The first nine chapters of the Prodigal Prophet by Timothy Keller takes us through the entire book of Jonah, which only has forty-eight verses in its four chapters. Keller goes into a lot of detail and brings out background information about the culture and context of the narrative, which helps us understand Jonah’s motives and reactions. The remaining three chapters are an overview of some of the main themes in the book. This wasn’t quite so interesting as it was more theological and less specifically about Jonah.
Jonah is a favourite book of mine and I have read numerous commentaries, yet Keller brings out thoughts I haven’t read elsewhere. Jonah is a complex character who goes through several learning experiences in the course of the short book, which are valuable lessons for us, too.
The book moves at a good pace and is easy to read.
Overall a great read.
