Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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THEBOOKOFJONAH
Lesson3,Chapter1Continued
Weleftoffinverse4ofJonahchapter1lasttime.Afterallthepreliminariesof
thefirst3versestoset-uptheseasagaofJonah,wegetdowntobrasstacksin
verse4asGodhurlsviolentstormwindstowardstheshipcarryingJonahand
crewwiththeideaofimpedingitsprogress.
IsaidintheIntroductiontotheBookofJonahthatitisgenerallyagreedamong
Bibleacademiathatitisperhapsthemostcomplexandchallengingbookofthe
Bibletoproperlytranslateandinterpret,eventhoughonthesurfaceitseemsto
benottoomuchmorethanabasicchild’sstoryaboutamanfallingoverboard
andgettingswallowedbyawhale.Therefore,Iwillwarnyouinadvancethatin
today’slessonthingsaregoingtogetnecessarilytechnicalanddetailedsothat
wecanascertainthetruemeaningofJonah’sstoryandthenbeabletoapplyit
toourunderstandingofGodandHisverynature.Thismeaningiswrappedupin
howtheworldoperatedinthe8
th
centuryB.C.,andsowhatgoesonwaswell
understoodbytheearliesthearersandreadersofJonah;yet,itisnothinglike
thecultureandworldviewofmoderntimes.Ilikensomeofwhatwe’llstudy
todayaswheninelementaryschoolwehadtolearnourmultiplicationtables.
Thiswasn’tanythinganyofuswereexcitedtoundertake.Andyet,without
learningit,ourabilitytousemathcouldnotprogressanyfurther.Togetthere,
we’lltakeacoupleofshortdetours,withoneinvolvingaseeminglysimple
conversationJonahhaswithsomesailorsontheshiphe’shiredtotakehimto
Tarshish.Itinvolveshimrevealinghisidentity.
Let’sre-readJonahchapter1beginningwithverse4.
RE-READJONAHCHAPTER1:4–end
Thecruxofverse4isthattheshipJonahisonisinrealdangerofsinkingbecause
Yehovehcausedastormtopummelit.ThedangerousstormwascausedbyHim
throwingalargevolumeofwindagainstthesea.KeepinmindthatJonahisin
full-blownrebellion,refusingtoobeyGod’scommandtogotoNinevehandspeak
theoraclethatGodwantsconveyedtoitsgentilecitizens.Jonah’smisguidedand
stubbornreactionistotrytorunandhidefromGod,andGodishavingnoneof
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it.Everyaspectofwhatishappening,andwhatisabouttohappen,then,isatthe
directhandofGodinordertodealwiththerebelliousJonah.Thus,ifweever
wanttoaskthequestion:“doesGodcausecatastrophesandtroublesto
happen?”.And,“cantheinnocentaswellastheguiltybeaffectedbyit?”,the
answerisadefinitive“yes”onbothcounts.WefindsuchathinginseveralBible
stories.WhocouldforgettheGreatFlood,forexample?Withoutdoubt,everylast
persononplanetEarthwasnotequallywicked,justaswithoutdoubtNoahand
hisfamilywerenotperfectlyandentirelyinnocent.Yet,allwereaffected;the
guiltyatalllevelsweredestroyed,andtherighteoustosomelevel(all8ofthem!)
weresaved.ItwasentirelyYehoveh’scalltodeterminethis,anditisHisrightto
doso,becauseHeistheauthoroflife.
