The Book Of Jonah

There are numerous noteworthy/extraordinary stories and experiences in the bible that have enthralled the world (believers and non-believers). Likewise, there are texts or quotes, many of which convey insightful and discerning bits of wisdom to readers that should not be taken for granted. Furthermore, while there are many avid readers of the bible, only a handful of them apply the biblical messages to their daily lives. This is where life articles on biblical scriptures come in. What is a life article? While there is no generally acceptable or perfect characterization of life articles, they are helpful in providing a connection between texts from the bible and everyday human experience. In subsequent paragraphs, I discuss the book of Jonah.

The nature of the text depicts Jonah’s bizarre experience and hardship as normality due to its brief description. Moreover, some might even consider the experience a ‘fishy story’ (pun intended). Jonah, a patriot of Israel, was asked by God to go to Nineveh. God told Jonah to tell the Ninevites to repent and that he wanted to show them mercy. Due to the unhealthy relationship between the Israelites and Ninevites, Jonah decided to run to away to Tarshish. He (Jonah) boarded a ship headed to Tarshish and while on his way, he encountered a fierce tempest on the sea. God had unleashed a vicious wind on the sea causing panic amongst Jonah and the mariners. In an act of desperation, the mariners tossed items into the sea to lighten the ship while also asking for help from their various gods. Also, Jonah had fallen asleep in the lower deck prompting the captain to wake Jonah and ask him to call upon his God. Subsequently, they decided to ‘cast lots’ to determine who was responsible for the unfortunate event; the lot fell on Jonah. After the mariners had asked Jonah a series questions, to which he responded to all, Jonah asked them to cast him into the sea. Nonetheless, the mariners disregarded Jonah’s request and continued to try and steady the ship. Despite their attempts, the tempest grew worse and they eventually cast Jonah into the sea and began asking God for mercy. The tempest subsided instantly. On the other hand, Jonah was swallowed by a big fish sent by God. He remained in the belly of the sea creature for three days and nights where he prayed to God before the fish eventually vomited him out. God then told Jonah again to carry out the preaching to which he heeded and proceeded to Nineveh. The people of Nineveh were receptive to Jonah’s preaching and it wasn’t long before