Jonah

1
Jonah

• The Original Lonesome Dove

2
The Original Lonesome Dove

• Why the original lonesome dove?
• Jonah means dove in Hebrew
• and it is a catchy phrase.
• reflects something of the story
• Jonah fled from his homeland and people trying to
  flee from Gods call.

3
The Oddball Prophet

• Jonah is the oddest of prophets.
• only prophetical book in the OT that doesnt have
  any prophetical oracle other than one line.
• It is a story of a prophet, and an odd one at
  that.
• He runs from his call, and sulks when he hearers
  actually repent.

4
Chapter 1

• In chapter one, God calls Jonah to go to preach
  to Nineveh and the Assyrians.
• How could he do that?
• They were dirty pagans why worshiped idols and
  were cruel beyond belief to their enemies.
• Why would Jonah want to preach to people who his
  people had decided were the worthiest souls for
  eternal perdition and damnation on the planet.

5
Jonah vs. Nahum

• There is a whole book in the Bible written to
  celebrate their downfall Nahum.
• The whole message of Nahum could be summed up as,
  Praise God those Assyrians have been wiped off
  the map!
• Assyrians deserved the hell that awaited them
• no one should lift a finger to provide any kind
  of solace or protection from their coming doom
  and fate.

6
Run, Jonah, Run!

• So Jonah ran. He ran from God and boarded a ship
  headed toward Tarshish.
• The irony of Jonahs running from God is that, in
  so doing, hes acting himself like an unbeliever
  as if God was some kind of local deity that one
  could escape by running away.
• Later he refers to Yahweh as the God of heaven
  and earth, the sea and the land.
• He knew better than to run from that kind of God
• And so he was the original lonesome dove.

7
The Storm God Sent

• So God sent a huge storm and the sailors fear
  they will all die.
• We find that, in the middle of the storm, these
  pagan sailors are really wonderful people after
  all.
• The story is told to really emphasize this.
  These pagan idol worshippers did their best to
  save Jonahs life even endangering their own
  lives in the process.

8
Jonah and the Storm

• They start by crying out to their own gods, but
  as soon as Jonah tells them that his God is the
  creator of the sea and dry land, they cry out to
  the LORD!
• The text specifically says they cried out to the
  YHVH of the Hebrew people and that they greatly
  feared YHVH!
• This point is that these pagans were very
  interested in and influenced by what they learned
  about the YHVH of the Hebrew people.

9
Jonah in the Belly

• So finally, after pleading to the LORD for mercy,
  and only at Jonahs insistence, they threw Jonah
  overboard where he was famously swallowed by the
  great fish.
• From the belly of the fish, Jonah repents and
  calls upon the LORD himself.
• Was he convicted by the example of the sailors
  who called upon the LORD before he did?

10
The Assyrians and their Massive City

• So Jonah finally gets spit out on the land near
  Nineveh and the word of YHVH comes to him again
  commanding him to go to Nineveh to proclaim the
  word to them.
• He makes his way into the city the text notes
  that it is a huge city so large it takes 3 days
  to walk across - to proclaim to them the word of
  YHVH.
• The text also says something that for some reason
  falls out of most English translations.

11
Nineveh, Gods Town!!

• I would translate v. 3, So Jonah got up and went
  into Nineveh as God commanded. Now Nineveh was a
  huge city belonging to God, three days journey
  across.
• The phrase belonging to God is completely
  dropped from English translations although
  interestingly, it is in the Old Greek
  translation, the first translation of the OT.

12
Nineveh is Gods Town!

• The point emphasizes that God really has
  jurisdiction and concern even here in Nineveh.
• If you really believe God is the Lord of heaven
  and earth, this is part of his care and
  authority.
• Dont rule these Assyrians out as completely
  worthless pagans!
• This is Gods city just like Jerusalem.

13
The Message of Doom!

• The message Jonah proclaims is unambiguously one
  of doom. Forty more days and Nineveh will be
  overturned.
• Thats funny. The LORD is not even mentioned in
  this sermon.
• There is no tinge of hope or grace. 40 days and
  the ax will fall, period.

