In this essay I will take the position that the book of Jonah was intended to follow the unfinished journey of a prideful christian, and to show the involvement of an altruistic God. One of the major themes found in the book of Jonah is the relationship between God and Jonah. First, Jonah flees from God’s will, then he turns back to God, and finally, Jonah preaches God’s message of repentance to the people of Nineveh, but sadly, it doesn’t end there. Jonah was called as a prophet for God, but he had a detrimental problem in his character; Jonah was prideful. This causes Jonah to lose sight of his mission, and thus the unfinished journey of Jonah’s life is left in the hands of the reader. My first point is that Jonah starts his journey in union with God, but then falls into a pit of disobedience. We can infer that in the beginning of the narrative, Jonah was worthy to claim his title as a prophet of God. ‘Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah…’ (Jonah 1:1). God’s appointed prophets are not just ordinary men whom have no special qualities. Jonah was specifically chosen and called to ‘go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it…’ (Jonah 1:2). God gives this commission to …show more content…
The story of Jonah illustrates something very important. We may start off as ‘good’ Christians, but the journey in between will not always be favorable. Even if our whole life is spent working for God, if our last sentiments are filled with selfishness and pride, we are still guilty of sin. We see that Jonah was consequently left in anguish, but we can also see that God never gave up on Jonah. Thus the unfinished journey of Jonah’s life is left in the hands of the reader. How will we finish this story in our own life? Will we put self aside to live in the will of God, or will we allow our misdemeanors to get in the way? Let us then, hid behind the righteousness of Christ, come humbly before God in
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
In Vonnegut’s novel, readers can notice that there are numerous religious references such as names and terms throughout it. In the opening of the novel it can already be seen. Vonnegut starts his novel off with the narrator introducing himself, “Call me Jonah. My parents did, or nearly did. They called me John.” (Vonnegut 1). From this opening line you can already see a biblical reference, that reference being “Jonah”. The name Jonah derives from the Hebrew bible, it’s known to be the name of a prophet who disobeyed God. Already early on in the novel it can be seen that a parallel between religion and the post-war world which the story take place in are intertwining. It can be assumed that by the author uses of the reference Jonah, a disobedient prophet of god, that the novel also revolves around the theme of deception among people in society. Deception implicated among person to another can lead to creating destruction in society. If one such as a writ...
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives and to understand the significance Rachel's life had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapter titled “Shul” and “School” next to each other with each giving a view of the problems they faced in school. Here both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassm...
This essay will attempt to exegete, the passage from Jonah chapter one. This is a common passage in the Old Testament known as the call of Jonah to Nineveh. It is widely believed that Jonah was a prophet of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in about the 8th century BC. The available evidence seems fair to suggest that Jonah is the main character in the book named after his name. First thing to remember is that Johan’ popularity is based on his story of being swallowed by a fish.
In this paper, there will be an attempt to investigate two factors first, there will be a comparison between Judah and our nation to see how Jeremiah’s betrayal of God as the divine potter is applicable in today’s world. Finally, How does Paul’s concept of “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4, English Standard Version). How does this concept relate to our modern world?
In this essay I will take an interpretive look at Genesis chapters 5-9. The main focuses will be: the relationship between God, Noah, and Noah’s generation of mankind; the barriers and boundaries for humankind that were present and created by God in these chapters, the characteristics of God throughout the text and the overall importance and message of this passage in the Bible.
The book of Jonah is an adventurous story of a prophet chosen by God to go preach denouncement to a heathen nation. With the exception of stating that Jonah is the son of Amittai, the book itself fails to reveal any background information. Nevertheless, a plorthea of scholars have attempted to provide us with some insight to the, who, when, where, and what of the book. This paper will utilize four scholarly commentaries in a quest to determine the author or authors of the book, the time when it was written, the original audience it spoke to, the occasion, the historical, social and cultural context in which it was written. It will also address the historical, social and cultural context of the book and that of the pericope of 3:1 – 10.