Sometimesweforget(orwesortofminimize)thatasweadvancetowardsthe
laterstageoftheEndTimesperiod,Yehovehisgoingtocrushthisplanetlikea
grapeunderthefuryandweightofHiswrath.Everyonestillalivewillbeaffected
inoneterriblewayoranother,andtosomedegreeoranother.Thiswillinclude
thosewho,aftertheRaptureevent,finallyseethetruthandtrustinYehovehand
HisSonYeshua.ThisisnotapartofGod’scharacterthatisoftenwell-accepted
amongmodernBelievers.Thepreferrednotionisthatwhileinthepast,
pre-Jesus,thatmighthavebeenthecasewhenGodtheFather(aharshand
rules-orientedGod,)wasincharge,aftertheCrossthingshavenowchanged.The
erroneousbeliefisthatYeshuaisnowinchargeandHenolongerdoesthewillof
HisFatherbutratherofHisownwill;therefore,thegoverningdynamichas
completelychanged(thisispartoftheoutcomeoftheDispensationalDoctrine
Churchphilosophy).ThelogicpresentedisthatJesusisallaboutgrace
concerningallthings;andsinceChristisourfriendasmuchas,ormorethan,our
Master,whattruefriendwouldcauseorparticipateinadivinelyinspiredcalamity
tobefalltheirfriends?AndifMessiahislove,thenhowdoesloveallow,letalone
intentionallygenerateanddirect,disastersonpeople?Bottomline:thatoldera
haspassedandweliveinoneinwhichGodshowersONLYHisgraceandmercy
uponusandwehavenoreasontofearHim.Well,IremindyouofwhatItoldyou
lastweekthateventheApostlePaulsurvivednotone,nottwo,butthree
calamities…allinvolvingthesea…andinvolvingeveryoneonboardthose3
vessels.GodeitherchangesorHedoesn’t.AndsinceHeisinherentlyperfect,the
notionofGodchangingisanoxymoron.GodtheFatherisstillinchargewithHis
SonYeshuaasHisagent.Godstillcauses…insomecasesallows…various
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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disasterstooccurinorderachieveHisownpurposesandtoadvanceHisgoalof
redeemingHiscreation,eventhoughmosttimeswemightnotknowHedidso
exceptinhindsightwhenthosepurposesbecomerevealed.Icannotsayit
stronglyenough,fellowBelievers:itisnotourpositiontoputGodontrialtosee
ifHistruecharacterisrightorfair,ortoaskHimtochangeHischaractertofitour
ever-evolvingparameters.Jonahisinthemidstofdiscoveringthataswell,even
thoughclearlyhedoesn’treallygetthat.
Verse5beginsasplitbetweenthewaytheship’screwhandlesthesudden
tempest,versusthewayJonahdoes.Thecrewisdepictedasafraidandpanicked,
whileJonahisvirtuallyoblivioustoit.Thecrew’sreactionistocryout“eachman
tohisowngods”.Actually,whattheversesaysis“eachmantohisownelohim”.
InthestudyoftheBookofAmosIpointedoutthatveryprobablyitisapoor
translationtotranslatetheHebrewelohimas“god”or“gods”andIwenttosome
depthtoexplainwhythatis.Rather,amuchbettertranslationthatbetterbrings
acrossthemindsetoftheancientwriterswouldbeelohimasmeaningsomething
like“divinebeing”(orbeings).Youcangotothatlessonfortheteachingon
elohim.Thereasonthatunderstandingandusingtheterm“divinebeing”
insteadof“god”or“gods”isbecausewhenatypicalJudeo-Christianencounters
theterm“gods”inourBible,wesubconsciouslyprefixitwiththeword
“false”…falsegods.Thatis,theelohimare“false”or“non-existent”
gods…non-existentspiritualbeings…theyarejustahumanfantasy.Yet,clearly
theHolyScriptures(OldandNewTestaments)confirmtheirexistence.So,
whateverexactlytheelohimare,theyarenotsomethingliketheGreekpantheon
ofgodsofmythology,noraretheyonlyfigmentsoftheimaginationsofancient
people.TheyhaveexistedsincebeforetheCreationofthephysicalUniverseand
formakindofdivinecouncilthattheGodheaddelegatescertaintasksto.Ofthe
hierarchyofspiritualbeings,theyarethehighest,withonlytheGodheadbeing
abovethem.
Thesesailorswerecallingouttotheirowndivinebeings…theirelohim…actual
divinebeingswhoweregivenchargeovereachparticularnationof
people…whomthesailorsthoughthadthepowertohelpthem.
Bythrowingthecargooverboard,thecrewlightenedtheship,whichmadeit
morebuoyantandsittinghigherinthewaterthusmakingitlesssubjecttowaves
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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washingacrossthedeck.Todosowasratherstandardprocedureinasea
emergencysuchasthisone.Itisforustopresumethattheyhadalreadycalled
outtotheirownelohimforhelp,butnohelphadarrived…thestormhadno
abated…sonowtheytakemattersintotheirownhandsandstartthrowing
valuablecargooverboard.Makenomistake;throwingcargooverboardisa
drastic,last-ditchefforttosavetheirlivesandtheirvessel.Thecargoisthepoint
ofthevoyageinthefirstplace…itiswhattheyarebeingpaidtodo…sotojettison
itisaveryseriousandexpensivematter.
Anotherplotanglethatweneedtobake-intothestoryisthatitwouldhavetaken
sometimeforthecrewtothrowsufficientcargooverboardtodoanygood.The
sequenceofeventsthatwereadinthestoryisnotbang,bang,banglikethe
brevityofthenarrationmakesitfeellike.So,timepassedbetweenthedecision
tojettisoncargo,thentostartretrievingitfromthecargohold,thennexttogo
downandconfrontJonahashelayasleepinthelowestpartoftheship’shold.
