NSBT 26: A Gracious and Compassionate God

Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah.

The book of Jonah is full of surprises, and this is no less true for us today
than it was for its original readers. How is it possible that a city like
Nineveh would repent? Why does Jonah seem so out of touch with the God who
calls him to act as a prophet? And the end of the book asks readers the same
question that God poses to Jonah: to what extent is their character truly in
accord with that of the God whom they claim to serve?

At the same time, Jonah centres on the grand theme of the Bible: the
manifestation of God's unmerited grace to those who have sinned against him.
However, despite its brevity, Jonah raises challenging theological questions
regarding mission and religious conversion; and there is no shortage of
fascinating historical aspects, along with the various unexpected plot
twists.

In this stimulating biblical-theological study, Daniel Timmer examines the
book's historical backgrounds (in both Israel and Assyria), discusses the
biblical text in detail, and pays special attention to redemptive history and
its Christocentric orientation. He 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.

Timmer also argues that the book of Jonah was written to facilitate spiritual
change in its readers, and our study is not complete until we have wrestled
with it on those terms. (= 9780830826278)

Daniel Timmer's volume is exceptional: it engages in a close reading of " much
of Jonah, but it keeps one eye peeled for legitimate canonical ties with what
we would today call the mission of God. Timmer thinks and writes clearly and
succinctly, and biblical and theological issues come alive. This is a book to
cherish. - D. A. Carson"

Series: New Studies in Biblical Theology, volume 26.

Recommended € 21,90