Running On Empty

I am very excited about our four-week sermon series on the book of Jonah.  Even though the book of Jonah only contains fifty-eight verses, those few verses cover a lot of material such as a storm at sea, the conversion of sailors, a miraculous rescue, a song of praise, the repentance of Israel's archenemy, and an intensely honest dialogue between God and Israel's most reluctant prophet. They reveal the nature of Yahweh's relationship to the Gentile sailors, to Israel's enemy Nineveh, and to His messenger Jonah.  The book is, in many ways, a microcosm of God's relationship to His whole creation in history. Although the narrative is sometimes melodramatic, it covers serious subject matter.  It provides an occasion for discussion of what no one really wants to talk about: God's role in the persistence of evil in the world.  Jonah is engaged in an earnest protest (running away from Nineveh) and discussion (in chapter 4) with God about the violent Ninevites.

Over the next four weeks, we will discover that the theme of life and death is developed in all four chapters, as the narrative explores life in relationship to Yahweh.  The text considers the Ninevites' evil and their repentance, Jonah's response to God's difficult call, and the sailors' trust in and worship of the true God. Chapter one is about the threatened death and saved lives of the sailors and Jonah. Chapter 2 concerns death and life within Yahweh's great fish. Chapter 3 is about the death and life of the Ninevites and their animals. Chapter 4 focuses on the life and death of the vine as God's object lesson for the Ninevites' and Jonah's life in the presence of the Creator. 

So there you have it...a little summary of the book of Jonah.  It promises to be a great series! I encourage you to read a bit of the book every day this week!

On the Victory Side,
Dave