Jul 20, 2022
JONAH 3-4:
Running from God didn’t work for Jonah. When
saved from the ocean, Jonah grudgingly obeys God.
For most of my life, I have been fooled by Jonah's prayer in chapter 2, and I am not alone, because others have called it, “One of the great prayers in the Bible.” For most of the prayer, Jonah simply borrowed verses from the Psalms. And there is nothing wrong with that! However, if you look closer, Jonah prayed a me-centered and self-righteous prayer. The worst thing about it is there is no hint of repentance or asking forgiveness.
PSALM 137:
As a musician, I can imagine what the musician
who wrote this felt. The imprecation at the end should be taken in
view of God’s justice. Compare the thought here with Rev. 6:9 and
following verses (the cry of the saints under the altar), and also
the ending chapters of Revelation that portray the vengeful
judgment against ‘Babylon’— which in that book is used as a
figurative name.
Rereading JOHN 17:
Note
again the importance of the organic bond of union between the
Father, the Son, and we who believe in Jesus. Again note the bond
of love. Note that our Savior actually prays for us. And this is
because we live in a world that is not our home.
GNT Translation
notes:
Ps.
137:4 How can we sing a song to [You, Lord,//the Lord] in a foreign
land?
====
John
17:1 After Jesus finished saying this, he looked up to heaven and
said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to [Me,] your Son, so
that [I//the Son] may give glory to you.
2
For you gave [Me//him] authority over all people, so that [I//he]
might give eternal life to all those you gave
[Me//him].
3
[I, the writer, agree and add that, “//And] eternal life means to
know you, the only true God, and to know [Christ Jesus//Jesus
Christ], whom you sent.[” Jesus was still
praying,]
21 I
pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be [joined as one
with//in] us, just as you are [joined with//in] me and I am [joined
with//in] you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that
you sent me.
23 I [— joined as one with//in]
them and you [— joined with//in] me, so that they may be completely
one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you
love them as you love me.
26 I
made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that
the love you have for me may be in them, and so that I also may be
[one with//in] them.”