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Jonah
The book of Jonah is unique in the Old Testament.'It is the only record of an Israelite prophet being sent to proclaim God's message of repentance to another nation.
The story line is easy to follow, yet this is more than just a story - although it is like aparable in the delivery of God's message to us- there are also prayers, and the book does begin with the authentic formula for the call of a prophet. The prophet's task before God was not to explain the message, but to go and faithfully proclaim it. Jonah is reluctant to do this, but later repents - which is what his hearers at Nineveh eventually do.
It is a book about the need for people to repent and turn to God; and also about the great love and compassion of God for those who are lost. Its value for us today is a powerful reminder of the need to obey God and bring his message of salvlption to the entire world.