14
The Ax will fall!

• If you read the story carefully, you cannot help
  but wonder if that is really what the LORD told
  Jonah to say.
• Earlier God told Jonah only to preach against the
  wickedness of the city.
• There was no mention about impending judgment
  only about serious wickedness.
• Is this the LORDs message or Jonahs prejudice?

15
Those Repentant Ninevites!

• Ninevites did what Israel almost never does upon
  hearing the word of the LORD.
• They believed God, repented, called a fast with
  sackcloth and ashes.
• The king gets into the act. He rises from his
  throne, covers himself with sackcloth and ashes,
  sits down in the dust, and issues a royal
  proclamation while sitting in the dust!

16
Royal Proclamation

• he issues a decree that man and beast would fast
  and go about wearing sackcloth and ashes.
• he actually decrees that even animals must fast
  and wear sackcloth and ashes!!
• Everyone is to call urgently upon the name of the
  LORD and give up their evil ways

17
Jonahs Anger at the LORDs Compassion

• When God saw how they turned from their evil
  ways, God had compassion
• did not bring upon them the judgment Jonah said
  was impending.
• It is at this point that we encounter the story.
• Jonah becomes very angry because God has
  expressed such compassion toward such an unworthy
  people.

18
Jonahs Anger, Gods Mercy

• I guess he found it personally embarrassing that
  what he proclaimed would happen didnt.
• Made him feel like a false prophet?
• Actually, Jonah could have seen his words
  profoundly fulfilled
• since the word overturned in 40 days and this
  city will be overturned could and sometimes does
  refer to a spiritual overturning which would
  mean, repentance.

19
Take my life!

• He prayed to the LORD and said, God, this is
  exactly why I ran off to Tarshish.
• I knew what a compassionate God you were, that
  you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger
  and abounding in love, a God who relents from
  bringing calamity.
• Now LORD, take my life for it is better for me to
  be dead than to live.

20
Jonah Quotes Scripture

• Jonah quotes from two of the most powerful
  passages in the Hebrew scriptures
• celebrate Gods compassion and tendency toward
  kindness and mercy Exod 34 and Ps 103.
• Moses asks to see Gods glory and God reveals it
  to him on Mt. Sinai
• YHWH, YHWH, a compassionate and gracious God,
  slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,
  maintaining faithfulness and love to the
  thousands . . .

21
Psalms of Worship

• In the Psalms, this theme reappears
• our God is truly compassionate and merciful,
  faithful and loving.
• Now Jonah turns that all on its head saying,
• Thats exactly why I didnt want to serve you,
  God. You are just too merciful!
• the compassion and mercy YHVH has shown to Israel
  should not be shown to these wicked idol
  worshippers!

22
The joke is on Jonah

• Jonah has had unparalleled success.
• No other prophet has seen such success.
• Is he pleased and praising God?
• No, he is angry that God has spared Nineveh and
  wants to die.
• The mercy which God had shown to Israel does not
  belong to other nations! God should have
  destroyed the city.

23
The Vine and the Worm

• So Jonah went outside of town and waited to see
  what the LORD was going to do.
• The LORD decided to teach him a little lesson.
• He provided a shady vine to grow quickly - relief
  from the sun.
• Jonah enjoyed the comfort immensely but not for
  long.

24
The Vine and the Worm

• God the next day sent a little worm to eat its
  way into the vine and kill it.
• Then God sent a hot scorching wind to kill it
  further and to anger Jonah.
• Jonah is angry again and ready to die.
• So God confronts him. Do you have a right to be
  angry about the vine, Jonah?

25
An Abrupt Ending

• Jonah responded, You bet I do! Im angry enough
  to die!
• Youre so upset about this vine which you didnt
  cause to grow or tend. Yet Nineveh is a city of
  over 120,000 people and many cattle. Shouldnt I
  be concerned about that great city?
• and that is the end!

