Book Of Jonah Themes

Unlike the other prophets the book of jonah is almost entirely narrative with the exception of the poem in chapter 2 the actual prophetic word against nineveh is given only in passing through the narrative.

Book of jonah themes. Jonah was a picture of the death and resurrection of christ. Jonah teach the grave but did not die. 10 timeless lessons from the book of jonah.

View chuck swindoll s chart of jonah which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses. As i have been reading the book of jonah these days i thought the theme of the book the grace of god. The book of jonah highlights god s patience and loving kindness and his willingness to give those who disobey him a second chance.

It appears that this theme lies at the heart of the book creating an insurmountable conflict between jonah and god. Landscape the story begins in israel moves to the mediterranean seaport of joppa and concludes in nineveh the capital city of the assyrian empire along the tigris river. As with any good narrative the story of jonah has a setting characters a plot and themes.

Jonah was unwilling to accept god s mercy even to the most ethically perfected pagans because that manifestation of mercy was antithetical to jonah s desired conception of god. Jonah was resurrected from the whale to pursue god s path that he had laid before him which was to rebuke nineveh into repentance. Jonah fled from the presence of god perhaps in hope that god would leave him alone but instead god summons a great storm to harass the ship.

The primary theme in jonah is that god s compassion is boundless not limited just to us jonah and the israelites but also available for them the pagan sailors and the ninevites. God is determined to get his message to the nations. In fact one of the major themes running throughout the entirety of the book of jonah is god s sovereignty over all things.

The lord did not leave him in his run nor did he let jonah die in the sea or in the belly of a great fish. The lord s compassion is not only for insiders like jonah and israel but also for outsiders like the ninevites. God demonstrates to jonah pretty quickly just how far reaching is his rule.