Though this is not part of my daily OT/NT reading plan. It is the book that the Redeemer's Men's group is on now. And I do find much great new interests and motivation to study in this, empowered with Stephen Tong's material.
General Outlines:
Chapter 1: Jonah's disagreement with God at the greatest.
Chapter 2: Darkness in the fish caused Jonah to long for God's presence.
Chapter 3: With the same boldness as usual without the fear of death by Nineveh punks, he completed God's mission, though not with care.
Chapter 4: God educates Jonah the justification of His love.
Summary Notes:
Per Tong: Jonah's anger with God is liken to (but not sure) that of those who are close to the object of their anger. Thus, would Jonah be that close to God as to have such anger?
1:5 I note that unlike the notes presented in the Redeemer's Men's fellowship, I think that Jonah was never not afraid to die. Not in the storm, not in the fish, and definitely not in his ministry in Nineveh. Thus it explains how he could deeply be asleep. Thus, I don't see any punishment from God, not in the storm, not in the fish, against Jonah, but mere calling, based on his unique relationship with God.
This last Tuesday's talk on the last session of Jonah in the Redeemer Men's Fellowship wasn't quite impressive but it did get me thinking. The sort of feeling when dealing with sermons that's lacking the zeal or the Spirit of God, that I would train myself to identify the faults and give their sharpest treatments.
So two things that got me thinking from the group leader JT:
1. that there's a good and bad part of when Jonah wishes to die. We all wondered of what good part he was referring to: It was that because if he dies, he goes to heaven.
Goes to heaven? I hardly think so, not without being reconciled with God.
I think JT missed quite a big chunk of the context. There is no way in scripture that one wishes to die just so one could see God, it is simply against biblical discipline. It is never good, in other words. The saints who wish to die in the Bible are all facing a dilemma they cannot resolve before God, in fact, to a point that they felt that should they live on, they would offend God, hence the wish to die.
Jonah was not the only one. Elijah wished it, Moses wished it, Job wished it, and Jeremiah cursed the day he was born (Jer 20:14). So it is in no way for Jeremiah a choice to choose between this world and heaven. JT thought to used Paul's example, I believe he was referring to Paul's desire to be cursed and cut off from Christ (Romans 9:3), then JT is missing the whole point of it. If it's Phil 1:21 (To die is gain), then it's out of context for it is about a servant being killed for Christ, which Jonah is obviously 1000% onboard since chapter 1. A Victorious death is not the same as a desire to die out of struggling with God.
2. JT mentioned someone picketing with JESUS sign during the Capitol Riot (Transition from Trump to Biden), he said that this guy sinned by breaking the 3rd commandment: Taking the name of the Lord in vain. He could have a point there. I have been sickened by these fundamentalists vanity in legalistic approach of the Gospel. It never seems to be truly out of love nor care, it's more of a stand of Ameristianism. On the otherhand, the whole lesson of Jonah is about God's forgiveness to the worst, so I would meditate on how to commune with these folks which I doubt many leftist "Christians" in Keller's camp would care.