Transcript The Structure of the Book of Jonah

Tragedy in Amish Community
• About seven years ago on Monday morning, October 2, 2006,
32-year-old Charles Roberts burst into a one-room Amish
schoolhouse, toting a gun
• In the awful moments that followed, he killed five young
school children, injured five more and finally turned the gun on
himself
• The idyllic, tight-knit Amish community of West Nickel Mines,
just outside of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was devastated
• Word of the shooting quickly spread across the country … by
the next day, over fifty television crews had descended on the
tiny village
• The gunman, as it turns out, was the local milk man who
delivered to the school and the surrounding neighborhood
• In a suicide note to his family, Roberts wrote that he had to do
this because he was so angry at God for the death of his own
little daughter … this would exact his revenge, he thought
Grace and Forgiveness
• What’s so remarkable about this story, however,
children
see
their
parents
Most
of
us
with
the same
Why
yougrew
think
some
outside
the
isAmish
what do
happened
inup
the
aftermath
forgiving
or of
extending
forgiveness
and of
instructions
tothe
forgive
as the
Amish
• Within
shooting,
representatives
Amishhours
community
questioned
whether
the
Amish
community
walked
over
to the
that
ismuch
how
they learn
about
forgiveness
people
have
that
mercy
should
have
been
gunman’s
house
and offered
forgiveness to his
How
did
you
learn
about
forgiveness?
Why
is
it
then
that
they
can
forgive the
extended
so
freely?
family
What
do
think
the
in in
our
seemingly
unforgivable,
butthe
many
of us
Whatthe
doyou
you
think
youchildren
would
do
• Before
blood
had dried
on
schoolhouse
community
learn
forgiveness?
cannot?
floor,
of slainabout
children
were offering
suchparents
circumstances?
forgiveness
to thewould
offender’s
family,toinmake?
spite of
What changes
you want
their grief
• The media at first didn’t know what to do with it. As Donald Graybill
tells it in his book, Amish Grace, the remarkable response of the West
Nickel Mines community transcended the tragedy. It changed the
story. What began as a shocking tale of a crazed gunman turned into a
gripping—almost super-human—story of forgiveness. A story of grace.
• All of a sudden the entire country was talking about forgiveness. What
does it mean? Who has the authority to forgive? What does it mean
to forgive if the offender is dead? Is there such a thing as communal
forgiveness? And, most of all, what inspired this community to
respond so quickly and so sincerely in this way?
Quick Review of Week 12 ….
Jonah’s Second Call
(Jonah 3:1-3a)
Tarsus =
Tarshish
Nineveh
Gath-hepher
2
Joppa
The Structure of the Book of Jonah
Chapters 1-2 (At Sea)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Word of God to Jonah
Content of the Word
Response of Jonah
Gentile Response
Action of Captain
Sailors and Jonah
Disaster Averted
Response of Sailors
God and Jonah
God’s Response
1:1
1:2
1:3
1:5
1:6
1:7-15
1:15c
1:16
2:1-11
2:11
Depicts Yahweh’s power beyond
Israel’s territory and across the sea
Chapters 3-4 (At Nineveh)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Word of God to Jonah
Content of the Word
Response of Jonah
Gentile Response
Action of King
Ninevites and God
Disaster Averted
Response of Jonah
God and Jonah
God’s Response
3:1
3:2
3:3-4a
3:5
3:6-9
3:10
3:10c
4:1
4:2-3
4:6-11
Depicts Yahweh’s power beyond
Israel’s territory … into Nineveh
Jonah 3:1-3a
SCENE 4
3:1 Then
the word of the LORD came to
Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to
Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the
message that I tell you.” 3a So Jonah arose and
went to Nineveh, according to the word of the
LORD.
• Jonah is the only biblical prophet who must be given
his assignment a second time because of his prior
disobedience
• Moses twice is given the assignment to ascend Mount
Sinai and receive the 10 Commandments, but that was
necessitated by Israel’s disobedience
Jonah 3:1-3a
SCENE 4
3:1 Then
the word of the LORD came to
Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to
Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the
message that I tell you.” 3a So Jonah arose and
went to Nineveh, according to the word of the
LORD. Yahweh was gracious to Jonah by bringing him the word
of the LORD a “second time.” In what others ways was
God’s grace displayed?
