Week 26 Jonah
I finished Proverbs yesterday and when I was done sat wondering what to read now. Technically it should be Ecclesiastes since it’s next. (And I have to keep Esther & Job in mind too since I skipped them at the beginning of the month). But I think I’ll read some of the Short Prophets for a bit of a change. I’ll see.
A couple of years ago I compared how each of the twelve Short Prophets started their books. The general rule was that in the first verse they identified themselves and said where the message was coming from (a vision or oracle or word from-the-Lord). Then in the second verse the majority of them jumped right in and started explaining the Lord’s message. But there were two exceptions to that general practice: Hosea and Jonah.
In the case of Hosea the Lord told him to go and marry a prostitute (which he did).
In the case of Jonah the Lord told him to get up and go to the great city of Nineveh (which he didn’t).
All the OT prophets seem to be strong individuals with their own qualities & gifts & styles & preferences & attitudes & convictions & temperaments. But Jonah is a real maverick. A decisive opinionated strong-willed non-conformist who took action to flat-out disobey the Lord.
Of all the stories of prophets Jonah’s is the best (from a story-reader’s viewpoint). And that’s where I started today.
Note: quotes from Hosea 1:2 & Jonah 1:2 (NLT)