Jonah

Ah Jonah. The danger in reading a book like Jonah is the danger of familiarity; that is, it's such a popular and oft-preached/taught/studied text that your ears and heart grow dull to its message. For me, I couldn't get that blasted VeggieTales Jonah song out of my head the whole time!

Some impressions:

1. Jonah is definitely unique among his prophetic brethren. I mean, there is that whole issue with the whale...but, before that, Jonah is the only one who resists his prophetic call. And from 1:1, we know that Jonah's call is not particularly...intense. No coals to the grill, no getting transported into heaven, no "do this or else." Jonah's emphatic rebellion, then, speaks to his troubled character, to his incomplete view of God and to the difficult context to which he is called to preach.

2. I'm struck by God's compassion. I just finished Nahum, which is an oracle against Nineveh, and certainly they are guilty and will face wrath. Which makes the mercy that God displays in Jonah (3:10) all the more striking. In fact, it's so striking that Jonah has no category to understand it. Don't get me wrong, Jonah has a good moment or two, but, in the main, he's a hot mess of a prophet...

3. ...so forget Jonah, the heroes of this story are the sailors or the Ninevites! Who responds well in the book of Jonah? These guys. The sailors fear the Lord and make vows (1:16). And then the Ninevites have this wholesale repentance, starting with their king! (3:5-9). Next time I'm telling the kids about Jonah, I've got to remember to emphasize what a right and proper response is like!