Ishmael is excited about the journey ahead, but soon learns there is bound to be chaos on the ship. In chapter seven, Ishmael goes into the chapel where he sees family and friends of sailors who died at sea mourn their death. Then at the sermon in chapter nine, Father Mapple tells the whalers a story of "Jonah and the whale". In the story Jonah doesn 't obey God and therefore has to accept his punishment of a whale swallowing him. The meaning of the story Father Mapple preaches in relation to the whalers is that the crewmates must listen to and obey their captain. Another event that makes the Pequod seem less safe is the conversation Elijah has with Ishmael and Queequeg. Before he boards the ship, a prophet names Elijah warns Ishmael and Queequeg of Ahab 's madness and the crew he has snuck aboard the ship to help him get revenge on Moby
Jonah. Stylistically, the author portrays God as the one that “appoints” different aspects of creation to redeem, or deliver, what “evil” has befallen. In Jonah 1 and 2, God
“Jonah (and the Whale) - Story of Old Testament Minor Prophet Who Went to Nineveh." Easy English Bible - with Studies and Commentaries. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-outline/jonah-summary.htm
Specifically, it taught about how His mercy could not be restricted by a person’s preconceptions. Jonah was a prophet of God but was ruled by his unrelenting hatred towards sinners. Despite his loathing, God was more than capable of using him in the salvation of the corrupted. When Jonah was commanded by the Lord to preach to the Ninevites, he resisted. Nineveh was a pagan society and epitomized “everything evil that the Israelites hated” (MacArthur, Jonah 112), Seeing that his enemies would be forgiven if he delivered the message, Jonah fled from his duty. However, he would not be able to elude from the will of God and, after some precarious situations in the sea, would reluctantly prophesied to the Ninevites and inspired their faith in the Lord. This came to show that while “Jonah was filled with resentment … [and his] wrath was aroused, … the Lord [could still extend His] grace” (MacArthur, Jonah
On an opposite note, Jonah was a man whom God called upon to become a prophet. Jonah refused because he didn't desire a life of servitude. Knowing that he had committed an ultimate sin, Jonah fled to the ocean, risking hundreds of crew members' lives, believing that God would not be able to follow. In the sea, Jonah was swallowed by God in the form of a whale In the whale's belly, he repented and prayed for forgiveness. He was spit up by the whale upon dry land and all was forgiven.
...e Biblical story weighs heavily on Joseph’s divine dream interpreting ability and the story it provides, focusing on the theme of God caring for His people and fulfilling his divine plan. The Qur’an appreciates this but sees it as a means to the end of the spread of faith to non-believers. The Christian and Jewish version of Joseph’s trials serves a greater literary purpose than the Qur’an’s version, advancing belief by showing God’s abilities and the way they may be manifested in others in order to fulfill his divine plan. However, the Qur’an expands upon the Biblical version by including additional plot points and explicitly portraying Joseph’s goals and how they align with Islamic theology. The accounts differ in functionality, but both are crucial to the holistic understanding of the story of Joseph and some of the fundamental differences between the religions.
The Book of Nahum is a prophetic book concerned with pronouncing judgment upon the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, and with detailing its coming destruction at the hands of Yahweh. In light of this concern, it is not surprising that the primary image and expression of Yahweh in this piece is one of a vengeful and wrathful deity, expressing judgment in the form of destruction and desolation. These images combine to portray the character of Yahweh within the book of Nahum as a angry and judgmental God, bent on the destruction of all those who stand against Israel, a reality that readers struggle to comprehend in light of other texts, especially among the prophets, which depict Yahweh as gracious and merciful. What this essay will argue is that it is this larger textual context of the exploration of divine character, especially among the Twelve, through which Nahum should be understood, as well as through comprehension of the mythical allusions made by the author in Yahweh’s theophany. To show this, we will focus in on Nahum 1:2-3, exploring how it describes Yahweh, especially in relation to its use of Exodus 34:6-7, as well as how this compares to other prophetic texts and Jonah in particular. We will then explore the mythic qualities of Yahweh, particularly in Nahum 1:4, and how they relate to our reading of Nahum.
The story of Joseph, the prophet is a pivotal cornerstone for two of the three major Abrahamic religions. In it, both Judaic and Islamic followers have crafted a story which establish God’s ability to intervene and protect his resolute followers. Throughout time, both parties have diverged on the fundamentals of this story to benefit their definition of faithfulness. As such, Both Islamic and Judaic faiths have crafted a story in which the view of God, Joseph, and the other characters present a significant example of the power of God and Allah.