Noah's Ark with two of EVERY animal

[surada]

• The flood occurred long before the written word. It was not written down at the time it occurred.
• The story of the flood was spoken long before it was written.
• Down through the ages, the flood became the setting for many stories.
• Ages later, we come across the Hebrew people who are still relating a story where the great flood was the setting.
• Read any story about the Civil War. Just by reading it, we can usually figure out when it was written simply by the words used and cultural insights and customs in play at the time it was written.
• We can identify the points that mean most to the author. The author has his point to bring across to the audience.

No question there are a lot of stories--some older--whose setting is the great flood. The stories themselves are no more alike than Civil War stories such as Gone with the Wind and Rifles for Watie even though both of these have the same setting, too.

What is the point of the Hebrew story? Hint: it is not about polar bears and kangaroos. It is not about the number of continents, the amount of land covered, or whether there was an aquarium for fish on board.

Just as today we can enjoy different stories with the same setting, I am betting so did ancients. Yet this particular acount made it into the Bible. Why?

Probably not. Sumer had a written language by 3000 BC.

 

[ding]

ugh... I know the story.

I don't believe you do understand the story.

The story of Jonah has great theological import. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. Now he obeys and goes to Nineveh, the capital of Israel’s ancient enemy. The Ninevites listen to his message of doom and repent immediately. All, from king to lowliest subject, humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes. Seeing their repentance, God does not carry out the punishment planned for them. At this, Jonah complains, angry because the Lord spares them. This fascinating story caricatures a narrow mentality which would see God’s interest extending only to Israel, whereas God is presented as concerned with and merciful to even the inhabitants of Nineveh (4:11), the capital of the Assyrian empire which brought the Northern Kingdom of Israel to an end and devastated Jerusalem in 701 B.C. The Lord is free to “repent” and change his mind. Jonah seems to realize this possibility and wants no part in it (4:2; cf. Ex 34:6). But the story also conveys something of the ineluctable character of the prophetic calling.

The book is replete with irony, wherein much of its humor lies. The name “Jonah” means “dove” in Hebrew, but Jonah’s character is anything but dove-like. Jonah is commanded to go east to Nineveh but flees toward the westernmost possible point (1:2–3), only to be swallowed by a great fish and dumped back at this starting point (2:1, 11). The sailors pray to their gods, but Jonah is asleep in the hold (1:5–6). The prophet’s preaching is a minimum message of destruction, while it is the king of Nineveh who calls for repentance and conversion (3:4–10); the instant conversion of the Ninevites is greeted by Jonah with anger and sulking (4:1). He reproaches the Lord in words that echo Israel’s traditional praise of his mercy (4:2; cf. Ex 34:6–7). Jonah is concerned about the loss of the gourd but not about the possible destruction of 120,000 Ninevites (4:10–11).

Unlike other prophetic books, this is not a collection of oracles but the story of a disobedient, narrow-minded prophet who is angry at the outcome of the sole message he delivers (3:4). It is difficult to date but almost certainly is postexilic and may reflect the somewhat narrow, nationalistic reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah. As to genre, it has been classified in various ways, such as parable or satire. The “sign” of Jonah is interpreted in two ways in the New Testament: His experience of three days and nights in the fish is a “type” of the experience of the Son of Man (Mt 12:39–40), and the Ninevites’ reaction to the preaching of Jonah is contrasted with the failure of Jesus’ generation to obey the preaching of one who is “greater than Jonah” (Mt 12:41–42; Lk 11:29–32).

Jonah’s Anger and God’s Reproof.​

​

1But this greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry.*​

2He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I fled at first toward Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, repenting of punishment.* a​

3So now, LORD, please take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”b​

4But the LORD asked, “Are you right to be angry?”*​

5Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it, where he built himself a hut and waited* under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city.​

6Then the LORD God provided a gourd plant.* And when it grew up over Jonah’s head, giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort, Jonah was greatly delighted with the plant.​

7But the next morning at dawn God provided a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.​

8And when the sun arose, God provided a scorching east wind; and the sun beat upon Jonah’s head till he became faint. Then he wished for death, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”​

9But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry over the gourd plant?” Jonah answered, “I have a right to be angry—angry enough to die.”​

10Then the LORD said, “You are concerned* over the gourd plant which cost you no effort and which you did not grow; it came up in one night and in one night it perished.​

11And should I not be concerned over the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot know their right hand from their left, not to mention all the animals?”*​

Jonah became angry: because of his narrow vindictiveness, Jonah did not wish the Lord to forgive the Ninevites. Sort of like what you are doing now. You are Jonah.

