{"id":77879,"date":"2020-07-22T18:15:38","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T15:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=77879"},"modified":"2020-07-22T18:15:38","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T15:15:38","slug":"the-gift-of-the-depths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-gift-of-the-depths\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift of the Depths"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"77879","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":75217,"related_cahpter":"530","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Jonah\u2019s epiphany wells up from below\r\n\r\n","content":"

In chapter 1 of the Book Jonah, <\/span>we saw how <\/span><\/a>the storm-tossed waves that led to Jonah\u2019s dive overboard could be seen as both a sign of God\u2019s frustration with his refusal to deliver his divine message to the city of Nineveh, and a symbol of Jonah\u2019s own psychic tension at such a refusal. Seen through either lens, the story makes clear that the necessary tasks of life may be able to be delayed for some time, but they can not be avoided forever: the wrath of God, and\/or our own consciousness, will catch up to us in the end.<\/span><\/p>\n

In chapter 2, as in chapter 1, water plays a dual role in helping us to understand Jonah\u2019s development as the \u201chero\u201d of our story. On the one hand, it is the physical site of God\u2019s miraculous saving of his prophet- perhaps despite even the wishes of the prophet himself. On the other hand, it is also a powerful image of the human subconscious: that unknown part of ourselves, frightful in its unfamiliarity, but also quite giving at the most unexpected of times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonah\u2019s underwater, inside-fish sojourn evokes the common but profound experience of a \u201cflash of insight,\u201d when a sudden solution pops into our head unannounced after a period of creative effort. (Or, if you are someone who works with deadlines, perhaps \u2018creative crisis\u2019 is the more accurate phrase.) In those moments, one wonders where these ideas come from- though we know on one level that we created them, they appear suddenly in our minds, as though gifted from afar, or bubbling up from some place deep within.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, the briny deep which holds Jonah seems a particularly apt setting for Jonah to change from runaway prophet to one who is ready to accept his earthly responsibilities. After going overboard- the ultimate act of surrender, of admitted powerlessness- Jonah is saved. As dramatic as it is, we actually know Jonah\u2019s experience in miniature whenever our subconscious brain gifts us an epiphany- whether large or small- to help us along our way in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Jonah\u2019s insight from the depths? Chapter 2 is made up almost entirely of Jonah\u2019s prayer inside the fish, and therefore one of its key features is <\/span>voice<\/span><\/i>. We hear Jonah\u2019s voice first at the end of chapter one, when he (finally) takes action by announcing himself to his shipmates and asking them to be thrown overboard. By the end of chapter 2, he is truly <\/span>fully-voiced<\/span><\/em>, turning his prayer into one of gratitude and recognition of the need to perform his earthly duties<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

But I, with loud thanksgiving,
\n<\/span>Will sacrifice to You;
\n<\/span>What I have vowed I will perform.
\n<\/span>Deliverance is the Lord\u2019s! (2:10)<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a useful gift for a prophet, who will indeed need his voice if he is to carry out his divine mission when back on dry land. We will see how he uses it in chapter 3, tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":77880,"id":77880,"title":"jon2-from the depths","filename":"jon2-from-the-depths.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-gift-of-the-depths\/jon2-from-the-depths\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jon2-from-the-depths","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77879,"date":"2020-07-22 15:15:24","modified":"2020-07-22 15:15:34","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":901,"height":549,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths-300x183.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":183,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths-768x468.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":468,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths.jpg","large-width":901,"large-height":549,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths.jpg","1536x1536-width":901,"1536x1536-height":549,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths.jpg","2048x2048-width":901,"2048x2048-height":549,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths.jpg","post_full_size-width":901,"post_full_size-height":549,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/jon2-from-the-depths-689x420.jpg","home_baner-width":689,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"The 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