For many people, Jonah will always remind him of a whale and a disobedient, recalcitrant, sulking prophet. At most, even for some believers, this portion of Scripture does not seem really real, more like a sort of ancient fable from holy history, but which hardly deserves to be taken seriously.
This perspective tends to rob the reader of the richness that lies in this part of the Word of God.
This erroneous perspective obscures the vital importance of the prophet Jonah's crucial role in Israel's history and in the unfolding of the covenant of grace that will one day culminate in Jesus Christ.
All the developments of the Old Testament serve as milestones that mark the road to Bethlehem and Golgotha, whether the patriarchs, the Judges, the kings and, eminently, the prophets. Jonah provides a special insight into the New Testament era and the announcement of a resurrected Savior.
It is a miracle, a “sign”, a living oracle of God addressed to his people and concerning pagan peoples, hence its relevance for our time. The book of Jonah also reveals the hidden recesses of human nature and the prejudices that even the best man can harbor about the grace of divine design.
ISBN: 9781914156236
Author Gordon Keddie