Jonah
Group
Book
Approximate Dates
Pre-Exilic
Jonah (preached to Nineveh)
780-850
Prophets of Israel
Amos (preached to Israel)
765-750
Hosea (preached to Israel)
755-715
Obadiah (preached to Edom)
840
Joel (preached to Judah)
835-796
Micah (preached to Judah)
740-690
Prophets of Judah
Nahum (preached to Nineveh) 630-612 Habakkuk (preached to Judah) 606-604 Zephaniah (preached to Judah) 625 Post-Exilic Prophets
Haggai (preached to Judah)
520
Prophets of the Returned Zechariah (preached to Judah) 515 Malachi (preached to Judah) 430 Remnant
The order we will cover the prophets: 1. Jonah and Nahum’s message to Nineveh. 2. Amos and Hosea’s message to Israel. 3. Joel’s message to Judah and Obadiah’s message to Edom. (contemporaries). 4. Micah, Habakkuk and Zephaniah’s message to Judah pre-exile. 5. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi’s message to Judah post-exile.
Jonah • Prophesied sometime between 850-780 BC. • The Northern and Southern kingdom of Israel are still in existence. • Jonah is the son of Amittai and appears in 2 Kings 14:25 as a prophet from Gath-Hepher, a few miles north of Nazareth, during the reign of the Northern king Jeroboam II. (786–746 BC).
Jonah • God calls Jonah to go and speak a message to the Assyrians, the people of Nineveh. • Assyria was one of the cruelest empires in ancient history, the enemies of Israel, and the ones who would eventually be used by God to destroy the Northern kingdom of Israel for her unfaithfulness.
• Jonah becomes a very reluctant prophet.
Jonah 1 1. The sovereignty of God. • God called Jonah (1), God sent a great wind (4), the lot fell on Jonah (7), the sea grew calm after Jonah was thrown overboard (15), the Lord provided a great fish (17). • Jonah’s words, “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” • Jonah acknowledges that God is the God of the sea and land and yet tries to run away from him (3).
Jonah 1 2. The contrast between the pagan sailors who are increasingly open to God, and to Jonah’s increasingly hardened heart. (14-16). (There is a measure of foreshadowing in this as to what is going to happen in Nineveh).
Jonah 2 When Jonah calls on God he misrepresents the situation. God has not cast him into the sea, driven him away from the divine sight, or brought up his life from the grave. The prayer shows his distorted perception of reality and proclaims his arrogance.
Jonah 2 He manipulates words of thanksgiving to boast about himself in misery and in piety. Jonah suggests that even when suffering unto death at the hand of God he has remained faithful, devout, and virtuous. Self-righteous religiosity seeks to flatter the deity. (Phyllis Trible)
Jonah 2 1. Jonah prays a self-centered prayer. • He uses words like “my”, “I”, and “me” 24 times. • He is totally self-absorbed. engulfing waters threatened me the deep surrounded me seaweed was wrapped around my head to the roots of the mountains I sank down the earth beneath barred me in forever
Jonah 2 2. Jonah blames God for the situation he is in. You hurled me into the deep Reality: The sailors threw Jonah into the sea at Jonah’s request because of his disobedience.
Jonah 2 3. Jonah still acts like there is a place he can be outside of God’s reach. I have been banished from your sight -Whereas… The Lord provided the fish. -The Lord commanded the fish to vomit.
Jonah 2 4. Jonah still denies that grace should be extended to the lost. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
Jonah 2 5. Jonah continues in his self-righteousness. • Unlike pagans, Jonah says, “But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.” • Even though the people on the ship and the people of Nineveh come out looking a lot better than Jonah.
Jonah 2 6. Jonah thinks he can smooth things over with God through religious observances. • • •
I will look again toward your holy temple I will sacrifice to you What I have vowed I will make good
Jonah 2 • Not once in this prayer does Jonah repent. • Not once in this prayer does Jonah say he will go to Nineveh. • And yet, what the Lord desires: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6, NLT).
Jonah 3 • Contrast Jonah’s message with Jeremiah 18:7-8. • God intended all along to bless the nations through his election of Israel. (Gen. 12).
• Even the animals are not to taste anything and be covered with sackcloth as a sign of the people’s repentance. • Obviously this is a bit of hyperbole, but in light of Romans 8:19-21, what theological idea may be behind the animals in sackcloth?
Jonah 4 The people of Nineveh repent, God forgives them, and Jonah becomes angry: I knew you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (2).
Jonah 4 • God is concerned about the repentance of the people of Nineveh. • Nineveh has repented. • There are many “innocent” people in Nineveh – possibly referring to children. • God is concerned, once again, about even the animals (i.e. cattle). • Will Jonah develop a heart for the lost like God has?
Jonah 4 The story of Jonah is similar to Jesus’ parable of the elder brother and, like that one, doesn’t tell us if Jonah/elder brother learned his lesson.
