The Book of Jonah

(This overview was printed and handed out as a supplement to the Bible study)

More than anything else, the book of Jonah is a story and the narrative becomes more fascinating the deeper we go into it. A few characteristics of this story include the following:

• The protagonist (main character) is Jonah, but he is not necessarily a “hero”.
• The antagonist (typically the bad guy or villain) is also Jonah. In other words, Jonah is his own worst enemy. There would have been no storm, no “great fish,” no worm or scorching east wind if not for his stubborn resistance to God’s will.
• The plot in a story usually involves some kind of conflict. In this instance, the tension that moves the story forward is between God’s will for Jonah and Jonah’s will for God. Jonah was convinced that he knew what God should do, but was afraid of what he would do.

The Book of Jonah is a carefully constructed story

• The story ends where it began, with “Nineveh, the great city.” This creates an envelope around the whole book, that lets us know the circle is complete even though it leaves us hanging at the end (1:2 & 4:11).
• The story divides into two narratives that run parallel to each other 
  Part One (chapters 1-2): Jonah runs from God to avoid Nineveh 
  A great wind, a great storm and a great fish
  The sailors “called on their gods” and on Yahweh (1:5, 14)
  The concern of the captain and his crew, “not perish” (1:6)
  Jonah learned his lesson (2:8)
  Part Two (chapters 3-4): Jonah goes to Nineveh and argues with God
  The people of Nineveh “call on Yahweh” (3:8)
  The concern of the king and his people, “not perish” (3:9)
  A scorching wind and a dead plant (4:8)
  The lesson Jonah was supposed to learn (4:10-11)
• Key words and phrases. We recognize key words in the way that they are emphasized in the text. The emphasis comes through repetition, being doubled (e.g., “feared a great fear,” being new or unusual expression, or in some way by drawing attention to their usage.
  Great, greatly
  Cast, throw, hurl
  Fear
  Cry out (call)
  Appoint
  Evil
  Know

We will discover more elements of the story’s structure as we go through it.

Questions regarding the point or purpose of this story 

Is it:

• God’s sovereign power over elements and nations? (This seems to be taken for granted rather than appear as a theme)
• The miracles–e.g., the great fish and Jonah’s survival?
• The revelation that no one can run from God or dodge his will?
• The eternal reliability of God’s self-revelation to Moses? (4:2)
• God’s justice?
• God’s compassion for all people?

What kind of story (genre) is the best fit for Jonah?

• Historical?
• Wisdom writing?
• Prophetic?
• Comedy? (The story certainly contains comic elements)
• Ironic tale? (We will encounter irony in some of the scenes)
• Satire?
• Mashal or parable?
  The word mashal appears in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament and is translated by a number of different words into English. The one idea that connects to these various meanings is that a comparison is being made. When mashal is a parable, its purpose was to illuminate or illustrate a truth, be thought provoking, or provide an insight. Some Rabbis’ taught that “before parables no one understood the Torah, but when Solomon and others created parables, then people understood” (quoted in Stories with Intent, Klyne Snodgrass, p. 8).
  We cannot say the book of Jonah is a mashal, and one reason is because no other Old Testament book is entirely a parable. But neither is there any other book in the Bible quite like Jonah.

The book of Jonah is a prophetic message, delivered in narrative form. It is more concerned with the message God communicates through the story than with the details of a specific historical situation.

IsraelTour2015

Waking Up To God

So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; ad from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.” Genesis 28:1-2

INTRO: The first nine verses of this chapter are continuation and conclusion of last week’s story

Rebekah cooked up a plan to get Jacob out of harm’s way
– I wonder why she couldn’t be straight with her husband Isaac
– I notice this with some people
• they don’t tell you exactly what they’re after, but try to draw you out
○ if you ask them a question, you never get a straight answer
• I’ve also noticed, these people tend to be devious themselves
○ perhaps their own devious thinking causes them to suspect others
– anyway, this sort of behavior prevents the formation of healthy relationships
• it sabotages any hope of intimacy, which requires openness, honesty, and trust

As a result of Rebekah’s ploy, Jacob was sent on a quest
– Isaac sent him off with a twofold blessing:
• God would bless Jacob with prosperity of his own
• God’s promise to Abraham would pass on to him
– through Isaac’s interaction with Jacob, Esau realized two things:
• Isaac didn’t want Jacob to marry a local girl
• the local girls displeased his parents
○ so Esau attempted to win his parents’ favor by marrying a third wife

Jacob’s journey would be long, difficult, and dangerous
– was he lonely? Excited? Afraid? Did he have regrets about what he had done?
– the storyteller doesn’t show any concern for Jacob’s emotional state
• he is more interested in getting to the main event Continue reading →

The Birth of Laughter

Then the LORD took note of Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to Him. Genesis 21:1-2

INTRO: The two lines that introduce this next story could be considered “poetic”

A literal translation might look like this:

Now Yahweh visited Sarah as He had said
And Yahweh did to Sarah as He had spoken.

– the point is, the storyteller begins this episode with an artistic flare
– he is not trying to load this story with heavy theological information
• he enlists the art of storytelling so his hearers will enjoy the experience
• we may find that the Scriptures enter our hearts more if we enjoy them than if we only study them
○ the maximum spiritual benefit comes by entering and experiencing God’s word

Vv. 1-7, God’s promise finally lighted upon Sarah

Se got pregnant, gave birth to a son, and had a good laugh
“God has made laughter for me” – or “with” me
– “Together we produced this bundle of Laughter. I could not have done it on my own”

The Hebrew word for laughter has many related meanings
– something that evoked or involved laughter or its feeling
• we don’t see here our distinction between an emotion and how it was evoked or expressed 
• laughter was both the action and its cause
– one of the possible meanings for the Hebrew word is “to tease” Continue reading →

“Dare I presume . . .?” “No.”

Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar. Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.Genesis 20:1-2

INTRO: We’ve already encountered a story like this (Gen. 12:10-20)

At first, I considered skipping or just skimming, because it’s not the most flattering picture of Abraham
– but more closely I looked, the more interesting it became
• remember, people first heard these events in Genesis from storytellers
• when two episodes share identical plot and details, the audience would recognize them
○ they would think, “I know this story! I know what happens”
– these episodes that share identical plot lines have been referred as “type-scenes”
• the type-scene connects the experiences of individuals to a larger history — God’s program

Vv. 1-2, Abraham is moving around

It doesn’t look like he has a travel plan or itinerary
– he was probably moving to wherever he could find pasture for his livestock
– in verse 13, he’ll say, “when God caused me to wander” — that’s what he’s doing, he’s wandering
• we wouldn’t be able to locate his destination on map
• but God knew where he was taking Abraham
○ not to a place on a map, but to a place in history

We need to find peace with the fact that God’s Spirit directs our spiritual journey
– until we discern God’s purpose for “event,” we trust Him
• and if we never discern a purpose, then all we need to discern is what we’re supposed to do next

Meanwhile, Abraham’s wanderings at times puts God’s promise at risk Continue reading →

Indicators of Growth

When [Abraham] lifted his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please, do not pass your servant by. Genesis 18:1-8

INTRO: Some years ago, I found myself frustrated with my Calvary Chapel colleagues

Our mission was to teach the Bible
– and the goal was make sure people in our churches “knew the Word”
• but I became disappointed when I realized what kind of Christians that produced
• moralistic, opinionated, self-righteous, argumentative
– it bothered me that I wasn’t hearing the importance of integrity or godly character
• we weren’t talking about becoming better people
○ kinder, more thoughtful or loving
• so even if we knew God’s word, it’s not like we were automatically living it

If you’re a parent, would you agree with me,
– it’s more fun and exciting to have a baby than to raise a child?
– how this translates into church life:
• it’s more fun and exciting to do evangelism than to grow Christians
○ growing Christians, you have to deal with all the hard challenges – every day!
• sometimes the exciting church is the one that keeps its members babies
○ this is something that frustrated New Testament writers (1 Cor. 3:1-2; He. 5:12-14)

How can we tell if we’re becoming spiritually mature? Continue reading →

Abram’s Next Big Step

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” . . . And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6

INTRO: There’s something we need to know before going on

Who was Abraham and why is he important?
– to Israel?
– to Christian faith?

. . .

“Abram” takes his next big step with God

Chapter 14, a brief history of the geopolitical situation

Four nations in the east–from the general area of Babylonia
– invaded and defeated kingdoms in the valley south and southeast of the Dead Sea
• including Sodom and Gomorrah
• the defeated kingdoms paid tribute for twelve years, then rebelled
– the eastern armies returned, conquered again, and emptied the cities
• they took Lot and his family – to use or sell as slaves
• that’s how we find out Lot had settled in Sodom
○ he and his family had been taken captive

A survivor escaped and came to Abram’s camp with a report
– Abram rallied his servants
• he also mustered his allies – literally, covenant lords
• i.e., their peace treaty included a commitment to band together for mutual defense
– they launched a night attack in which they defeated the invaders and chased them north
• Lot was rescued

The actual battles pass by us in a flash Continue reading →

The Raven and the Dove

These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9

INTRO: This is one of the most famous stories in the Bible

It has been a favorite of both comics and critics
– from Bill Cosby to Eddie Izzard
• even John Huston played a comedic Noah in his otherwise serious take on The Bible
– others have taken it very seriously — even making expeditions in search of Noah’s ark

The story begins with God being grieved over the human condition
– “earth was corrupt” and “filled with violence”
• God was grieved at what we did with what he had given us
• grieved over what we did with our potential, resources, and freedom
– shouldn’t God (the “God” and Creator) be upset?
• would it be better if he just didn’t care?
○ better for us and this planet? Continue reading →

A Contemplative Workshop

Although forgiveness is a foundational spiritual practice, we seldom receive much useful help when it comes to the actual process of forgiving another person, how to work through personal obstacles, or what to do next when we find that forgiveness is impossible.

Many believers are confused regarding what it means to forgive. For example, some people assume that to forgive would mean they would have to put up with repeated abuse–that is not the case.

It is possible that the direction and training you will receive in this workshop will be the next important step in your spiritual journey. Forgiveness not only liberates the soul, it deepens our awareness of God’s presence in every moment, and takes us into a place of improved physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

April 13, 2013
9:00 – 4:00
The Dana Point Community Clubhouse
24642 San Juan Avenue
Dana Point

See more details and register to attend at: http://practicingforgiveness.eventbrite.com/

Why Did Jesus Say That?

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” John 2:3-4

INTRO: Last week we began looking at statements Jesus made in John’s Gospel and asking,“Why did Jesus say that?”

This week brings us to a small village not far from Nazareth
– it is not on any major road
• it sits on a hilltop, where the homes are clustered close together
• descending from the village, the hillside is terraced, like steps, where they planted olive orchards and vineyards
– the valley below Cana, is one of most fertile in Galilee

We arrive here on a good day – a wedding feast is being celebrated
– elderly people are sitting under shade trees, children are chasing each other, and of course the bride and groom are being paraded around and given lots of hugs and mazal tov
– there are also several widows in attendance – not sad-looking, “poor me” women, but take-charge types
• one of them plays an important role in the story, though she is not named
• she is simple referred to as “the mother of Jesus”
– Jesus also was invited, along with five or six of his first disciples Continue reading →