lord was unconcerned about those outside Israel. The book of Jonah tried to bring a corrective to that
If we reflect on how we might be like Jonah, some of our incorrect attitudes may come to the surface. Are we concerned only about ourselves in our faith? Is ministry important only if it has some relationship to us personally? To our racial or ethnic group? Are there groups that we would rather hate than love? Have we opened our lives completely to God’s grace, compassion, and love if we are unwilling to love those who have offended us deeply.
Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18: 23-35) makes a nice parallel to the message of Jonah. Indeed, a theme that runs from Deuteronomy (6:4-5), through all the Prophets, and on into the NT is that God wants His people to love Him wholly and to love their neighbor as themselves (see Maccabees 6:8; Luke 10:25-37; James 2:8; 1 John 4: 7-21). The book of Jonah conveys this message in a unique way.”
Soli Deo Gloria!
Questions for fellowship generation, the lifelong sanctification process:
- What does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.