MytakeisthatJonahwasmerelyprettytiredandexhausted;nothingunusual.
Thatis,thiswasnotaspiritualmatterpersewherebyGodwasgivingJonahan
innerpeace.Whenhecouldstayawakenolongerhewenttotheonlyplacea
passengercouldgo(oneofthecargodecksbelow),andfoundaspacetositor
maybetolaydownjustasthestormerupted.Totheship’screw,Jonahwasbut
humancargo;itwasnothisdutyorjobtohelpthemwiththeship.
Asthecrewclimbedupanddownfromtheupperdecktothecargoholdtograb
cargoandthrowitoverboard,thecaptainoftheshipsuddenlycomesuponthe
sleeping…oratleastdozing…Jonah,whomusthavefoundaplacebetweensome
cratesorbasketsofgoodstorest.Thecaptainconfrontshimandwantstoknow
why(maybehow)heissleepingthroughallthisturmoil.HeinsiststhatJonah
calluponhisownpersonalelohimforhelp,notingthatperhapsJonah’sgodwill
careenoughtodosomethingabouttheirperiloussituation.IntheEnglish
languageandinthecultureofthemodernWest,thewordssaidtoJonah
probablysoundlikethecaptainisfrustratedorthatheisincredulousover
Jonah’scasualbehaviortowardsthislife-threateningsituation;thatmightnotbe
thecase.Thismaybe(mostlikelyis)thenarrator’stypicaleconomyofwordsat
play,butinourknee-jerkWesternculturalbentwesortofexpectsomekindof
cordialconversationtoensurethatnothingthatissaidcanbeseenasrude,
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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unlessrudenessisintended.So,wasthecaptainbeingrude?Ithinkhewas
surprisedtofindJonahdozingandcalm,andsoaskedhimtoimmediatelywake
upandbeseechhiselohimforhelpsinceeveryoneelsehas,buttonoavail,
becausetheboatcouldsinkatanymoment.Infact,inthebiblicalidiomofthe
era,theHebrewmahlekha(howcanyouorwhyareyousleeping?)expresses
moreemotionandinsistencethanhowthatsametermisusedtodayinmodern
Hebrew.Thatis,mahlekhatodayisgenerallyjustacommonblandquestion
askingforinformation;it’salsousedasapolitegreeting.Consideringthegravity
ofthesituation,Iimagineeverywordspokenbythecrewmembersisfilledwith
theemotionsofurgencyandterror.
Hereisourfirstdetour.Let’saddresshowtheworldofthegodswasthoughtof
throughoutthebiblicalera,atleastintheMiddleEasternareaoftheworld,in
ordertobetterunderstandthecaptain’sandcrew’sthoughtprocessesand
reactions.Nearlywithoutexception,everyonewasapolytheist.Atheistswere
non-existentaswerepuremonotheists(thosewhobelievethereisonlyoneGod
inalltheUniverse).Nearlyallpeoplebelievedinandapproachedanumberof
godsintheirowngod-system,andalsofullyacceptedandrespectedthenotion
ofotherpeoplelegitimatelyhavingtheirownsystemsthatapproachedsome
differentgods.Generallyspeaking,therewere3differentkindsorcategoriesof
gods.Therewerefamilygods,usuallybelongingtotheextendedclanorperhaps
eventheentiretribe.Thentherewerenationalgodsthatwereseenasthe
protectorsortheauthoritiesoveranentirenationthathadidentifiable
geographicalboundaries.Andfinally,therewerepersonalgodswhowereonly
concernedwithindividualsorimmediatefamily.So,wecanunderstandthateach
personhadawholecupboardfullofgodseachservingdifferentpurposes,aswell
asthesumtotalofthosemanygodsexistinginahierarchyofstatusandpowers.
TheIsraelitesbelievednodifferently.Jonahbelievednodifferently.While
Yehovehwastheirnationalgod,andforsomeIsraelitesHedoubledastheir
familyandpersonalgod,thisbynomeansmeanttothemthatthereweren’t
manyotherlegitimategodsworshippedbyotherpeopleandnations.Therefore,
wehavetosetasideourmodernandautomaticnegativeresponsetothenotion
ofothergodsexisting,becausetheexistenceofallthesegodsishowpeople
thoughtaboutitandwroteaboutit(includingIsrael)eventhroughtheNew
Testamentera.Therefore,itmadecompletesensetothecaptaintoaskJonahto
pleadwithhispersonalGodtosavethemall.