• God makes no reference to Jonah’s previous failure
• God does not remind him of his deliverance from Sheol,
nor of his promise, “what I have vowed I will pay” (2:9)
• God’s words carry no rebuke for Jonah and no warning
of what will happen if he fails to respond once again
Jonah 1:2 and 3:2
1:2 “Arise,
go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out
against it (qara’ ‘al), for their evil has come up
before me.”
3:2 “Arise,
go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out
against it (qara’ ‘el) the message that I tell you.”
What is the same in these two passages? What is different?
• Our ESV text doesn’t catch the subtle difference in 1:2 to
“call out against it” (qara’ ‘al, with connotation “to
denounce”) compared with 3:2 to “call out to it” (qara’ ‘el,
meaning “to proclaim to”)
• The content of what Jonah was to preach isn’t given in 1:2,
but the construction makes it clear that it was to be a
message of judgment
• In 3:2 Yahweh commands Jonah to announce “to” Nineveh
an as-yet unspecified message
Why does Jonah go to Nineveh this time?
• One answer might be that Jonah realizes he cannot escape
Yahweh
• This God has pursued him from Israel, across the sea, into the
ocean depths, met him in Sheol, then out onto the land again
• At this point Jonah may simply be giving in, crying “uncle,”
passively acquiescing to what Yahweh wants
• Perhaps he hopes or anticipates that the Ninevites will not
respond, in which case they will be destroyed
• If Jonah is given any freedom in crafting his sermon, he might
attempt to steer the Ninevites to destruction
• He could deliver a very short sermon containing no call to
repentance and saying nothing about escape or salvation
• Perhaps Jonah goes because of his renewed faith
• Yahweh had provided a great fish for his deliverance, not
abandoned him in Sheol, raised him up to new life, and
reinstalled him into the prophetic office
• God has come “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10)
The Structure of the Book of Jonah
 Scene 1: Jonah’s First Call
(1:1-3)
 Scene 2: The Storm at Sea
(1:4-16)
 Scene 3: Jonah’s Deliverance & Prayer
(1:17 – 2:10)
 Scene 4: Jonah’s Second Call
(3:1-3a)
 Scene 5: Jonah’s Preaching Converts
(3:3b-10)
Nineveh & Yahweh Changes
His Verdict
 Scene 6: Jonah’s Response to Yahweh’s (4:1-3)
Change of Verdict to Save Nineveh
 Scene 7: Yahweh’s Provisions and
Jonah’s Response
(4:4-11)
Revival!
Great revivals have occurred throughout history:
• Among the Jews in the first century
• The tribes of Ireland in the fifth century
• The Protestants in the sixteenth century
• The people of Wales in the twentieth century
Yet one of the greatest revivals of all time occurred hundreds of years
before any of these – the amazing revival in Nineveh in the 8th century BC
If a genuine revival were to occur in this country, what results would you
expect to see?
If God answered right now, in one fell swoop, every prayer you prayed last
week, would anybody new be in the kingdom?
Jonah 3:3b-5
3:3b Now
Nineveh was an exceedingly
great city, three days' journey in breadth.
4Jonah began to go into the city, going a
day's journey. And he called out,
“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They
called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them
to the least of them.
What information are we given about the city of Nineveh?
In Hebrew, the city is literally “a great city of God” as seen in
the ESV footnote. What does this lead us to conclude about
God’s attitude toward the inhabitants of Nineveh?
Based on what we know about the Assyrian Empire, why do
you think God was so concerned about the cruel and sinful
people who lived in Nineveh?
Neo-Assyrian Empire
Greater
Nineveh?
• In the 8th century BC, Nineveh was one of three royal cities in
the Assyrian Empire, the two others being Calah and Ashur
• Adad-Nirari III (810-783) had even built a royal palace there
just a short while before Jonah came on the scene
• Thus, the city was very closely associated with Assyria’s
monarchy and all that went with it
Nineveh during time of Jonah
… Now Week 13
Herman Melville, Moby Dick
“And here,
shipmates, is true
and faithful
repentance; not
clamorous for
pardon, but
grateful for
punishment.”
Jonah 3:3b-5
3:3b Now
Nineveh was an exceedingly
great city, three days' journey in breadth.
4Jonah began to go into the city, going a
day's journey. And he called out,
“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They
called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them
to the least of them.
Jonah’s message to the Ninevites as recorded in verse 4 is very
short―only five words in the original Hebrew! Do you think
this was the prophet’s actual “sermon” or are these words
meant to serve as a summary of his message? Explain
Which part of this proclamation is Law?
