Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Human Heart's Penchant for Self-Glorification

But the point of the book of Jonah is not to foster disapproval of Jonah. Jonah's example shows that those who have a close external connection to God (Jonah was born among God's chosen people and served as a prophet among them), know the Scriptures well and believe firmly that God exists can still persevere in calm, reasoned rebellion against that same God. They can, moreover, even persist in such rebellion despite God's disciplinary actions. Jonah exhibits a puzzling mix of arrogance and apathy, of self-awareness and blindness that should make us very wary of the human heart's penchant for self-glorification, regardless of how closely we are involved with God's people.

--Daniel C. Timmer, A Gracious and Compassionate God: Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah (New Studies in Biblical Theology; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011), 145.

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