He prayed to the lord, isnt this what i said, lord, when i was still at home. The book of jonah recounts real events in the life and ministry of the prophet himself. It shows that god has always had concern for the heathen, who are without hope apart from him. Weaving together scientific studies from clinical psychologists, longitudinal studies of health and happiness, historical accounts and literary depictions, childrearing manuals, and the language of online dating sites, jonah lehrers a book about love plumbs the most mysterious, most formative, most important impulse governing our lives. Jonahs anger at the lords compassion but to jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. Jonah lehrers a book about love isnt full of fraud, but.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a book about love. God never gives up on jonahnot when he runs away and not when he sits under a vine. Jonahs disease is so uncommon that only one in every million people have it. Jonah is the central character in the book of jonah, in which god commands him to go to the city of nineveh to prophesy against it for their great wickedness is come up before me, but jonah instead attempts to flee from the presence of the lord by going to jaffa and sailing to tarshish. Literary characteristics unlike most other prophetic parts of the ot, this book is a narrative account of a single prophetic mission. Can jonah lehrer redeem himself with a book about love. No meticulous mea culpa is on offer from jonah lehrer in a book about love, his first title since the last was hurriedly withdrawn. In just a few short chapters, the book of jonah demonstrates gods power over all things, his love for all. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate god, slow to anger and abounding in love, a god who relents from sending calamity. Hesed appears in the first book and the last book of the hebrew bible. Book of jonah, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. Weaving together scientific studies from clinical psychologists, longitudinal studies of health and. Scientists are doing research to find a cure for the disease. Science writer jonah lehrer explores the mysterious subject of love.
The book of jonah is, in some ways, the greatest in the old testament. It is not just about love, but also the various psychologicalemotional that lead to or directlyindirectly involved with love. The book of jonah is narrative history and a prophetic oracle. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. The story of a fish swallowing a man and the man living sounds impossible, and since most liberal scholars deny the possibility of the supernatural, they reject the book of jonah as anything but a fairy tale.
Not too long after the ministry of elijah and elisha, another prophet came onto the scene in the northern kingdom of israel during the rule of jeroboam ii 2 kings 14. It differs from them in that while they for the most part contain prophetic discourses, with a minimum of narrative material, the book of jonah is mainly occupied with a narrative, and the prophetic message in it is almost incidental. Jesus declared that the men of nineveh repented at the preaching of jonah mt. That is the point of the book of jonah in the old testament. As a result of jonahs ministry to assyria, the assyrian captivity of israel was postponed over years. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate god, slow to anger and abounding in love, a god who. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Introduction jonah is one of the most ridiculed books by liberal scholars. When the call of god came to him, jonah could not see beyond his own selfish desire for god to punish the assyrians. He no longer writes for the new yorker or contributes to radiolab.
Lehrer footnotes and cites sources constantly and scrupulously, with the result. Publishers love books that tell clear, simple stories sprinkled with cuttingedge science. Points for discussion group input but love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah himself has traditionally been identified as the author. Journalist lehrer addresses the power of human attachment. In the books of jonah, micah, and nahum, we learn more about our god.
A book about love proves the best practices of science journalism dont. It is incredible that one could be alive for three days in a fishs belly. Fifth in the canonical order of the minor prophets. What the book of acts is to the new testament, the prophecy of jonah is to the old testament. Jonah knows how lord acts out in concrete acts of hesed, these being grace, mercy. The book of jonah stands as an important link in the prophetic chain, giving readers a glimpse of christs death and resurrection hundreds of years before they actually occurred. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. Jul 07, 2016 jonah lehrer has had time to work on a book about love.
Nov 07, 2018 jonah is not only selfish with his relationship with his faithful god save me from the fish. Lehrer returns from cultural exile with a book that tries to explain the dynamics of love but it is insolently familiar. In this way, the book of jonah reveals the attributes of god as the lord brings his salvation to a sinful and rebellious people. Jonah lehrer has had time to work on a book about love. The only reference to jonah in a historical context is found in 2 kings 14. His name was jonah son of amittai from gathhepher near. Jonah is a book which shows the reader how god is deeply. Jul 25, 2017 jonah lehrer is a writer, and the author of a book about love, how we decide, and proust was a neuroscientist.
Book of jonah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Many have questioned whether the book of jonah is historical. A book about love is an interesting and more than that informative read. The book of jonah is more about god and how great gods love is. At the beginning of the story, he is running away from god, and at the end, he is arguing with god. That is what i tried to forestall by fleeing to tarshish. Want to understand how to choose a longterm partner thats meant to last. Perhaps the third quarter of the eighth century is the most likely date for the book, after the public ministries of amos and hosea and before the fall of samaria to assyria in 722721. The book of jonah cannot be accepted as history settle, b4. Jonah wants his curse to come true, that those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace hesed that could be theirs 2. Feb 04, 2015 there are 8 physical miracles in the story of jonah, not just one. Full of gripping anecdotes, smart science, and savvy advice, the catalyst is an essential read for anyone in the business of change. Jonah lehrers a book about love is another unoriginal. Key personalities include jonah, the captain and the ships crew and the people of nineveh.