Which part of this proclamation is Gospel?
What happens when only the Law is preached?
What happens when only the Gospel is preached?
“Yet forty days …”
• In the OT, oracles against non-Israelite nations intend to
persuade their audience that they cannot escape Yahweh’s
judgment by relying on their own resources
• Jeremiah 18:7-8 – “If at any time I declare concerning a nation
What
does the mention
ofpluck
“fortyup
days”
thedown
description
of
or a kingdom,
that I will
andand
break
and destroy
Nineveh
“evil”
bring concerning
to mind? which I have spoken, turns
it, and ifasthat
nation,
•from
This is
of theof
flood
itsreminiscent
evil, I will relent
the account
disaster that I intended to do
it.”was the archetype, pattern, or model for the judgment
•to
This
–
verses
of These
sin in the
OT make clear that threats of judgment could
have
the
effect
of creating
repentance,
and even
after
What
does
this
suggest
about Nineveh
and Jonah’s
message?
punishment
a nation
“swear
allegiance
the LORD
• Taken
as a whole,
Jonah’smight
message
is one
of severetojudgment
of hosts” (Isaiah 19:18)
against heinous sin, but one that nonetheless (although only
• The presence of “yet forty days” in Jonah's announcement
implied
holds
outthe
thethreat
possibility
that judgment
might
seems
tohere)
confirm
that
was intended
to produce
be delayed, mitigated or avoided
repentance
• Had God simply intended to overturn the city, He could have
done so without any advance warning at all
“…and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (haphak)
Changed or Destroyed?
• Jonah says in verse 4 Nineveh shall be “overthrown” (haphak in Hebrew)
• Words that derive from haphak frequently mean destruction
• In some contexts though, haphak indicates a radical transformation
from one extreme to another
Genesis 19:24-25 – “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur
and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew (haphak) those
cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what
grew on the ground.”
Hosea 11:8 – “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O
Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like
Zeboiim? My heart recoils (haphak) within me; my compassion grows
warm and tender.”
What
does
haphak
indicate
in Genesis
How did
the
Ninevites
understand
the19:24-25?
word haphak in Jonah’s message?
To
what
event
is this
word the
linked?
How
dodecisive
you think
Jonah
intended
word haphak to be understood?
In
Hosea
the ESV
haphak as
“recoils.”
TheLORD
NIV translates
this
Based
on11:8,
the range
of translates
meaning possible,
what
might the
have
part
of Hosea
as: word
“My heart
is changed
within
me” (haphak = changed)
intended
by the
haphak
in Jonah’s
message?
What
does
haphak
refer
to in this
instance?
Explain
how
the word
haphak
shows
the way God works in our lives as
How
does itthrough
point tothe
something
other
thanand
destruction?
Christians
application
of Law
Gospel
Assyria
• Adad-nirari III (811 - 783)
• Imposed tribute on Aram-Damascus (Syria), Phoenicians,
Philistines, Israelites, Edomites, and others
• Probably the “savior” of 2 Kings 13:5 who allowed Israel
to escape domination by Aram-Damascus
• Army rebelled against monarch – deposed him
Judah
Israel
• Joash (835 – 796)
• Jehoahaz (814 – 789)
• Amaziah (796 – 767)
• Jehoash (789 – 782)
• Defeated the Edomites
• 785: Lost war with Jehoash
• Continued struggle with Syria
• Elisha dies during his rule
• Jeroboam II (782 – 753)
• Greatest king of Israel’s 200 year
history
• Time of prosperity and ease
Assyria
• Adad-nirari III (811 - 783)
• Imposed tribute on Aram-Damascus (Syria), Phoenicians,
Philistines, Israelites, Edomites, and others
• Probably the “savior” of 2 Kings 13:5 who allowed Israel
to escape domination by Aram-Damascus
• Army rebelled against monarch – deposed him
Sons of Adad-nirari III
• Shalmaneser IV (782 - 773)
• Ashur-dan III (772 - 755)
• Ashur-nirari V (754 - 745)
Assyria
• Shalmaneser IV (782 - 773)
• Son of Adad-nirari III
• Remembered as weak and inept
• May reflect the preaching of Jonah
Judah
• Amaziah (796 – 767)
– Also known as Uzziah in
the Old Testament
Israel
• Jeroboam II (782 – 753)
• Amos preaches against easy
life (760)
• Hosea preaches against
unfaithful Israel (755)
Assyria
• Ashur-dan II (772 - 755)
• Second son of Adad-nirari III
• Little is known of his rule – very quiet
• Faced an epidemic plague as well as revolts in
certain parts of his empire
• Ashur-nirari V (754 - 745)
• Third son of Adad-nirari III
• Quiet and rarely left the palace
• Killed in a palace revolt
(745 – end of “Jonah” effect)
Prepping the Battlefield
• At the time of Jonah's visit (c. 780-760 BC), the NeoAssyrian Empire as a whole was unusually troubled
• Political Instability: Once Adad-Nirari III was succeeded
by Shalmaneser IV (782-773), the Assyrian king no
longer had direct control over the totality of the empire,
parts of which had come under the control of several
different regional officials
• This state of affairs continued during the nominal
reigns of Assur-Dan III (772-755) and Assur-Nirari V
(754-745)
• In addition, there were a number of famines, revolts
and plagues recorded in Assyrian records, events whose
evil portent was believed to be clearly indicated by
accompanying solar eclipses
Evil Portents?
