Jonah and the Whale - bear with me here

[bliss]

Ok, I was watching Jonah (veggie tales) with Turkey today, and I had this (probably way off and weird as usual :giggle) thought. I was always taught that the storm/whale swallowing thing was the "punishment" portion of the story. Jonah disobeyed God, and God "got" him by sending the big fish. But as I watched today, my GBD "filter" flipped on and I thought, :think hmm. . .what if the whale was more like a (smelly) comfort corner? :lol What if God needed not to punish Jonah, but to get him to stop, be quiet, think, and pray/communicate? Am I thinking about this the right way?

[Heather Micaela]

I think you have a good point. God was gracious and allowed Johan do do what he was told to do. And that whale was just direct transport to Ninevah. Had it not come Jonah would have drowned. Even if Jonah did it grudgingly, he still was priveliged to be used by God.

[Iveyrock]

so I've thought about this before, and the whale part makes sense, but what about the storm itself? Was that punishment? Or maybe just God getting Jonah's attention?

[MarynMunchkins]

Seems like the whale was the ultimate in redirection. ;)

And, yes, I do think the storm was God's way of getting Jonah's attention. And maybe venting some big feelings about being disobeyed. ;)

[Jenny]

Seems like the whale was the ultimate in redirection. ;)


Wonder where I can get a whale? :laughtears

[UltraMother]

If God had wanted to punish Jonah, he could have just killed him, right? Jonah is a really interesting story to re-study with GBD eyes (the whole book).

[ArmsOfLove]

yes yes yes! I believe that the order is: Jonah thrown overboard; Jonah about to drown; Jonah cries out for mercy; God sends big fish :tu

[euromom]

Seems like the whale was the ultimate in redirection. ;)


Wonder where I can get a whale? :laughtears


:roll

[HomeWithMyBabies]

In ds's children's Bible it says at the bottom of the Jonah story "Thank God for helping you do the things he wants you to do."

[Maggie]

I agree! I was thinking "redirection," too. :tu

[RealLifeMama]

In ds's children's Bible it says at the bottom of the Jonah story "Thank God for helping you do the things he wants you to do."


That is great!
So many children's Bible's paint this picture in a punitive light.

I totally agree with all that has been said.
bliss, I had those same thoughts when I saw the Veggie Tales movie, too, LOL.

[klpmommy]

I never thought of the whale as being punishment. I always thought of the whale as God's way of making sure Jonah obeyed Him. Maybe that is b/c I became a Christian & first heard that story as an adult?

[cklewis]

I grew up hearing that the whole story is about obedience. The kids song in my neck of the woods goes like this:

Jonah, Jonah
Did not obey God immediately.
Jonah, Jonah
Down in the depths of the deep blue sea.

But the Veggie Tale version, and I believe the correct interpretation, says that it's about compassion. The book ends (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=39&chapter=4&version=47) with God wanting Jonah to have pity on them. It was an internal change, not external obedience He wanted.

Such a different POV. . . .

C

[fourbygrace]

Wow! I always thought the whale was a punishment, but this thread has really opened my eyes to a new way of looking at the story. I can see I still have a long way to go in the paradigm shift to GBD.

Mary

[Learnin'2B]

:yes I've been "re-reading" my dd's bible stories. :giggle This is one story I've edited with GBD in mind. I have told her how wonderful God is to love us even when we don't do the right thing! And wasn't it nice of him to send that big fish so Jonah wouldn't drown when those men threw him out of the boat? :yes And God had the fish take him exactly where he needed to go!
I've done similar adaptations to the garden of eden......
....they had to leave the garden not as punishment, but as mercy. They were covered in sin. They would have DIED to stay there in God's presence. Remember Abraham on the mountain? God put him into the rock crevice and put his hand on it as He walked by, then removed His hand so Abraham could see his back, because if he saw him full on---Abraham would have DIED!! God made the first blood sacrifice of animals to clothe them so they wouldn't die being in His presence. :heart