In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.

The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?

Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?

Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?

We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.

What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:

Ecclesiastes 7:23–29

All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?

I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)

Ecclesiastes 12:10–13

The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

Jonah is a one-of-a-kind prophet, displaying God's amazing ability to use sinful men in His service. Were it not for some historical parallels and the Lord Jesus himself mentioning "the sign of Jonah" three times in the gospels (in the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses it will be established), it would be easy to believe this was "a whale of a tale," merely a literary fiction. But it cannot be that. The sum of God's word is truth (Psalm 119:160). There is a very important reason that this book is in the canon, and we must not run from the truth of God's word.

The principle established in Exodus 23 was for Jonah, as it is for all of God's people in all times and places:

“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

Exodus 23:20–22

The Angel of YHWH, Malachi, is God's presence with us - Immanuel, the Word Incarnate - and we are to listen and obey.

Christians, when we are honest we are all a bit too much like Jonah. "All we like sheep have gone astray." Let us rejoice in God's mercy to all, and be the feet that bring the joyful gospel of peace to all mankind.

Here is a fantastic summary (I learned a great deal from it!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLIabZc0O4c