• Official government documents record a plague in 765,
revolts in 763-759, a solar eclipse in 763 and famine from
765 to 759
• Reports of eclipses in Neo-Assyrian documents were
typically followed by such statements as:
"the king will be deposed and killed and a worthless fellow
seize the throne“
"the king will die, rain from heaven will flood the land“
"there will be famine”
''a deity will strike the king and fire will consume the land“
• This state of affairs would have made both rulers and
subjects unusually attuned to the message of a visiting
prophet, as the book of Jonah bears out
Assyrian Beliefs and Practices
• Once an evil omen was witnessed, a king would try to
avoid his anticipated death or the hardship
announced in the omen by putting a substitute king
on the throne for a certain time (sar puhi ritual)
• The (real) ruler took the status of a farmer or
commoner but remained within the palace
• The substitute himself was typically a person of low
standing (examples include a prisoner of war, a deathrow inmate, a political enemy of the king, a gardener,
and even a simpleton)
• For a while (maximum duration of the replacement
period was 100 days) this individual lived a life of
luxury, since he had really to look the part of the king
whose death the eclipse or ominous event portended
Sar Puhi Ritual
• Robes, food, a significant entourage, residing in the
palace with a queen and other royal privileges were his
to enjoy (but only for a while)
• Once the proscribed period was over, the substitute
king would then be killed with the hope that the
omen's force would thus be exhausted
• Interestingly, to make sure that the omens would
irrevocably remain affecting the substitute, the
document where they were written was physically
attached to his garments
• It’s possible that the king of Nineveh removed his royal
robes not simply as part of his mourning, but also in
order to leave them to the substitute
Jonah 3:3b-5
3:3b Now
Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,
three days' journey in breadth. 4Jonah began to
go into the city, going a day's journey. And he
called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh
believed God. They called for a fast and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least
of them.
How did the people of Nineveh respond to the preaching of
Jonah?
• “The greatest to the least of them” is a merism for the entire
population
• They believed “God” (Elohim) – saving faith or
acknowledgment of the truth of the prophet’s words?
• They produced fruits of repentance (called for a fast and put
on sackcloth)?
Jonah 3:6-9
6 The
word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his
throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in
ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through
Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man
nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink
water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them
call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from
the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and
relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
After the
of the king’s
life before
God,to
what
What
was“overthrow”
the king of Nineveh’s
personal
response
Jonah’s
further stepWhat
does he
takemeaning
to reinforce
theaction?
people’s response?
preaching?
is the
of each
• The
He and
nobles
a royalsteps:
proclamation that:
Kinghis
takes
fourissue
immediate
Intensifies
thehis
general
1. He
rises from
thronefast
(abdicates his authority)
Expands the
of repentance
2. Removes
his sackcloth
robe (symbol
of his glory and power)
Commands
all to
crysackcloth
out to the(sign
Godof
ofgrief
Israeland humility)
3. Covers
himself
with
Commands
all to
repent
from their
evil ways and violence
4. Sat
in ash heap
(new
dwelling
and self-negation)
5. The
Offers
theis possibility
of hope

king
“overthrown”
fromand
his God’s
thronecompassion
and dignified
clothing
Let beast be covered
with sackcloth