Each year when I have followed a personal Bible reading plan like the one we are following, I have enjoyed a break from reading the books of history, moving to the prophets. And our first is Jonah, who was mentioned back in 2 Kings 14.
*Note that the little story of Jonah is masterfully written. It is evidence of inspiration. Little details poke out everywhere. Jonah has a downward journey. He goes down from Jerusalem to Joppa, then down again into the hold of the boat, and then down into the underworld of the ocean. He wasn't just being disobedient. He was saying, “I'm turning in my prophet's mantel.”
*Bob Deffinbaugh: “Let’s face it, don’t you find that our text has reversed the heroes and the villains? … we would have expected Jonah to be the hero, while the heathen sailors would certainly have been expected to be the villains. This was certainly the perspective of Jonah, and of the Israelites, whom he typified. Yet in our text it is the sailors who pray, while Jonah does not. The sailors sought to deal with sin on the ship, not Jonah. The sailors end up worshiping God, [but] not Jonah. The sailors have compassion on Jonah, while he seems to have little concern for the danger in which he has put them. Clearly this chapter turns our expectations inside-out.”
*Even the fish comes out better than Jonah. He obeyed. The pagans of Nineveh and their king also come out looking better than Jonah. They repent.
For most of my life I have been fooled by Jonah's prayer, because he borrows a lot from the Psalms.
Jonah prays a selfish, me-centered prayer, and it is also a self-righteous prayer. The worst thing about it is there is no hint of repentance. But there are clear signs of trying to manipulate God. His prayer is somewhat like the self-righteous Pharisee who prayed about himself in Jesus' parable (the one who was thankful he was not like “that tax collector”). I have heavily paraphrased Jonah's prayer so as to make these overtones obvious to a modern American audience. So inside the fish, he prayed:
“You and me, Lord, we're pretty thick.
I mean, ‘Who else gets rescued out of such a fix?’
I can go all the way down to the world of the dead,
and say a little prayer,
and right away my personal escort vehicle will appear to rescue me.
3 True, you played with me like I was a Frisbee,
and tossed me into the ocean.
It looked like I was being buried alive in a grave—
as I sank to the deepest part
and the waves covered over me.
4 And I thought, “How sad.
This will ruin my perfect attendance at church,
and they will miss my sweet voice at choir practice.”
5 I was on the bottom by now,
having breathed my last,
with seaweed wrapping around my head
and the last bubble escaping from my mouth.
6a As I was losing consciousness
I could see the caverns at the bottom of the sea.
The world of the dead was opening its mouth to swallow me.
7a But even in such a place
my thoughts came right back to You, Lord.
6b That's when You did it, Lord,
snatching me at the last moment from the jaws of death.
7b You watch me so close
that even my last feeble prayer was received by You.
8 Those who worship false Gods
get what they deserve.
Why show any mercy to them?
9 But you know me, Lord—
As soon as I get back to the temple,
I'm gonna give you sacrifices
and join the choir again.
Thanks to you I'll be back, safe and sound, in my own pew,
and you'll be happy to see my pledge coming in the offering plate week by week.
10 The Lord gave the fish the order to spit Jonah up onto the beach, and it was only too glad to comply (being, by now, thoroughly sick of Jonah).
https://www.bible.com/bible/116/jon.1.nlt
This is the most famous antiphonal psalm.
Translation note:
6Give thanks to him who placed the earth [upon/?in between/among] the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.
https://www.bible.com/bible/116/psa.136
The pinnacle of the upper room discourse is Jesus’ high priestly prayer.
Translation notes:
1After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and
said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify [Me— ]your Son[,] so [that I//he] can give glory back to you.
2For you have given [Me/him] authority over everyone. [I give//He gives] eternal life to each one you have given [to Me//him].
3[Parenthesis by John:] And this is the way to have [that] eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
11Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, [you have given me your power. Now protect them by your power and for the sake of your reputation.//you have given me your name;b now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.]
12During my time here, I protected them by the power you gave me.c I guarded them so that not one was lost, [0//of the name]except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.
21I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are [joined together with/in] me, Father, and I am [joined with//in] you. And may they be [joined as one with/in] us so that the world will believe you sent me.
23I am [joined together with//in] them and you are [joined together with//in] me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
25“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I [know you//do]; and these disciples know you sent me.
26I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be [joined together as one with//in] them.”
https://www.bible.com/bible/68/jhn.17
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