26
The End of it all

• God drew Jonah right in so that he saw his own
  wicked soul as in a mirror.
• He saw his own silly face staring back at him in
  the reflecting pool.
• And what he saw embarrassed him.
• He was more concerned about his reputation as a
  prophet (whose words should powerfully come to
  fulfillment) than about the souls of those to
  whom the message was addressed.

27
The Power of Hate

• He hated the Assyrians so much, he was more upset
  by the death of the vine that shaded his head
  than about the lives of those spared in Nineveh.
• He hated Ninevites so much he was saddened by
  their salvation and would have cried for joy if
  they all died.
• The book warns of the danger of religious hate
  and nationalistic blindness

28
A Missional Calling

• The point of the story - and where it is
  actually quite prophetic -
• that Israelites need to repent,
• like Jonah the prophet, of their arrogance and
  superiority!
• They need to start loving others who are
  non-Israelite
• take up their missional calling to proclaim Gods
  saving power for the pagan!

29
Loving the Unlovely

• It is just too easy to write people off as
  unworthy and impossible.
• God had called Israel to be a blessing to the
  nations (Gen 12) and a kingdom of priest and holy
  nation because the whole earth belongs to the
  LORD (Exod 196).

30
God loves the Ninevite!

• Israel at this time had adopted something of a
  let the world go to hell attitude
• sought severe separation from all foreign
  influences or presence.
• Jonah is saying, God loves those people and they
  arent so bad as all that!
• Dont forget that Nineveh is my city as well as
  Jerusalem!

31
Haggai Dealing with Apathy

• Dealing with People who Just Dont give a Damn!
• Outline
• 1st Message A Call to Action (11-15)
• 2nd A Word of Encouragement (21-9)
• 3rd Confirmation of Blessing (210-19)
• 4th The Restoration of the Davidic Kingdom

32
Haggais Background

• began prophesying in the fall of 520 BC (11)
• Work on Gods temple had ceased about 15 years
  previously
• due to opposition from Judahs neighbors (Ez.
  41-5, 24)
• Darius I (521-486 BC), Persias Third King, now
  ruled the empire.
• Zerubbabel ruled as Judean Governor

33
Haggais Zeal for the Temple

• Haggai possessed great zeal for Temple
• wanted people to complete project immediately
• but many people had become apathetic
• didnt care about the temple as much as their own
  comfort
• God used Haggai to stir their hearts to get back
  to work.

34
Haggais Message

• First Message Call to Action (11-15)
• he challenged his hearers with a question
• Is it time for you yourselves to be living in
  your own paneled houses, while this house remains
  a ruin? (v 4)
• People had had plenty of time to work on their
  own houses but had neglected Gods house.
• People are under a curse because Gods house lies
  in ruins. (17f)

35
Haggais Success

• People were stirred to action and work on temple
  began again (112f)
• But Haggai had another challenge
• How does this look in comparison to Solomons
  temple?
• It was just a shack in comparison!
• But Haggai prophesies that Gods spirit really is
  with them!
• New temples glory will be greater! (29)

36
Silver and Gold is Mine!

• 24-9
• Promise that the wealth of the nations will flow
  into Israel for rebuilding efforts!
• subtle reference back to Exod 1235-36
• Just as the wealth of Egypt was used to build the
  wilderness tabernacle
• so will the wealth of nations be used to build
  this second temple.
• Herod comes to mind.

37
Greater Glory of the Temple

• Gods temple has advanced in glory
• the church is Gods temple, and Gods Spirit
  dwells in her (I Cor 316)
• Individual believers are the temple of the Holy
  Spirit (I Cor 619-20)
• The Lord himself will be the temple of an
  everlasting kingdom (Rev 2122)

38
Contagion of the Unclean

• Two months after previous msg, Haggai questioned
  the priests regarded laws about clean and unclean
  things
• If a man carried holy meat in his garment, and
  his garment touched any other food, would the
  food become holy?
• Priests said, No! Unclean more contagious.
• So it is with this people and this nation.
  Whatever they do and whatever they offer is
  defiled (214)

39
Misconceptions

• People thought they would become holy by building
  their homes near the temple.
• Instead, they profaned the temple by their
  unclean living.
• Many people today think that spending time in
  church will insure blessing or forgiveness.
• Instead, unholy living hurts the ministry of the
  church and tears it down.