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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Sincethecrewfiguredthatitwassomeone’spersonalgodinvolvedinhurlingthis
perilousstormatthem,thenextissuewastotrytodiscernwhichoneofthe
peopleonboardhadinsomewayangeredoroffendedhisownpersonalgod
sufficientlytocausethatgodtoreactinawaythatendangeredthemall.They
chosethemethodofdrawinglots.Lotswerenotseenasrandomorasamatter
ofchanceorluck.Rather,thiswasdivination.Whatwere“lots”?Lotswereoneof
afewwaysinancienttimestosolicitaclearanswerfromthegodsforasituation
thatneededtoberesolvedimmediately.Itisakindofironythatalthough
YehovehprohibitedanykindoffortunetellingorwitchcraftinIsrael,theuseof
lotswasacceptable.IntheBiblelotswasusedforchoosingIsrael’sfirstking,and
fordeterminingthedistributionofgoods,animals,andevenpeoplecaptured
fromanenemy,evenforsettlingsomedisputes(wefindlotsusedtohelp
determineterritoryinthePromisedLandthatwouldbegiventoeachIsraelite
tribe).ThefamousUrimandThummimthattheHighPriestofIsraelusedat
timestodeterminespecificanswersforspecificquestionsaboutGod’swillwere
reallyjustakindoflots.Probablywhatthesailorsusedwassomethinglikedice,
andJonahwouldhavehadnoissuewiththatbecauseitperfectlyfitwithhis
Hebrewfaith.
CJB
Proverbs18:18Castinglotsputsanendtostrifeandseparatespowerful
disputants.
CJB
Proverbs16:33Onecancastlotsintoone'slap,butthedecisioncomesfrom
ADONAI.
Jonah1:7saysthatindeedtheycastthelotsandJonahwasselectedasthe
clear-cutculprit.NowthatJonahisfoundout,theywanttounderstandbetter
whatishappeningandwhy.Therefore,thesailorsask4questionsofJonah:1)
whatisyourmission;thatis,whatisyourpurposefortravelingtoTarshish,2)
wheredoyoucomefrom(thismeanswherehehasbeenresidingmostrecently),
3)whatdoyoucallyourhomeland(whereishisnationalbirthplace),and4)to
whatpeopledoyoubelong(hisethnicloyalty)?These4questionswhen
answeredessentiallyestablishJonah’sidentity.Whilewemightseesomeof
thesequestionsasoverlapping,ifnotjust2waystosaythesamething,that’s
nothowitwastothem.
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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Thecrew,fromvarioushomelandsandethnicities,hadsomeinklingthatJonah
wasfromanareanotfarfromtheportfromwhichtheyhadsailed(Joppa).Itis
probablyagoodassumptionthatallthesailorsspokeacommonlanguage
(probablyaCanaanitedialectsuchasAramaic)andthatitwasalanguagethat
Jonahwasfamiliarwithenoughthattheycouldholdarathercomplexdialog.
Jonahperfectlyunderstandsthereasonforthe4questionsandsoheanswers
quiteforthrightlyinverse9.Thisbeginsthepartoftoday’stalkthatIwarnedyou
aboutatthebeginning,whichgetsquitetechnical.Iknowyouallcangraspitif
you’lljustfocusforthenextfewminutes.Iassureyouthatitwillmakea
practicaldifferenceinyourunderstandingoftheBibleingeneralifyouwillhang
inthere.
Jonahrespondstothecaptain’squestionsbysaying“IamaHebrew”.That
seemstobeprettyclearandstraightforward,howeverthatsimplephraseisonly
rarelyfoundintheBible.PerhapsonlyhereandthenintheNTasutteredbyPaul
inPhilippians3:5.Thatoughttoalertusthatsomethinglimitedoroddisbeing
addressedwiththosewords.But,whatwetypicallytakefromitisactually
somewhatdifferentfromhowpeopleofthe9
th
and8
th
centuriesB.C.understood
it.We’regoingtobeginthatotherdetourImentionedtodiscussandhopefully
flesh-outwhatthatterm(Hebrew)andacoupleofothersusedtodescribe
somethingaboutthefamilylineofdescendantsofAbraham,whichcontinuedon
throughhissonIsaac,meanttopeopleofthebiblicaleraandintheprocess
discoverwhyandhowwefindthese3differenttermsusedintheScripturesat
differenttimesinhistoryandforvarioussituations.Theyarebynomeans
synonymousnordidtheirmeaningremainthesameoverthecenturies,even
thoughmoststandardBibleversionstendtotreatthose3termsasiftheywere
essentiallyparallelandinterchangeableatalltimes.
