Need some help with a paper guys

[Lord Herdsetk]

So I got a paper due Monday for my Old Testament class.

Basically, we have to pick a book of the old testament, and then talk about a theme in it. I wanted to do my paper on Jonah and how YHWH pardoned the sins of the people of Nineveh when they repented. I'm looking for something along the lines YHWH being just to everyone, not just the Israelites

The only limitation is that I cannot reference the New Testament. What I write has to be supported strictly within the context of the Old Testament. So I can't say that it was a foreshadowing of Yeshua/Jesus coming to die on the cross.

I'm looking around for sources on google scholar, but if anyone has something they want to chip in, I'd be appreciative of it.

 

[Lord Herdsetk]

I'll try to elaborate more.

A few of the sources I have so far call the book of Jonah a parody or comedy poem. The reason being that Jonah is a prophet who doesn't want to prophesy, and is actually moving towards a beautiful place to get away from YHWH (when YHWH is thought to be everywhere). The ironic thing is, in spite of Jonah NOT wanting the people of Nineveh to repent (wanting them to pay for their crimes of brutality), the people of Nineveh actually all repent, king included.


Jonah is supposed to represent absolute justice. Justice without love.
YHWH is supposed to represent relative mercy and grace. It sums up YHWH as saying "How can I not forgive the Ninevites when they are so lost, when they are so numerous, when they are as lost as cattle?"

Jonah ends with him sitting on a hilltop waiting to see how YHWH will destroy the city of Nineveh. YHWH makes a tree or gourd grow up over Jonah to give him shade, then kills it with a worm. Jonah is distraught over losing the plant. YHWH condemns Jonah for caring more about a stupid plant than the entire nation of Nineveh.

Basically the point of the story being that Jonah represents hypocritical justice. Humans are not entitled to rain down justice on others, as they have their own problems.

 

[joey_downunder]

Here you go: Jonah -early jewish writings

Jonah Commentaries

Hope you find relevant articles from those links.

 

[LanceCohen]

You may want to consider the rescue of Lot from Sodom as evidence to support your thesis, ie God is gracious not just to the Israelites but anyone righteous in the world, even before the advent of Christ. The "bargain" between Abraham and the angels in this respect is very revealing of the heart of God.

 

[privatepop]

Regarding Gentiles in the Old Testament who became saved.
In the book of Ruth, God makes a big point of repeating Ruth the Moabitess, showing he takes no favors against the gentiles. She was even in the line of Christ. There was Rahab the harlot who also was saved. Of course you could even look at Abraham who started out as Gentile. Even all before Abraham, such as Noah, Job, Abel, etc.