40
I will bless you!

• This is really a message about blessing!
• Due to their efforts, the curse of sin is already
  lifting.
• they are told to mark their calendars.
• Gods blessing would begin immediately
• Gods favor would encourage the people to
  continue the temple work.

41
4th Message Restoration of Davidic Kingdom

• 220-23
• Haggai described Gods future plans
• God will bring down kingdoms and exalt his
  people.
• Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, would serve as
  Gods special servant (Messiah?)
• Z. disappears from the pages of history
• Christians see Jesus, a descendant of David
  through Z., as the ultimate fulfillment (Mat 11,
  12)

42
Malachi, My Messanger

• Outside of the book of Malachi itself, nothing is
  known of this author.
• Even his name is not known for certain. The name
  Malachi means, my messenger.
• This is no other example of Malachi being used
  as a name in ancient Israel.
• The name first appears in Mal. 11, which is a
  superscription, that is, an introductory
  statement.
• These superscriptions were typically added later
  to the text by scribes, and thus are not the hand
  of the original writer.

43
Malachis Day

• Malachi lived and wrote during the period that
  the Persians ruled Judah (538 332 B.C.E).
• Malachi in 18 refers to Judah as ruled by a
  satrap (a Persian governor).
• In 110 the temple already rebuilt.
• It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C.
  and rebuilt from 520-515 B.C., so the book was
  written after 515 B.C.

44
Abuses in Israelite Religion

• M bewails abuses in Israelite religion
• marriages with foreign women (211f), sacrifices
  with diseased animals (17f).
• no mention of the reforms of Nehemiah or Ezra.
• dated after the rebuilding of the second temple
  and before the Ezra/Nehemiah reforms (458 B.C.
  according to the traditional date).
• book between 515 and 458 B.C.

45
Temple Purity

• Malachis prophecies bear witness to his strong
  interest in
• the temple and
• the purity of the temple priests (16-13 21-4,
  8-9 33-4, 6-11).
• However, Malachi does not speak as a priest but
  as an outsider to the priestly caste.

46
Personal Conviction

• man of great personal religious conviction, and
  was deeply concerned about the seriousness of
  personal sin before a Holy God (217 34
  36-7 313 41).
• opposed to idolatry (210 12) easy divorce
  (213 16), and social injustice (35).
• His courage is revealed by his bold attack
  against the influential priestly class and the
  social elite (11-14 21-4 32-4).

47
Historical Context

• reflect the depraved spiritual condition before
  the Ezra-Nehemiah reforms.
• after the completion of the 2nd Temple, the
  apathy and disillusionment against which Haggai
  and Zechariah preached continued.
• hopes for a new Davidic state never materialized.
  
• The material prosperity expected upon the
  completion of the temple failed to come to pass.

48
Historical Context

• migration of former Jewish captives inspired by
  the prophets never occurred.
• Zerubbabel was likely deposed by Darius as a
  dangerous political threat.
• He simply disappear from the stage of history.
• No clear messianic age was ushered in by the
  completion of the 2nd Temple as many had hoped
  and prophesied.

49
Peoples Skepticism

• Malachi speaks of the peoples skepticism and
  doubt in Yahweh as their God (12).
• The priesthood had become bored and uncaring
  about their priestly duties (113), and showed
  contempt toward ceremonial and moral purity
  (16-12).
• The people as a whole followed the lead of the
  priests (28-9) and were cheating God out of the
  tithe (36-12).

50
Sacrifice and Intermarriage

• The were also failing to offer proper sacrifices
  (114).
• Their distain for the covenantal laws was
  reflected in their intermarriage with foreign
  women (210-12), idolatry (211), scandalous
  divorce (213-16), sorcery, adultery, perjury and
  social injustice (35).
• a very low point in the history of Israels
  religion.