2ofthose3termsare“Hebrew”and“Israelite”.The3
rd
termisusuallysaidby
JewishandChristianscholarstobe“Jew”.This3
rd
termisabitmoreproblematic
andcomplextodealwiththanthefirst2.Therefore,I’llstartbyfirstdealingwith
thetermthatJonahdescribedhimself…asa“Hebrew”…confrontingitasitwas
usedintheearlydaysoftheBible…thatis,longbeforetheNewTestamentera.
IntheancientuseoftheHebrewlanguagethewordisibri.Itisderivedfroman
olderSemiticwordthatmeans“tocrossover”.Itreferstoawell-knowngroupof
peopleledbyAbrahamwhoformerlyresidedineber;however,theycrossed
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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over(theymigratedacross)theEuphratesRivertoalandontheothersideofit.
Eberwasaknowntermmeaningthegeneralregiononthenorthernandeastern
sideoftheEuphratesRiver.Thereasontheyreferredtothatlandaseberis
becauseitisnamedfortheirfamousancestor,Eber,who(aslistedintheBible
listofgenerations)was14generationsremovedfromAdam,and7generations
removedfromEnoch.Thus,evenifpeopleofthateradidn’tfullyknowthe
completestoryofAbrahamanditsspiritualandreligiousimplications,theywere
awareenoughtoknowthat,historicallyspeaking,afamousmanleadingsome
peoplewhocrossedovertheEuphratesRivertothesouthandwestwentonto
becomeanentirelynew,largeandinfluentialethnicgroupcalledibri:Hebrews.
TheyalsoknewthattheHebrewswereseparateenoughandculturallydistinct
enoughfromallotheroftheworld’sethnicitiestobeseenasuniqueamong
humanityingeneral,andthereforetheywerenotwellunderstood.Letmesay
thisanotherway:inthateratheeasiestandsurestwayforanIsraelitelikeJonah
toexplainhisidentitytoaforeignerwastolabelhimselfaHebrew…anibri.Itis
similartothewayacitizenoftheUSAwhoisvisitingaforeigncountrymight
explainhisidentity;hewouldlikelyusetheverybroadterm“American”,which
nearlyeveryoneonourplanetwouldunderstand;nofurtherinformationis
needed.
A2
nd
term,Israelite,referstoapersonthatisdescendedfromthefamilyofa
mannamedJacob.ThebiblicalHebrewtermforIsraeliteisbeneYisrael.Whileit
literallymeanssonorchildofIsrael,whatitmeantinthaterawasthatthis
personbelongstotheidentifiablenationofIsrael.So,whilethetermHebrew
explainsaboutaperson’soriginalethnicity(separateanddistinctfromallother
ethnicities),thetermIsraelitespeaksofwhichidentifiablenation…a
geographicalplaceandapoliticalentity…thatapersonowestheirallegianceto.
Nowfortheproblematic3
rd
term,Jew.Thisisabitconfusing,butitisimportant
especiallyforgood,seriousBiblestudyandforproperdoctrine,tountangle.
Biblically,theHebrewlanguagetermsthatarenearlyalwaystranslatedinto
Englishas“Jew”areyehudorYehudi.Initiallyitreferredtoapersonwhowasan
actualmemberofthespecifictribeofJudah(thetribeofYehuda).Itwasbased
purelyonatribalaffiliation(thetribewhichsprangfromthe3
rd
sonofJacob).
Overtime,themeaningevolved.AfterIsraelenteredthePromisedLand,it
evolvedslightlytoincludelivinginaparticulargeographicalterritorythatthe
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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membersofthetribeofJudahoccupied.So;wehaveaprogressionintheBible
ofwhatthatwordmeantbasedonwhichtimeinbiblicalhistorywe’reexploring.
