28. Nahum, Jonah, and the God Who Won't Give Up on Nineveh

Most people know Jonah as the guy who got swallowed by a whale, but this book of Jonah summary reveals a much stranger and funnier story than that. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Katie Langston and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty at Luther Seminary, to explore the books of Jonah and Nahum. Rolf walks through Jonah's reluctant call to preach against Nineveh, his flight in the opposite direction, the storm, the big fish, and the five word sermon that somehow converts an entire city from the king down to the animals. He also unpacks the book of Nahum, which pronounces God's judgment on Assyria for its brutality against Israel and sets the stage for everything Jonah wrestles with.At the heart of the conversation is the Hebrew word hesed, God's steadfast loving mercy, and the uncomfortable question Jonah leaves us with. If you want mercy for yourself, can you also want it for the people who hurt you or the people you hate? Along the way, Rolf and the hosts play a round of Bible Bingo covering Nineveh, providence, nature, and obedience, and dig into some strange details in the Hebrew text that even seasoned scholars find surprising. Whether you are new to the minor prophets or have read Jonah a dozen times, this conversation offers a fresh way into a small book with a lot to say.