A Gracious and Compassionate God: Volume 26 Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah(New Studies in Biblical Theology)

The book of Jonah is arguably just as jarring for us as it was for the ancients. Ninevah's repentance, Jonah's estrangement from God and the book's bracing moral conclusion all pose unsettling questions for today's readers. For biblical theologians, Jonah also raises tough questions regarding mission and religious conversion. Here, Daniel Timmer embarks on a new reading of Jonah in order to secure its ongoing relevance for biblical theology. After an examination of the book?s historical backgrounds (in both Israel and Assyria), Timmer discusses the biblical text in detail, paying special attention to redemptive history and its Christocentric orientation. Timmer then explores the relationship between Israel and the nations—including the question of mission—and the nature of religious conversion and spirituality in the Old Testament. This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume concludes with an injunction for scholars and lay readers to approach Jonah as a book written to facilitate spiritual change in the reader. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Table of Contents:
Series preface Author?s preface Abbreviations Introduction What is the book of Jonah? Approaching the book of Jonah 1. The nations and mission in Jonah Universalism The nations Israel between universalism and mission A definition of mission in the Old Testament Mission in Jonah? Mission from Pentecost onward Evaluating contemporary approaches to mission Mission and the priority of the gospel 2. Conversion and spirituality in Jonah and in biblical theology Conversion in biblical theology and in Jonah Abram?s faith Abram?s repentance Conversion elsewhere in the Old Testament Approaching conversion in Jonah Spirituality in biblical theology and in Jonah The possibility of a unified biblical spirituality Approaching spirituality in Jonah 3. Looking into Jonah 1 Meeting the main characters Initial identities and contrasts Identities clarified and remade The aftermath of the storm 4. Looking into Jonah 2 Yahweh prepares a fish Jonah prays Jonah is saved from drowning 5. Looking into Jonah 3 Introduction Assyria in the eighth century bc Nineveh in the eighth century bc Jonah?s message The response of the Ninevites The limits of Nineveh?s repentance The response of Nineveh?s king Who was Nineveh?s king? Nineveh?s repentance in context How does God ?relent?? God?s justice and his relenting 6. Looking into Jonah 4 Jonah?s anger against Yahweh The root of Jonah?s anger: God?s gracious character The fruit of Jonah?s anger: life with God impossible Yahweh?s first response to Jonah?s anger Jonah?s anger over his discomfort Yahweh?s second response to Jonah?s anger Conclusion 7. Conclusions Christocentric interpretation and application Sin and its consequences in Jonah Judgment and salvation in the Day of the Lord Jonah, mission and the gospel Jonah, conversion and spirituality, and the gospel Jonah, imitation of God, and the gospel Mission, Christ-conformity and our triune God Bibliography Index of modern authors Index of Scripture references Index of ancient sources

About the Author :
Daniel C. Timmer is associate professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary. Previously he served as dean and professor of biblical studies at FAREL Reformed Theological Seminary in Montreal, Canada. He is the author of Creation, Tabernacle, and Sabbath (Vandenhoeck Ruprecht).

Review :
"This book is highly recommended for laypeople, students, and ministers who desire to move beyond the flat reading of Jonah found in much popular-level Christian literature." "Daniel Timmer's volume is exceptional: it engages in a close reading of much of Jonah, but keeps one eye peeled for legitimate canonical ties with what we would today call the mission of God. Dr. Timmer thinks and writes clearly and succinctly, and biblical and theological issues come alive. This is a book to cherish."