Putanotherway:atfirst,Judahwassimplythenameofanindividual…Jacob’s
3
rd
son.OnceJudah’sownfamilygrewlargeenoughtobecomeitsowntribe
(whichtookmanygenerationstogrowtothatsize),thenthetermJudahcameto
refertohisextendedfamily,aspecifictribe(thetribeofJudah).However,once
thetribeofJudahmigratedandenteredthePromisedLand,andwasassignedits
ownterritory,thetermmorereferredtothatspecificterritorybutitalsoincluded
theidentityofthepeoplewhocountedthemselvesasresidentsoftheterritoryof
Judah.Laterstill,afterDavid’sandthenKingSolomon’sdeathinthe10
th
century
B.C.,Judahwentfrombeingatribalterritorytobecomeitsownfull-fledged
sovereignandrecognizednation,withitsownking.Atthatpointthemeaningof
theHebrewtermsyehudandYehudievolvedintoindicatingaparticular
nationalitycalledJudahorJudahiteinEnglish.Alongtimeafterthat…afterthe
NorthernKingdomofIsraelwasexiledfromtheirownnationalterritoryby
Assyria…andlaterafterJudah’sexiletoBabylonandthenlaterstillaftertheir
returntotheirformerterritory,thetermsyehudandYehudiwereusedto
describethereturnedexilesandallwhoaccompaniedthem(andweknowthat
someoftheexilesoftheAssyrianconquest…somefromthegroupwecallThe10
LostTribesofIsrael)…joinedthosecominghomefromBabylon.TheEnglishword
adoptedtoidentifythisgroup,stillcalledyehudorYehudi,wasJew.Moretime
passedandthetermsyehudandYehudifurtherevolvedtomorerefertothe
peculiarreligionthatwaspracticedandhadlesstodowithexactlywherethose
folkswerelocated.Again,thewordchosenbymostEnglishtranslators
remained“Jew”.IrealizethatnoneofthismightmattertoacasualBiblereader.
ButforyouseriousstudentsofGod’sWord,thesedifferencesareasignificant
ingredienttoproperlyunderstandwhatwe’rebeingtold.Ittrulymatters.
Afewdecadesafterthe70A.DdestructionofJerusalem,theeraoftheRabbis
andalongwithitthetermJewacquiredabroadermeaningasgenerallyanyone
whofollowedareligionthatwasnowmoreformallyknownasJudaism.Today,in
the21century,afternearly2millenniaofaddingnewTraditionsandcustoms,
andofJewishpeoplemigratingtoeverypartoftheplanet,eventheRabbiscan’t
agreeonexactlywhataJewisorhowtodefinetheterm!Mustitincludea
geneticattachmenttoJacob?Ifso,howcouldthateverbeproved?Doesitonly
refertoapracticingmemberoftheirreligion(Judaism)?Or,mightitbeaperson
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
10/13
whosefamilyhistoryshowsthatsomeofthempracticedJudaism,regardlessof
theirownethnicbackground(thatis,nogenetictietoJacobwasneeded)?Does
onehavetoevenbelieveintheGodofIsraeltobeconsideredaJew(inmodern
timestheanswerisafirm“no”,dependingonwhichRabbiyoumighttalkto)?
So,inourday,theterm“Jew”isaveryflexibleandhazyonethatmostly
indicatessomelevelofidentitywith,orclaimofallegianceto,agroupofpeople
thathistoricallypracticedsomelevelofJewishTraditionsandlawsthatbegan
withthereturnoftheexilesfromBabylon.Therefore,therehasbeenapretty
contentiousongoingdebateamongJewishleadershipinmodernIsraelasto
whattocall,andhowtoconsider,theexilesoftheAssyrianconquestofthe
NorthernKingdomofancientIsrael(somethingthatiscompletelyseparatefrom
theBabylonianconquestoftheSouthernKingdomofJudah)whoarenow
cominghometoIsraelineverincreasingnumbers.ManyofthosefolksdoNOT
wanttobecalledJews,primarilybecausetheyseetheterminitsancientsense,
asmeaningacombinationofamemberofthetribeofJudah(whichtheyaren’t)
alongwiththereligiontheyuniquelypracticeappropriatelycallJudah-ism.
Rather,manyofthesereturningexilesoftheso-called10LostTribeshave
practiced,andintendtocontinuetopractice,asomewhatdifferentsetoffaith
Traditionsthattheyseeasthetruerandolderreligionthatiscalledforbythe
sameHebrewScripturesthatadherentsofJudaismclaimtofollow.Complicated,
isn’tit?Butthisistherealityandifwedon’tunderstandallthisthenwe
completelymisconstruewhatwereadintheBibleaboutAbraham’sdescendants.
Here’sthethingforustograsptoday;atnotimeintheBible,OldorNew
Testaments,didtheterm“Jew”meanwhatitmeanstoday.It’sananachronistic
term;thismeansthatwhileweuseittoday,weshouldn’treaditbackintothe
Biblebecauseitwasnotinusethen.Rather,whetherinHebreworinitsGreek
equivalent,thetermyehudorYehudimostlyreferredtoresidentsoftheterritory
belongingtothetribeofJudah.OncewegettotheRomanera(thatisthetime
oftheNewTestament)theGreeklanguagebecamedominantandtheterm
IoudaioswasusedbecauseofthespreadoftheGreeklanguageasthepreferred
languagethroughouttheRomanEmpire.Therefore,wefindtheGreekword
IoudaiosintheNewTestamentasareplacementfortheHebrewyehudorYehudi.
