Why is jonah considered a prophet

McConkie wrote:. It was also used for making the rough garments worn by mourners, and so it became fixed in the prophetic mind as a symbol for sorrow and mourning. It was the custom for mourners, garbed in sackcloth, either to sprinkle ashes upon themselves or to sit in piles of ashes, thereby showing their joy had perished or been destroyed.

When righteous persons used the covering of sackcloth and the sprinkling of ashes to aid them in attaining the spiritual strength to commune with Deity, their usage was always accompanied by fasting and prayer. Here Jonah demonstrated a second weakness:he pouted because the people did repent and God turned His wrath away. Jonah was so upset that he wished he were dead.

Though he had repented of his desire to escape the call of the Lord and went to Nineveh, Jonah had not substantially changed his attitude toward the Gentiles. The Lord taught Jonah in a way that he could understand that all things are in His hand—the gourd, the worm, even life itself. First, the Lord sent the dreaded east wind, which was very destructive, for it blew off the hot, dry Arabian Desert. Then the Lord caused the sun to beat upon Jonah, making him so uncomfortable that he wished for death.

Once Jonah was in that position, the Lord was able to teach him the worth of souls in Nineveh. Surely the Lord felt more pity for them than Jonah felt for the gourd see Alma , By means of this simple plant, the Lord taught Jonah about the way in which God loves all of His children. Now that you have read through the book of Jonah, what do you think of its message? Is there a difference between Jonah, Joel, and Amos? Write a short essay discussing the differences and similarities and the application of their messages to you today.

Nineveh had a reputation for being wicked see Nahum —4. There are many wicked cities in our day. What is our obligation when we are called to serve in a way that we might consider distasteful?

Have you ever known anyone who has tended to resent someone newly baptized or recently activated and the attention and favor they received in the Church? Is there not a parallel here?

Eventually it threatens their very lives Jon. Only when Jonah offers to be thrown into the sea—which the sailors reluctantly accept—does the storm abate and the danger to the community subside Jon.

The purpose of a call from God is to serve other people. Undoubtedly we can all bring to mind people whose prodigious abilities enabled them to do great harm in fields of business, government, society, science, religion, and all the rest. He wants ours as well. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Jonah , which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses.

Who wrote the book? Where are we? Why is Jonah so important? What's the big idea? Except, that is, for Jonah himself. Even after God spares the city of Nineveh, he remains unchanged. We infer that he was actually disappointed that there was no fire and brimstone. See, he whines to God, I knew that this was a total waste of my time. God then delivers the real moral punchline of the story with a small demonstration.

He first provides and then takes away a shady plant which gives Jonah shelter from the blazing sun. Predictably, Jonah only thinks of his own needs and begs God for death because he is in such discomfort. Yom Kippur is a time when we reevaluate our choices and pledge to strengthen our connection to others.

Unlike everyone else in the story, Jonah only cared about himself. He never matured or developed as a person.