Man Overboard!: The Story of Jonah

by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Jonah is not a book about a great fish! It is really a book about God, and how one man came, through painful experience, to discover the true character of the God whom he had already served int he earlier years of his life. He was to find the doctrine about God come alive in his experience. It is this combination of doctrine and experience that makes Jonah such a fascinating, instructive and practical book. The teaching of Jonah searches our hearts and consciences in a special way because it is the story of a man who was on the run from God. It traces not only the path of his journey, but unravels the inner workings of his heart- his fears, motivations, and passing moods. Christians today still experience these 'Jonah syndromes'.

Genres: Old Testament, Theology, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian, Faith

98 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1982

About the author

Sinclair B. Ferguson is Associate Preacher at St Peter's Free Church in Dundee and also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina and prior to that, he was minister of St. George's-Tron Church in Glasgow.

Reviews

[Natalie Herr · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top three commentaries for Jonah. Helpful and concise, with straightforward language. A fave!

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good exegesis of the book of Jonah. While there was nothing astounding in that I had not heard it before, this was a solid look at the story of Jonah. Ferguson does a good job of explaining difficult parts and makes them accessible in this short book. Recommended

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1981 book has been out of print for some time, but if you can get your hands on a copy, it is priceless. In 2001 study, this was the single most useful commentary. It contains 11 very homiletical sounding chapters -- more than enough to chew on. (I think my sermon series was four messages).

Ferguson is a Scottish theologian, with a Ph.D. in systematics from Aberdeen. A former professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, he is a first-rate thinker. But he has also been a full-time pastor in Scotland for many years. He is currently at Tron Church (very large, in Glasgow).

Smart, accessible, well-illustrated, practically geared, theologically rich (and Reformed) -- GREAT work.

Probably the second most helpful for me was the tiny commentary but another pastor-scholar, O. Palmer Robertson. Third most helpful was James Boice (dry, but solid).

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Básico, porém excelente para estudos bíblicos.

[Patrick Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinclair is always excellent.

[Addy Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot recommend enough. Excellent supplemental reading when studying Jonah. So so so good!!

[CJ Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are wonderful sermons on Jonah, full of wise meditations and challenging applications.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barely 100 pages, this little commentary on the often-misunderstood book of Jonah was just right, just what I needed.

...the fruitfulness of our lives for God is not itself a guarantee of the closeness of our lives to his will. There are times in our lives when the Lord will employ us in his service despite our disobedience, to demonstrate that the grace, the fruit, and the glory are entirely his. Here indeed is evangelism and the sovereignty of God!

He touches on the original language to give the reader increased understanding, makes connections to mentions of Jonah and Ninevah in the New Testament, and ultimately explores for the reader the character of God as displayed in the way He dealt with and responded to Jonah.

...when the ministry God has called us to exercise is fulfilled and our service has produced abundant fruit, God has not finished his task. He still has his servant to deal with, for he is more concerned with his servants than he is about their service.

Sinclair Ferguson is a favorite of mine for this very reason: while giving instruction and information, he also magnifies God's beauty and glory and compassion, and draws the reader - ME - into worship. This little volume is very accessible and enlightening.

The word translated "discomfort" or "grief" or "misery" in Jonah 4:6 is the same Hebrew word which was used of the wickedness of the Ninevites in Jonah 1:2, and of the destruction which God had threatened in Jonah 3:10. Just as God protected Jonah through the plant, he had shown the same protection to Ninevah through his compassion and grace.

Highly recommended if you want to read and study Jonah by yourself or in a group.

The story is left unfinished... It carries no conclusion because it summons us to write the final paragraph.

[Stuart Mckimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top drawer; definitely get this for your library. Short, almost devotional in set-up of the chapters. Piercing in its application, and sets Jonah into context well, thereby bypassing the limitations of other typical interpretations in the reformed tradition today. Really helpful.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thoughts on this book of the bible, and excellent practical application. Easy to read, organized in little chunks, and a good excuse to read and reread this short minor prophet over and over again.

[Ryan Pelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of sermons on Jonah. A helpful study partner and encounter with God’s Grace.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short theological reflections on the book of Jonah. Edifying and enjoyable.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very good!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the slim size of this book fool you. A real treasure!

[Scott Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the many commentaries on Jonah that were used as I preached through the book, this one was among the most useful. It is not so much a technical or theological commentary as it is a pastoral, practical examination of the prophet and his heart. I found it to be very useful, very fresh, filled with excellent observations. The book reads well and is suitable for all readers, for preaching help and for personal study. Some reviewers point out Ferguson's inconsistency regarding Jonah's change of heart toward the Ninevites in the latter portion of the book. I noticed this too, but this is why one uses a stack of commentaries to study and not merely a single help. Ferguson's "Man Overboard," however, certainly should be hunted down and added to your shelf if you plan to study the book of Jonah in any way.

[Ben Emberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up as a devotional commentary to aid study of the book of Jonah, and to be honest I was disappointed. Dr. Ferguson's comments are indeed devotional, full of wisdom, and helpful. However, I found that, in my opinion, he often was commenting based on speculations about context as opposed to making observations from the text. As a result, it more than once comes across as a series of broad applications grounded in somewhat questionable exegesis. Still, his insight into the Christian life is valuable, and some strong sections stand out among the weaker sections.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy enough read overview of Jonah. I'm not sure how to classify this. Sometimes it's more expositional; other times Ferguson wanders to tangential ideas. So not really a commentary but more like "reflections on themes" from Jonah.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferguson provides a wealth of insight into the story of Jonah. Perhaps the greatest miracle in the book isn’t Jonah spending 3 days in the belly of a whale, but the salvation of an entire city.

Ferguson helps the reader see Jonah in a new light. Jonah is a first rebellious, then repentant and obedient, and then suicidal. He is an enigmatic character. We never know what his final take is, but we do know God is a great God who cares about the salvation of souls and appoints all things in the natural world to accomplish his purposes.

There’s more here than what initially meets the eye. Go and see for yourself and allow Ferguson to be your tour guide.

[Scott Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting brief study of the book of Job.

I agree with other commenters and am not sure I felt the take on how Jonah preached to the Ninevites was right. I may have misinterpreted Ferguson, but it seemed like he implied God's grace to Jonah led him to want them to see grace. This doesn't seem to fit with the change again at the end of the book.

[Katerina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man Overboard! offers eleven devotional chapters focused on the biblical book Jonah. Sinclair Ferguson draws out lessons that we can learn from Jonah's conflict with God. I enjoyed reading this book as part of my study of Jonah.

[Tim Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This commentary isn't one to turn to for deep Exegesis, but there is lots of helpful challenge. On the whole, I found some of the application in the first section a little strained but it certainly got better as it went along.

[Braxton Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read, definitely used as an introduction more than a commentary as it was recommended as. Sinclair is concise in the points he makes, though he does seem to wander at times. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to dig into Jonah for a small group study!

[Elizabeth Prata · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read yet insightful overview of the book of Jonah. Sinclair Ferguson captures the complexities of this great book of the Bible well. He raised many concepts and details I had been familiar with prior to reading. Recommended

[Josh Withrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful and insightful little book for anyone who wants to know more about the story of Jonah. Spoiler alert: the book is not about a giant fish!

[Phil Sessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read when studying Jonah, simple, hard hitting, and it keeps the main thing the main thing.

[Ian Mcallister · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY GOOD BOOK! TRUTH

[Samuel Bierig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this was the least helpful piece on Jonah that I encountered.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lively exposition of the Book of Jonah from a very Scottish Presbyterian point of view. Concise and interesting.

[Julee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight, good pastoral thoughts on the book of Jonah.