Reader Survey
No, I’m not going to do one of those things where I ask you a bunch of questions. At least not now. For the moment, I just want to ask you one question…
The first chapter of Jonah recounts a narrative that is familiar to all Christians. God tells Jonah to go preach to Nineveh, and Jonah runs the opposite way. He boards a ship, the seas get rough, and the sailors are crying out to their gods to save them. Jonah says he is at fault, and gets thrown overboard. Jonah is then swallowed by a great fish, where he remains for three days.
We have all heard this story many times, and have likely heard it preached on. The sermon may go something like this: “God called Jonah to do something, Jonah didn’t want to do it, God punished Jonah by commanding a great fish to swallow him. God has placed his call on each of our lives, and sometimes that entails doing something we don’t want to do. But if we run away from God, we risk incurring God’s judgment as well. What is the ‘Nineveh’ in your life? Will you answer the call of God, or will you run away from him?”
Pretty straightforward, eh? Here’s my question: is this a valid interpretation and application of this passage? Please leave a comment and simply answer yes or no, so as not to influence others. I’d really like to get a lot of answers to this, so if you’ve read this far, please leave a comment. Thanks!
***update*** It just occurred to that you might not want to make your views known publicly. While I think we should all be prepared to say whether or not a position is biblical, I’m more interested at this point in getting a bunch of people to respond. So if you prefer, enter some bogus information into the comment section and cast your vote anonymously (I tried to figure out how to set up an anonymous poll, but could do it easily). So comment away, regulars and lurkers alike!
May 31st, 2005 at 12:01 am
Sounds pretty good to me.
May 31st, 2005 at 10:09 am
I’ll say no.
May 31st, 2005 at 10:23 am
No
May 31st, 2005 at 4:41 pm
No in both a theological sense and a litery sense (and when I can, I’ll say why – as in the type of literature that Jonah is, ala Bakhtin)
May 31st, 2005 at 8:07 pm
I don’t know how biblical my answer is but I’ll speak up. Based on my life story and the way the Lord has dealt with me I think Psalm 32 defines my life and the principle of Jonah.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
In general my feeling is that God has a plan for my life and He will accomplish that plan. We can either be like a horse that must be directed by a piece of metal in our mouths (pain) or we can cooperate with the Spirit.
June 1st, 2005 at 7:52 am
Nope.
June 1st, 2005 at 12:13 pm
No sir
June 1st, 2005 at 12:48 pm
Non.
June 1st, 2005 at 10:47 pm
No.