Jonah: the Man Whose God and Heart Were Too Small

By Dr. Dean Cook

E. Dean Cook is a retired Navy chaplain who also taught at Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, New York, and was its first campus chaplain. For ten years, he was senior pastor of the Wilmore Free Methodist Church near Lexington, Kentucky, where he also taught, mentored, and supervised ministerial students at Asbury Theological Seminary and Asbury University. During his long and varied career as a clergyman, he served as senior chaplain at the Naval Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California; serving also on the aircraft carrier USS America and several other naval ships and installations. He was appointed Director of his denominations chaplains.

He holds a bachelors degree in Biblical Literature from Seattle Pacific University, masters and doctoral degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary, and an honorary doctors degree from Roberts Wesleyan College. He holds the rank of Captain in the Navy Chaplain Corps and was made an Honorary Admiral by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

He has been married to his wife, Ruth, for 55 years. They have four sons and six grandchildren. Cook is the author of two other books: Salt of the Sea (an account of his chaplain career) and Being Gods Presence in Closed Communities, a history of his denominations chaplaincy ministries.

His interest in and study of the book of Jonah was ignited by the wide variety of interpretations given the book. The writer believes that Jonah has a clear and powerful message for this generation and the Church, who are prone to follow the god they want rather than the God that is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496962850

Dr. Dean Cook

E. Dean Cook is a retired navy chaplain who also taught at Roberts Wesleyan University, Rochester, New York, and was its first campus chaplain. For ten years, he was senior pastor of the Wilmore Free Methodist Church near Lexington, Kentucky, where he also taught, mentored, and supervised ministerial students at Asbury Theological Seminary and Asbury University. During his long and varied career as a clergyman, he served as senior chaplain at the Naval Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. And serving also on the aircraft carrier USS America and several other naval ships and installations, he served as a delegate to his denomination’s general conference, as director of his denomination’s chaplains, and presently is on the Chaplains Executive Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical literature from Seattle Pacific University, master’s and doctoral degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary, and an honorary doctor’s degree from Roberts Wesleyan University. He also holds the rank of captain in the Navy Chaplain Corps and was made an honorary admiral by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He has been married to his wife, Ruth, for fifty-four years. They have four sons and six grandchildren. Cook is the author of two other books: Salt of the Sea (an account of his chaplain career) and Being God’s Presence in Closed Communities, a history of his denomination’s chaplaincy ministries. His interest in and study of the book of Jonah was ignited by the wide variety of interpretations given the book. The writer believes that Jonah has a clear and powerful message for this generation and the church, who are prone to follow the god they want rather than the God that is.

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© 2015 Dr. Dean Cook. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/23/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6286-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6285-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015900398

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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Who is This Son of Amattai?

The Crisis That Exposed His Flaws

How to Fall From Prophet to Fish Bait

How to Rise From Fish Vomit To Prophet Again

The Prophet Deserts His Converts

The Sign of Jonah

Conclusion And Prayer

Additional Questions and Issues Worth Pursuing

Selected Resources

Preface

It is interesting to me how people can hear a sermon on a Sunday morning and lock onto an illustration the preacher gives and miss the real point of the sermon altogether. This, I am afraid, is often true in our hearing and thinking about the book of Jonah. We tend to get hooked on the fish and miss the real storyline that runs throughout the book. This book is not about the fish, although God’s use of this creature adds humor to the story and reminds us that He is a very creative God. The story is really about the prophet and how his view of the world differs from God’s. This difference is highlighted when God asks him to do something he doesn’t want to do – namely to go preach God’s message to Bloody Nineveh. This confrontation exposes Jonah’s real heart and view of God. Many of us, like Jonah, have our understanding of God and the world shaped by our culture, our religious tradition, our nation, and our prejudices. The result is that we can end up worshipping and serving the god we want, rather than the God who is.

Because of His love for us, God will confront this falsehood in us as he did in Jonah. Jonah responded with anger, disrespect, and even disobedience by trying to flee from his calling and his God. The book is about how God in love and mercy pursued Jonah from a storm to a fish to Nineveh and finally to a crude shelter. There Jonah sits pouts and pleads to die because God is too good and too kind. The book examines our faith. Have we, too, adopted a narrow god that we want rather than the great and loving God who is? Is God pursuing us even now, calling us to abandon our false god and embrace Him fully? It is when we abandon our created god and embrace the Creator God of love and mercy, that we are truly transformed and ready to serve Him. Did Jonah