Book
Approximate Dates
Pre-Exilic
Jonah (preached to Nineveh)
780-850
Prophets of Israel
Amos (preached to Israel)
765-750
Hosea (preached to Israel)
755-715
Obadiah (preached to Edom)
840
Joel (preached to Judah)
835-796
Micah (preached to Judah)
740-690
Prophets of Judah
Nahum (preached to Nineveh) 630-612 Habakkuk (preached to Judah) 606-604 Zephaniah (preached to Judah) 625 Post-Exilic Prophets
Haggai (preached to Judah)
520
Prophets of the Returned Zechariah (preached to Judah) 515 Malachi (preached to Judah) 430 Remnant
The order we will cover the prophets: 1. Jonah and Nahum’s message to Nineveh. 2. Amos and Hosea’s message to Israel. 3. Joel’s message to Judah and Obadiah’s message to Edom. (contemporaries). 4. Micah, Habakkuk and Zephaniah’s message to Judah pre-exile. 5. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi’s message to Judah post-exile.
Jonah • Prophesied sometime between 850-780 BC. • The Northern and Southern kingdom of Israel are still in existence. • Jonah is the son of Amittai and appears in 2 Kings 14:25 as a prophet from Gath-Hepher, a few miles north of Nazareth, during the reign of the Northern king Jeroboam II. (786–746 BC).
Jonah • God calls Jonah to go and speak a message to the Assyrians, the people of Nineveh. • Assyria was one of the cruelest empires in ancient history, the enemies of Israel, and the ones who would eventually be used by God to destroy the Northern kingdom of Israel for her unfaithfulness.
• Jonah becomes a very reluctant prophet.
Jonah 1 1. The sovereignty of God. • God called Jonah (1), God sent a great wind (4), the lot fell on Jonah (7), the sea grew calm after Jonah was thrown overboard (15), the Lord provided a great fish (17). • Jonah’s words, “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” • Jonah acknowledges that God is the God of the sea and land and yet tries to run away from him (3).
Jonah 1 2. The contrast between the pagan sailors who are increasingly open to God, and to Jonah’s increasingly hardened heart. (14-16). (There is a measure of foreshadowing in this as to what is going to happen in Nineveh).
Jonah 2 When Jonah calls on God he misrepresents the situation. God has not cast him into the sea, driven him away from the divine sight, or brought up his life from the grave. The prayer shows his distorted perception of reality and proclaims his arrogance.
Jonah 2 He manipulates words of thanksgiving to boast about himself in misery and in piety. Jonah suggests that even when suffering unto death at the hand of God he has remained faithful, devout, and virtuous. Self-righteous religiosity seeks to flatter the deity. (Phyllis Trible)
Jonah 2 1. Jonah prays a self-centered prayer. • He uses words like “my”, “I”, and “me” 24 times. • He is totally self-absorbed. engulfing waters threatened me the deep surrounded me seaweed was wrapped around my head to the roots of the mountains I sank down the earth beneath barred me in forever
Jonah 2 2. Jonah blames God for the situation he is in. You hurled me into the deep Reality: The sailors threw Jonah into the sea at Jonah’s request because of his disobedience.
Jonah 2 3. Jonah still acts like there is a place he can be outside of God’s reach. I have been banished from your sight -Whereas… The Lord provided the fish. -The Lord commanded the fish to vomit.
Jonah 2 4. Jonah still denies that grace should be extended to the lost. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
Jonah 2 5. Jonah continues in his self-righteousness. • Unlike pagans, Jonah says, “But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.” • Even though the people on the ship and the people of Nineveh come out looking a lot better than Jonah.
Jonah 2 6. Jonah thinks he can smooth things over with God through religious observances. • • •
I will look again toward your holy temple I will sacrifice to you What I have vowed I will make good
Jonah 2 • Not once in this prayer does Jonah repent. • Not once in this prayer does Jonah say he will go to Nineveh. • And yet, what the Lord desires: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6, NLT).
Jonah 3 • Contrast Jonah’s message with Jeremiah 18:7-8. • God intended all along to bless the nations through his election of Israel. (Gen. 12).
• Even the animals are not to taste anything and be covered with sackcloth as a sign of the people’s repentance. • Obviously this is a bit of hyperbole, but in light of Romans 8:19-21, what theological idea may be behind the animals in sackcloth?
Jonah 4 The people of Nineveh repent, God forgives them, and Jonah becomes angry: I knew you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (2).
Jonah 4 • God is concerned about the repentance of the people of Nineveh. • Nineveh has repented. • There are many “innocent” people in Nineveh – possibly referring to children. • God is concerned, once again, about even the animals (i.e. cattle). • Will Jonah develop a heart for the lost like God has?
Jonah 4 The story of Jonah is similar to Jesus’ parable of the elder brother and, like that one, doesn’t tell us if Jonah/elder brother learned his lesson.
