Book of Jonah

[InHimITrust]

Has anyone ever really studied the Book of Jonah and what it represents? When I read thru it, it appeared to be the whold NT in one book. How have others seen this book? I am trying to find any OT prophecy that told of Paul coming, and this is about as close as I can get.
    First Jonah means "dove" and is mentioned by Christ in the NT gosples. Jonah is told to preach to the gentile city of Nineveh, but he runs. This appears to be a little comical in away, but Jonah doesn't want to preach there.
  It shows him getting on a ship. I believe Jonah represents Christ on the ship, which appears to  symbolize "Jerusalem". The sailors appear to represent the "jews" that Christ came to preach to, then they are shown throwing him overboard (symbolozing crucifixion), thrown up on land after 3 days, then I think he comes to symbolize "Paul" preaching to the gentiles.
   Later he is sitting down and God provides a vine for him. I believe this vine is again jerusalem, a worm starts to eat it (apostate jews corrupting Jerusalem and the temple), then a scorching East Wind comes and whithers it. This appears to represent the destruction of Jerusalem as an east wind was a symbol of judgement and invasion.

ezekie 17:9 " Say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots, Cut off its fruit, And leave it to wither? All of its spring leaves will wither, And no great power or many people Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots. 10 Behold, [it is] planted, Will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew." ' " 11 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12 "Say now to the rebellious house: 'Do you not know what these [things mean?'] Tell [them,] 'Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon.
Jonah 4:6 And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. 7 But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it [so] damaged the plant that it withered. 8 And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, "[It is] better
     

[joelkaki]

You've got to be very careful in how you approach something like this.  You seem to take a complete allegorization of Jonah, and I don't believe that is a biblical way to go.  It is arbitrary, and based on what we want it to say.  I don't think that is how to understand the book of Jonah.  If you want to really understand the thrust of Jonah, I've heard that the best commentary is reading it in the original Hebrew.

Joel

[Raphu]

Jonah was stubborn and prejudice. God changed his mind. There are many lessons to be learned from the literal text. Ninevites were noted for these heartless tortures of other nations and to be fierce warriors. Evidently they believed in God because they repented, as a nation, when Jonah finally obeyed God and preached repentance to them.
Yep, God will shade you from the sun with a flower, but He isn't beyond kicking us in the behind when we need a boost to get up and get at it...

[Evangelist]

I agree with joelkaki.

While many many people, and some alleged scholars try to approach Jonah as if he were purely allegorical, there are several things to keep in mind.

One, he was a real person, so referred to by Jesus, and the son of a known prophet, named in several other places in the OT.

Second, as a Jewish prophet, he would have a natural disdain and hatred for the Ninevites, as they were Assyrian, and the Assyrians had previously lambasted the Hebrews pretty good. As such, Jonah would naturally want to rebel against preaching to them, which he would see as God offering some really nasty people an opportunity to get right...and Jonah didn't think they should have the chance.

Lastly (too many other points to talk about), the bit with the gourd vine showed where Jonahs heart really was....he cared more for himself and his comfort via the vine than he did about the sparing of several hundred thousand souls.

Jonah literally makes sense...and since it makes literal sense, make no other sense out of it or you might end up with nonsense.

[ebia]

I agree with joelkaki.

While many many people, and some alleged scholars try to approach Jonah as if he were purely allegorical, there are several things to keep in mind.

One, he was a real person, so referred to by Jesus, and the son of a known prophet, named in several other places in the OT.

That doesn't prove that he was real, any more than it proves that all the characters in the parables are real.

Second, as a Jewish prophet, he would have a natural disdain and hatred for the Ninevites, as they were Assyrian, and the Assyrians had previously lambasted the Hebrews pretty good. As such, Jonah would naturally want to rebel against preaching to them, which he would see as God offering some really nasty people an opportunity to get right...and Jonah didn't think they should have the chance.

Lastly (too many other points to talk about), the bit with the gourd vine showed where Jonahs heart really was....he cared more for himself and his comfort via the vine than he did about the sparing of several hundred thousand souls.

Jonah literally makes sense...and since it makes literal sense, make no other sense out of it or you might end up with nonsense.

None of the above depends on a literal reading.  

[Raphu]

I see no reason to limit God in any ability to communicate the truth to us in the scriptures. By faith, I trust that God is able to suspend and keep Jonah in the whale for three days. the same as Jesus was three days in the belly of the earth and rose to new life.

Matthew 12:39  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41  The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

[Evangelist]

Original quote by Evangelist
While many many people, and some alleged scholars try to approach Jonah as if he were purely allegorical, there are several things to keep in mind.
One, he was a real person, so referred to by Jesus, and the son of a known prophet, named in several other places in the OT.

That doesn't prove that he was real, any more than it proves that all the characters in the parables are real.

2Ki 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher.

Hmmm. The scribes record that a King of Israel listened to an order, prophecy, or direction uttered by a non-existent person. Must have been a real nut-case, listening to those disembodied voices. Schizo, maybe?

Jon 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Mat 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

Mar 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

Luk 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

Your.....logic?, if that's what you want to call it, then leads to certain reasonable conclusions. No one mentioned in the OT or NT was a real person. Of course, if you want to consider Jonah as nothing more than poetic parable, then one can also assume (reasonably) that all of the poetic books were also parable...which basically eliminates David, Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, and a score of others as being "real people".

It also flies in the face of scholarship to believe that the scribes who recorded the book of Kings were in the habit of making reference to people who did not exist, as children of other people who were also figments of the imagination. It also shows a serious lack of ability on your part to make serious inquiry as to the obvious facts presented that establish Jonah's "actuality".

Amittai, father of Jonah (a real father/person).
Lived in Gathhepher (a real place).
Was a prophet (a real occupation).
Fled to Tarshish (a real location).
Ended up in Ninevah (the real capital of Assyria).
Preached the word of God, resulting in repentance by many (recorded in extant Assyrian tablets).

Finally, it appears that you are also not only insulting, but questioning the veracity of Jesus Christ. Are you seriously suggesting that He would have made reference to someone, KNOWING that they were not real, and thus INTENTIONALLY misleading His hearers?

But that's ok, ebia....I understand. Someone has told you it's got to be a parable, and all made up, and that makes sense to you because the big fish part is really wacky, I mean such things NEVER happen, right? No fish could be that big, right?  And if there were one, no one could live in their stomach for 3 days and nights, now could they? They would be turned into mush, right?

Try a little research. Find out how many recorded instances there are in history (and attested to) of people being swallowed by a "big fish", and were later recovered...and lived.