 

[surada]

You are correct; I just got out of bed.
But please call him Yitzchak from now on.

The spelling is difficult. I'll stick with Isaac, but I'll know who you meant. Thanks.

 

[koshergrl]

OK where did i say that?

Please quote the post

Did I confuse you with someone else? I thought you posted something that questioned God. If you didn’t I’m VERY sorry. I have excuses for getting messed up on my phone but I won’t bore you with them

 

[ding]

Don't be silly. The story was never intended to be taken literally by the intelligent.

Correct. Jonah is a story of a disobedient, narrow-minded prophet who is angry at the outcome of the sole message he delivers. Jonah became angry because of his narrow vindictiveness, Jonah did not wish the Lord to forgive the Ninevites. Sort of like what you are doing now. You are Jonah.

 

[ding]

I'm only telling you like it is.

Incorrect. You are full of vainglory. Everything you do, you do to make yourself feel superior to others.

 

[ding]

In the kingdom of God there are angels and demons, prophets and false prophets, lions, wolves, sheep, goats, cattle, teeming vermin that go down on all fours, swine that do not ruminate, baby parasites, vultures, worms, maggots, ghouls, goblins, the children of God and the children of the devil, the living and the dead, talking serpents, talking donkeys, dingbats, and brown nosed dorks.

All represent human archetypes that reflect the heights and depths of human potential.

So when swine that do not ruminate canoodle with a dingbat the result is corruption, two people with the form and shape of a human being but an intelligence just slightly above that of a monkey.

So stay within your own species, avoid canoodling with lower beasts, otherwise it's bestiality.

IT"S THE LAW!

That sounds like the argument of an atheist.

It's not a coincidence the universe popped into existence being hardwired to produce intelligence.

 

[surada]

Correct. Jonah is a story of a disobedient, narrow-minded prophet who is angry at the outcome of the sole message he delivers. Jonah became angry because of his narrow vindictiveness, Jonah did not wish the Lord to forgive the Ninevites. Sort of like what you are doing now. You are Jonah.

I see you have studied Jonah. I studied in a literature class. Far more interesting than Sunday school. My Lit professor loved the story and it's humor.

 

[Faun]

Love/אָהַב
Bless/בָּרַךְ
Charity/no Hebrew found in Strong's.

צדקה is charity

 

[ding]

The ignorant always miss that.

Don't be Jake Spooner and ride with outlaws.

 

[james bond]

I'm saving this one too, as the 2nd most funny thing not written by a comedian...

I suppose creationists have bad comedians, TOO. One look at you avatar tells us.

You don't know how to find a youtube even.

 

[ding]

Yeah, sad. Another thing the ignorant miss is that when Jesus said that he came to bring division he was drawing from the story of the creation where God put lights in the sky to divide day from night, light from darkness.

It never ceases to amaze me how your interpretations can ignore the central them of the NT; that Jesus is the Paschal Lamb.

 

[Indeependent]

Depends on the law.
According to the NT there should be no respect for time, place or ritual.

Thumbs down to a verse in Romans?!

 

[Indeependent]

It never ceases to amaze me how your interpretations can ignore the central them of the NT; that Jesus is the Paschal Lamb.

I thought he was the Egg Man.

 

[irosie91]

No need to guess. Jesus told us (Matthew 12:40).

Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

That's the sign.

wasn't Matthew a tax collector?

I thought he was the Egg Man.

Isn't is a requirement of the sacrifice of the Paschal
lamb that the cooked animal be eaten in its entirety? I prefer celebration via jelly beans

 

[ding]

Why? Because many of society's customs, beliefs about right and wrong, who is righteous and who is criminal, and all subsequent laws are mostly based on what is written in those fantastical stories. What's worse is that those customs and civil laws have been created and legislated by people who base their false claim to moral authority on the most superficial ignorant superstitious irrational and perverse interpretations of those fictional stories possible creating chaos in society.

Then these actors and lying frauds have the audacity to blame the victims of their specious falsehoods for the carnage that they themselves have created and deliberately perpetuate.

Do you think that openly confuting those hypocrites who claim moral authority without without understanding the words or subjects about which they are so dogmatic is a waste of time?

Preach on, Jonah! Preach on!

 

[Meriweather]

Probably not. Sumer had a written language by 3000 BC.

Then you must hold the opinion the flood could not have occurred before then?

 

[ding]

I thought he was the Egg Man.

Laughing leads to crying.

 

[ding]

wasn't Matthew a tax collector?

And?

 

[ding]

Thumbs down to a verse in Romans?!

Only when it's taken out of context.