51
The Priestly Blessing??

• six distinct oracles and an epilogue. In the
  first oracle (12-5)
• The second (16-2.9) warns the priests of their
  laxity of offering sacrifices with blemished
  animals, and of their failures to instruct the
  people in righteousness.
• With shocking crudity (22-4), the prophet
  manipulates the Priestly Blessing (Num. 624-26)
  into a curse of the harshest variety.

52
The Priestly Blessing?

• Playing with the word face in The Lord make
  his face to shine upon you,
• Malachi transforms to say, I (the Lord speaking)
  will strew dung on your faces, the dung of your
  festal sacrifices (23).
• The message is simple because of the failures of
  the Priests, God transforms their blessing upon
  others into a curse upon themselves.

53
Dung of the Sacrifice

• Instead of God making his face to shine upon
  those offering sacrifices,
• God will take the dung of that sacrifice and
  spread it in the face of the priests.

54
Divorce and Foreign Wives

• The third oracle (210-16) speaks to the problem
  of the men of Judah divorcing their wives in
  order to marry foreign women who are pagans.
• the reasons for this are not clear in the text,
  modern research has made the purpose for this
  practice quite clear.
• By marrying into the powerful pagan families of
  the region they were guaranteed protection,
  economic advancement and political security.

55
Fourth Oracle

• According to the prophet, the ends do not justify
  the means.
• The fourth oracle (217-35) concerns the day of
  the Lord.
• Here he proclaims that this quickly approaching
  day will be a time of a settling of all accounts.
  
• Many in Israel expected the day of the Lord to be
  a day of messianic joy.
• Yet for Malachi, many in Israel have only
  judgment to pay.

56
Recent Harvests

• The fifth oracle (36-12) the recent suffering
  of the Judeans due to the poor harvests, plagues
  of locusts and epidemics are divine punishment
  for their failure to pay tithes.
• The sixth oracle (314-43) concerns the seeming
  victory of wickedness over righteousness and
  Gods apparent unwillingness to judge sin.
• The wicked contend that it is futile to serve God
  by keeping the commandments and repentance.

57
Coming Day of Vindication

• They claim that these spiritual practices do not
  necessarily result in financial or social gain.
• The prophet responds with the proclamation that
  the coming day of the Lord will bring vindication
  to the righteous and judgment upon the wicked.

58
The Coming Elijah

• The closing verses (44-6) or epilogue are
  commonly believed to be a later addition.
• The prophet Elijah is about to come as a
  precursor to the impending day of the Lord.
• The people are exhorted to observe the Law in the
  light of these approaching events.

59
Final Analysis

• Two features of the book are particularly worthy
  of mention.
• Of all passages in the whole Old Testament,
  111-12 is the most positive assessment of the
  sacrificial worship of non-Israelites.
• This passage therefore presents many difficulties
  and has been interpreted in many ways.

60

• The writer seems to be recognizing a certain
  validity of all sincere religious expression as
  somehow honoring to God.
• The attitude toward foreign cults in the rest of
  the Bible is consistently negative.
• Malachis expansive attitude is especially
  unusual in a book so concerned about purity of
  the temple worship and about the marrying of
  pagan wives.

61
The Coming Elijah

• The last passage of the book speaks about Elijah,
  the end-times prophet who will usher in the day
  of the Lord.
• The New Testament attributes this passage to both
  Jesus and John the Baptist (Matt. 1114 1712).
  
• Also mentioned are instances in which people
  wondered if Elijah had returned as expected (John
  121 614 740).

62
The Coming Elijah

• Orthodox Jews continue to await the coming of
  Elijah, a hope which springs from these words.
• In the modern Passover meal, an empty place is
  left at the table in the hope that Elijah will
  come and fill it.
• While Malachi is not the latest book to have been
  written in the canon, the hope it inspires for
  Christians provides a meaningful segue into the
  New Testament.