Biblical Theology XXVIII: Jonah

Jonah is the only book within “The Book of the Twelve” that is not within the prophetic genre. The familiar narrative depicts the prophet Jonah avoiding his duty to warn another nation of impending judgment, and once he does, he is upset that God does not destroy them. The book may be written around the time of the Assyrian Empire, perhaps, sometime after the deportation of Northern Israel, although many scholars place it’s origin during the exilic or immediate postexilic period, and it would carry a greater significance if the later date is given, as the “great fish” may represent the exile. The book is best understood as parabolic of Israel and its failure to understand its mission to the world.

Theology: In order to understand the theology of Jonah, one must first understand the suzerain vassal treaty made between God and Israel, and the best relationship that demonstrates this treaty is that of marriage in the ancient Near East and the Old Testament. The larger nation in this treaty made a covenant with the smaller, weaker nation that it would protect the smaller nation from its enemies if it agreed to pay tribute to the larger nation. In marriage, this treaty is one between a husband who functions as the stronger nation and the wife who functions as the weaker who is in need of protection from the hostile world around her. The man agrees to protect her if she will “pay tribute” to him in terms bearing and raising his children. The tribute, unlike that of a prostitute, who only offers a trade of sex without children (and usually only temporarily for temporary supplies), the wife’s tribute is sex with the hope of children. This is why Augustine called women who used birth control “prostitutes” and their husbands “pimps.”

The reason why this is important to understand is because YHWH has made this same deal with Israel. They were not merely to worship Him for the sake of worshiping Him, but instead, they were to worship Him for the sake of being a light to the nations, a kingdom of priests who represented Him to the nations. This relationship, like that of marriage, was to bear children for Him. Instead, because Israel rebelled continually against God, and reflected the character of the nations than it did the holiness of YHWH, they were breaking the covenant God made with them, and thus, invited His wrath instead of His blessing and protection.

The Book of Jonah is meant to rebuke Israel for this crime by representing Israel as a single prophet sent to a capital city in what would have been considered the worst of the nations. Jonah’s attitude reflects the attitude of an Israel that has abandoned the covenant they have made with God to be priests to the world. As a result, God throws Jonah into the abyss, which represents chaos, and is only delivered when he repents. He fulfills his mission but is still angry with God, reflecting an attitude of ignorance toward the purpose for which God made a covenant with Israel in the first place. The book ends by telling the reader that God’s purpose through Israel is to display His care for those within the nations.

Ethics: The ethics in the book are implied. It invites those who have been shunning their role as priests in the world to repent, since God’s desire for those He warns is for them to repent. God has made a covenant with His people, and He expects children from it. In word and deed, His people are to be a light to the nations, and the Church does this through its unification with the light of the world, Jesus Christ. In joining with Him, we become the light of the world with Him, and hence, our covenanted mission, our tribute, is to represent God in message and deed, to speak a holy gospel and to be holy as He is holy for the purpose of producing children from the nations.