But this book of the bible is not named after a herojonah is no hero. Unlike other old testament prophetic books, jonah is not a collection of the prophets oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. Each book of the bible has something unique to teach us about god, about ourselves, and about the meaning of life. Lehrer has written a seminal book for any woman who wants to know what really matters in relationships.
One other obvious hyperbolic element in the book is the repentance of animals together with the ninevites, which influenced a number of scholars to challenge the historical level of the book. The story of jonah is among the most exciting stories in the bible. Thus, repentance is not, as some allege, a mere sorrow for sin. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by god to travel to nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath.
Most people remember the old testament book of jonah as a story about a big fish, but its really a story about our big god. Jonah lehrers a book about love isnt full of fraud, but it still has its. Dylan told his parents that he wanted to raise money to help pay for research. More honest, more boring, still spreading bunk a book about love proves the best practices of science journalism dont offer much insurance against distortions and halftruths. Weaving together scientific studies from clinical psychologists, longitudinal studies of health and happiness. For this reason, it appears the meaning for hebrew word hesed found in jonah 4. Jonah sermon series at christ community church 2017. In his article, he attacked the book of jonah by stating.
Ive been wanting to do a little book club for alone rewinding for a while now, and it feels. The book exemplifies the miraculous power and supremacy of god over his entire creation. Number one bestselling science writer jonah lehrer explores the. Ironically, the book of jonah is filled with irony, parody and exaggeration that are often overlooked by many interpreters. Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of god during the reign of king jeroboam ii of israel 2 kings 14. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. Following the lead of the hebrew masoretic text, the title of the book is derived from the principal character, jonah. Hes written for the new yorker, nature, wired, the new york times magazine, the washington post, and the wall street journal.
However, the book of jonah is presented in a nonhistorical setting. As the reader focuses in on gods attributes in the book of jonah, the short narrative is seen for what it truly is. Dec 21, 2017 the story of jonah is among the most exciting stories in the bible. For as yonah was a sign unto the ninevites, so shall also the son of man be. I bought a round trip plane ticket overseas for early july. His schedule no longer teems with lucrative speaking engagements. Newspapers and magazines, too, are hungry for such. Join me on this special love u podcast with jonah lehrer about a book about love. Jonah lehrer is a writer, and the author of a book about love, how we decide, and proust was a neuroscientist. Like all of scripture, each book of the bible has been given by god to help us learn how to live and love like jesus.
The catalyst book by jonah berger official publisher. The issue is complicated somewhat by the use of the. Jonah 4 new international version niv jonahs anger at the lord s compassion. Professor settle listed several alleged inaccuracies contained in the book. Cheryl schroeder, okotoks evangelical free church, alberta, canada. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. Pastor david cassidy november 2017 4 sermons in this series. Jonah 1 niv bible the word of the lord came to jonah son. There are 8 physical miracles in the story of jonah, not just one. The purpose of this book is to show that god is a merciful and gracious god. Although the book is written in the third person, the traditional view is that jonah is the author of the book, and there is no persuasive reason to theorize about an unknown author. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god. Jonah repents and goes reluctantly to deliver the message.
This book shows us that god is still in control of the world he created. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. God never gives up on jonahnot when he runs away and not when he. Ninevites believe jonahs message and repent in sackcloth and asheseven the king. In this cogent and compelling book, jonah berger outlines a smarter, more effective approach.
Jonah lehrers a book about love isnt full of fraud, but it. A book for jonah 1 a sixyearold boy named dylan siegel wanted to help his friend jonah, who has a rare liver disease. The book of jonah was likely written between 793 and 758 b. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. Gods servants must obey him even when the circumstances are contrary to their expectations. Kathie hill has a great way of writing scripture truths with great humor for all to enjoy. A book for jonah alvin independent school district. Book of jonah, destruction and captivity by the assyrians. Jonah, a hebrew prophet, is divinely commanded to preach to nineveh, the capital of the great assyrian empire of his day. The author, two of whose earlier books were taken out of print for plagiarism and invention of quotations and who lost his job at the new yorker as a result, avoids any such potential problems in a book that is as nebulous as its title suggests. He graduated from columbia university and studied at oxford university as a rhodes scholar. Despite human weaknesses in those god selects, he is still.
1336 1141 729 426 654 110 434 912 18 1487 733 458 755 181 1470 196 1308 391 1318 1081 1494 1319 449 852 1278 517 726 685 729 592 84 630 412 1421 1186 1092 1160 1007 250 1492 87 258 1121 150