Dependingonthebiblicalcontextinwhichitisused,Ioudaiosmeanteithera
personwhofollowedthereligionthatthepeopleofJudahdid,and/oritmeanta
personwhowasaresidentoftheRomanProvincecalledJudea.Whenweread
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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theNewTestamentwefindthatthosefolksclaimingfamilytiestoJacobwholive
inJudeacalledthemselvesJudeanstodistinguishthemselvesfromother
descendantsofJacob(otherIsraelites)wholivedplacesotherthanJudea.For
example,folksdescendedfromJacobwholivedintheRomanProvinceofGalilee
(suchasYeshuaallofHis12disciples)calledthemselvesGalileans.Other
descendantsofJacobwhoresidedinfar-awayplacesinthevastRomanEmpire,
buthadnexttonoconnectiontotheHolyLandsimplybecauseofthegreat
distancefromitthattheylived,yetstillidentifiedthemselvestosomeleveltothe
IsraeliteslivingintheHolyLand,werealsocalledIoudaios.So,here’swhatwe
needtounderstandwhenreadingtheNewTestament:Ioudaioswasageneral,
catch-allGreektermforthosevariousfolksthatsawthemselvesasmemberofa
distinctHebrewheritage,cultureandreligionapartfromallotherpeopleonthe
planet.
Aschallengingasthiscanbetovisualize,therealityisthatlanguageshave
alwaysevolved(thisincludesEnglish),andcircumstancesandhistoryhavealso
alwaysevolved,andsolabelsforpeopleandethnicitiesdidthesameasconcerns
theirmeaning.Asconcernstheuseofour3biblicaltermsHebrew,Israelite,and
Jew,wedon’thaveanysignificantconfusionintheOldTestamentexceptthat
causedbyagendadrivenreasonsforusingEnglishwordsthatdonotaccurately
reflecttherealmeaningoftheHebrewwordatthattime.Theconfusionexists
mainlyintheNewTestament.ShouldweencountertheEnglishwordJewinthe
OldTestamentitisapoortranslationthatoughttobesimplythrownoutand
replaced(inEnglish)bythewordJudeannearlyeverytime.Iknowthat’salotto
takein.So,nowlet’sgetbacktoourlessonandapplywhatyoujustlearnedto
verse9.JonahidentifiedhimselfasHebrew,whichimmediatelytoldhis
counterpartsontheshipthathewasverydifferentfromthem.Theywould
immediatelyknowthatJonahhasadifferentgodandgodsystemfromtheirs.
NextJonahsayshefears(thatis,hisreligiousallegianceisto)“TheLord,the
GodofHeaven”.ThisisanotherincorrectEnglishtranslation.Eventhough
(generallyspeaking)everyEnglishBibleonecanconsultusesthesesameor
similarwords,itmissesthemarkinacrucialway.First,theEnglishtermLord
(AdonaiinHebrew)doesn’tactuallyappearhere.Ratherthewordthatappears
intheHolyScripturesisYehoveh;God’sformalname.Thisiscriticalbecauseif
Jonahdidn’tgivethecaptainandthemulti-ethniccrewaformalnameforHis
particulargod,thenthosesailorshewastalkingtowouldhavenoideawhichgod
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hewastalkingabout.And,whichgodwasentirelythecruxofwhattheywere
askingJonahabout.
ImaginethatyouandIarehavingaconversationaboutcars.Outofcuriosityyou
askmewhatcarIdriveandIsay“it’sanautomobile”.Thatimpartsno
informationwhatsoever.Whatyouareaskingfor,ofcourse,istheformal
name…theparticularbrandandmodel…ofthecarIdrive.Itworksthesamein
theBibleasregardsgods.Whenthetermgodorlordorelohimappears,these
areallsomewhatgenerictermslikethewayweusetheword“car”.Foranyone
ofthebiblicalera,nomattertheirculture,whatmatteredistheNAMEofone’s
god,lord,orelohimsothatthatparticularoneisproperlyidentifiedsincethere
weresomanyofthem.JonahtoldthesailorsthattheparticulargodHe
worshippedasaHebrewisnamedYehoveh.Butevenmore,whereinourBibles
ithasJonahcontinuetofurtherexplainHisGod’sidentitywith“TheGodof
Heavenwhomadetheseaandthedryland”,thisisalsomisleadingandapoor
Englishtranslation.TheHebrewwordthatJonahusesisactually“TheElohimof
Heaven”;andelohimdoesnotmeanGod,itmeansdivinebeing.Orevenmore
specifically,itisreferringtoaparticularnamedcategoryofspiritualbeings.
