Theme of the book jonah

It is a book that also reveals to us the very mind of god. Analysis of the book of jonah essay 2162 words 9 pages. Identified in verse 1 as the son of amittai, jonah came from a town called. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. The book is named after its principal character, whose name means dove. Jonah fled from the presence of god perhaps in hope that god would leave him alone, but instead god summons a great storm to harass the ship. Key personalities include jonah, the captain and the ships crew and the people of nineveh. We read nowhere in the book that jonah confessed his sin and received a new heart. The book of jonah is narrative history and a prophetic oracle. The book of jonah demonstrates the sovereignty of the almighty as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan. 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.

This did not mean, however, that jonah remained the same. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author. God is in control, god is the author of salvation, and god saves those who are his. One of the more popular narratives of the bible, jonah is included with the prophetic books of the old testament. Jonah encounters pagans who are forced to consider the influence of his god 1. Our online the book of jonah trivia quizzes can be adapted to suit your requirements for taking some of the top the book of jonah quizzes. The prophetic significance of this book not only lies in the short message in nineveh but also in the entire history of jonah described in his book. The book of jonah, written primarily in the third person, does not explicitly. The book of jonah is about an event that jesus said took place in history. The primary theme in jonah is that gods compassion is boundless, not limited just to us jonah and the israelites but also available for them the pagan.

Written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. Jonah was resurrected from the whale to pursue gods path that he had laid before him, which was to rebuke nineveh into repentance. The final aspect of the tripartite theme of jonah, compassion, reveals a. Throughout the book the main theme of jonah is his willingness to accept blessing and mercy and his reluctance to see his enemies, the ninevites or assyrians, receive the same treatment. Chapters 1 and 4 are the book ends on either side of the prophets grudging obedience in chapters 2 and 3. That is the point of the book of jonah in the old testament.

God demonstrates to jonah pretty quickly just how farreaching is his rule. Jonah did not want to, more out of bigotry than racism. Date since jonah prophesied during the reign of jeroboam ii 782753. Many critics however want to lower the book of jonah to an allegory, a parable or a legend because of the miracles described in it especially the appearing of the great fish devouring jonah. A comprehensive database of the book of jonah quizzes online, test your knowledge with the book of jonah quiz questions. Title following the lead of the hebrew masoretic text mt, the title of the book is derived from the principal character, jonah meaning dove, the son of amittai 1. By starting with the lords call of jonah to gentile nineveh, then ending by having him spare all nineveh, the book of jonah illustrates the universality of jehovah. The foundational source for the book was likely jonahs own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. Some have encountered major themes in the book that does not relate to jonahs 8th century bce context but beyond his time. Jonah vividly displays the heart of mercy god has for all people groups of the world, even those known for their godlessness. The book is replete with irony, wherein much of its humor lies.

The most interesting feature of this theme in the book, however, is that of all the characters the only one who does not seem to get this is jonah. Why study the book of jonah with dr doug ingram duration. The book of jonah is an example that will be used to determine if this particular story describes an accurate recount of history, or if it teaches the readers a lesson. 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.

Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. Gods love for all people the overarching theme of the book of jonah is the love of god for all persons and even animals, despite the prophets stubborn resistance to loving the ninevites whom the israelites feared and hated. The audience of the book of jonah was the people of israel and all future readers of the bible and, typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of israel. In the new testament, no other old testament prophet is named by jesus more than the prophet jonah. The book of jonah quizzes online, trivia, questions. The primary theme in jonah is that gods compassion is boundless, not limited just to us jonah and the israelites but also available for them the pagan sailors and the ninevites. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. Jonah is forced into a confrontation with god because of his attitudes 1. This summary of the book of jonah provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of jonah. Jonah was commanded by god to give warning to the city of nineveh capital of assyria so that people may repent.

Jonah was a picture of the death and resurrection of christ. Throughout the narrative of jonah, it is quite clear that god is an active participant in the story. But the book reveals more than just gods control over aquatic beasts. Each section begins with the same command given by the lord to jonah and each ends with a statement about the lords. But who then wrote the book and where do those intimate details of the story come from. Basically, the book of jonah is a unified narrative. This article will highlight several of the theological themes found in jonah and demonstrate why preaching this short book will be a doctrinally edifying gift to the church. God is determined to get his message to the nations.

Our sermon ideas on jonah will help you preach a powerful message on the difficult commission of god. God does not desire that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance 1 tim 2. The name jonah means dove in hebrew, but jonahs character is anything but dovelike. Jonah is commanded to go east to nineveh but flees toward the westernmost possible point, only to be swallowed by a great fish and dumped back at this starting point 2. The lords compassion is not only for insiders like jonah and israel but also for outsiders like the ninevites. Though illogical, the book of jonahs chiastic return to this theme of anger allows the story to end as it began, at both points with images to symbolize gods universal love.

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. Jonah, which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses. Not too long after the ministry of elijah and elisha, another prophet came onto the scene in the northern kingdom of israel during the rule of jeroboam ii 2 kings 14. Prepare your messages on gods word in jonah with sermon outlines or an entire sermon series. The word of the lord came to jonah and jonah refused. The book of jonah was likely written between 793 and 758 b. Furthermore, the missionary function of the book of jonah reveals gods missionary action in the world.

Outside the book jonah is mentioned only in 2 kings 14. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. The purpose of this book is to show that god is a merciful and gracious god. This article will highlight several of the theological themes found in jonah and demonstrate why preaching this short book will be a doctrinally. The main theme of the book of jonah is gods sovereignty over all people and his divine plan to extend his gift of mercy and salvation beyond israel to include the gentile nations.

The theme of jonah is gods saving mercy toward the nations of the world. Jonah is a book that calls us to be better missionaries than this reluctant prophet. Certainly, god desired jonah to proclaim a message to nineveh in the hopes that they would turn from their wicked ways. His name was jonah son of amittai from gathhepher near. 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 title of the studysalvation belongs to the lordcomes directly from jonah 2. The book of jonah is unique among the books of the prophets. The man jonah was the main character of the book, he was the son of amittai jonah 1. Each has a call from god and a response from jonah 1. 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. And if we used one word to describe what we read in verse 3 we would have to say disobedience. Gods determination to get his message to the nations.

Disobedience and revival are the key themes in this book. God tells jonah to go and talk to the ninevites around where syria is now and tell them to repent or else. Although the book of jonah is not about world missions, the theme of gods mission to the world is definitely present in the book. Unlike other old testament prophetic books, jonah is not a collection of the prophets oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. Who wrote the book of jonah and what is its purpose. Summary of the book of jonah the story of the bible. God is in sovereign control over all events on the earth. In fact one of the major themes running throughout the entirety of the book of jonah is gods sovereignty over all things.