JonahthengoesontoexplainWHICHelohimofHeavenhebowsdownto
becauseitwasunderstoodthatthereismorethanone.Jonah’sgodistheelohim
(aboveallotherelohim)whouniquelymade(whocreated)theseaandthedry
land.Thatis,JonahsaysthatYehovehhiselohimistheOnewholiterallymade
planetearth.YehovehistheCreator.AsIhavestatedbefore;elohimisnotthe
HebrewforGod.YahisthespecificHebrewwordfortheGodoftheBible;theGod
ofAbraham,Isaac,andJacob.YahrefersONLYtoYehoveh.Myconclusionisthat
elohimas“god”or“gods”,itisthatBibletranslatorsdidn’tknowwhatelohim
actuallymeant,orperhapsit’sbecausetoacknowledgeitchallengeslong
establishedChristiandoctrines.Or,perhaps,itcouldcauseustoveerawayfrom
aGreekculturalunderstandingofwhatismeant(Greekistheperspectiveof
understandingtheBiblethatisvirtuallyuniversalinRomanWesternChristianity).
IurgeyoutolookuptheTorahClasslessonsontheBookofAmos,lesson
numbers10and11,togetamorethoroughunderstandingonthemeaningof
elohim.
Verse10begins,literally,with“themenfearedagreatfear”.Thatis,Jonah’s
admissiontooktheiralreadyheightenedanxietiestoyetanotherlevel.These
Lesson3-JonahChapter1Continued
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menwerecaughtascollateraldamageinapowerstrugglebetweenJonah’s
offenseofsomesort,andHisGod’sviolentreactiontoit.Thecrewwaspowerless
becausethisgodwasunknowntothem,eventhoughtheymaywellhaveheard
ofHim.Inanoddirony,wehaveasituationwherebyJonahfearsYehoveh(inthe
senseoffearasmeaningrecognizingHissovereignty),yetopenlyrebelsagainst
Him.But,thecrewoftheshipfearsYehoveh(inthesenseofbeinginterrorof
HimandHispower),butdon’trecognizeHissovereigntyoverthem.Thisisan
excellentillustrationofhowtheancientsthoughtthatthegodsworked,andhow
theirpersonalrelationshipswithgodsoperated.
Jonahisconfrontedbyafearfulcrewthatisnowangry.“WhathaveYOUdone?”
theytellhim.Thatis,theyhavefiguredoutthattheirordealisbecauseofthis
Hebrew,Jonah,thattheyaretransporting.Theyhadnoideawhenhebooked
passagethathewasinthemidstofangeringhispersonalgod.Sincethesemen
werereligious,theyfullyunderstoodjusthowseriousJonah’sactionswere.It
wasiftheywereinnocentlytiedtoapersonthathasweightedhimselfdown
withrocks,intentonjumpingintodeepwatertocommitsuicide.
Thefinalwordsofverse10nodoubtcameaftersomefurtherinterrogationof
Jonahwherebyheconfessedthathisoffenseagainsthisgodwasthatherefused
todoashewastoldanddecidedtorunawayfromhim.“Great”,theythought!
“Nowwhat?”The“nowwhat?”startstotakeforminverse11.Thecrew’shopeis
thatsinceJonahisaProphetofthisgod,hemightknowhowtoappeasehimin
ordertosavetheircollectivelives.Nodoubteachofthesemenworshiponeor
anotheroftheBa’alsandsothoughtinthoseterms.TheybeseechJonahto
explaintothemwhattheyneedtodo,sincetheyareunfamiliarwithhowJonah’s
particulargodoperates.Whenwerealizetheterribleanddangeroussituation
they’rein,andthatitisJonah’sfault,thecrewisactuallybehavingrationallyand
isnotseekingvengeanceagainstJonah.
Thelighteningoftheloadbythrowingheavycargooverboardseemstohave
boughtthecrewsometime.Jonah’ssolutiontotheirdilemmathatopensverse
12wasabsolutelyshockingtothemen:“Pickmeupandthrowmeintothesea”,
hesaid.Jonahsaysthattheonlysolutionisforthecrewtokill…toessentially
execute…himasjustpunishmentforJonahoffendinghisgod.Thisiswherewe’ll
stopfortodayandpickupnexttime.