Solomon Vs Jonah

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Q: Doesn't the Old Testament say that the dead are oblivious; for example:
"Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there
is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in sheol where you are
going. (Eccl 9:10)

A: Okay, that's what Solomon said. Next we'll look at what Jonah said.

The second chapter of Jonah begins with the mention of two prayers. The
Bible mentions one of the prayers, and Jonah mentions the other. Here's the
one the Bible mentions:

"Jonah prayed to Yhvh his God from the stomach of the fish (Jonah 2:1)

Here's a portion of the prayer that Jonah mentions:

"I called out of my distress to Yhvh, and He answered me. I cried for help
from the depth of sheol; thou didst hear my voice." (Jonah 2:2)

Now; according to Solomon, the dead are inactive in sheol and they have
neither knowledge nor wisdom; but Jonah had enough wits about him in
sheol to pray an intelligent prayer; and seeing as how he further stated in
his prayer that sheol is located at the roots of the mountains, then Jonah
was also fully aware of his circumstances.

The apparent contradiction between Solomon and Jonah is easy to resolve
when it's taken into consideration that the book of Ecclesiastes is
philosophical, while the book of Jonah is prophetic.

So then; people have a choice to make. Do they listen to Solomon the
philosopher or do they listen to Jonah the prophet? Abraham recommends
listening to the prophet. (Luke 16:27-31)

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[Raeneske]

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Q: Doesn't the Old Testament say that the dead are oblivious; for example:
"Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there
is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in sheol where you are
going. (Eccl 9:10)

A: Okay, that's what Solomon said. Next we'll look at what Jonah said.

The second chapter of Jonah begins with the mention of two prayers. The
Bible mentions one of the prayers, and Jonah mentions the other. Here's the
one the Bible mentions:

"Jonah prayed to Yhvh his God from the stomach of the fish (Jonah 2:1)

Here's a portion of the prayer that Jonah mentions:

"I called out of my distress to Yhvh, and He answered me. I cried for help
from the depth of sheol; thou didst hear my voice." (Jonah 2:2)

Now; according to Solomon, the dead are inactive in sheol and they have
neither knowledge nor wisdom; but Jonah had enough wits about him in
sheol to pray an intelligent prayer; and seeing as how he further stated in
his prayer that sheol is located at the roots of the mountains, then Jonah
was also fully aware of his circumstances.

The apparent contradiction between Solomon and Jonah is easy to resolve
when it's taken into consideration that the book of Ecclesiastes is
philosophical, while the book of Jonah is prophetic.

So then; people have a choice to make. Do they listen to Solomon the
philosopher or do they listen to Jonah the prophet? Abraham recommends
listening to the prophet. (Luke 16:27-31)

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Jonah was not dead when he prayed. He was alive and well, but in the belly of the great fish

 

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Here's the upgraded version of post #1.

Ecclesiastes vs Jonah

Q: Doesn't the Old Testament say that the dead are oblivious; for example:
"Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there
is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in sheol where you are
going. (Eccl 9:10)

A: Okay, that's what Ecclesiastes says. Next we'll look at what Jonah said.

Jonah 2:1-7 is very tricky. There are actually three prayers mentioned in it.
One was prayed from the belly of the fish. One was prayed from sheol, and
one was prayed at the point of Jonah's death. Very tricky.

Long story short, Jonah said that sheol is at the roots of the mountains.
(Jonah 2:6)

The roots of the mountains are not located in the tummy of a fish; they're
located in the depths of the earth.

He also said "the earth beneath barred me in forever." (Jonah 2:6)

The earth's bars are earth; the body of a fish is flesh.

What I'm getting at is: although sheol probably includes one's grave, it's not
limited to one's grave because while Jonah's body was on ice in the fish's
tummy, he was imprisoned at the roots of the mountains.

Jesus Christ likened his experience to that of Jonah's.

"As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the
Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
(Matt 12:40)

Was Jonah buried at the roots of the mountains? No, he was buried at sea.

Was Jesus Christ buried in the heart of the earth? No, he was buried on the
surface of the earth.

Did Jonah go down to the roots of the mountains? Yes.

Did Jesus Christ go down to the heart of the earth? Yes.

The only possible means by which all the above could be true for both Jonah
and Jesus Christ, is if the men and their bodies parted company and went
separate ways when they died.

How do I know that Jonah died? From Jonah 2:6

"You brought my life" is the language of resurrection.

"from the pit" is the language of putrefaction.

The Hebrew word translated "pit" is shachath (shakh'-ath) which doesn't
always indicate a hole in the ground. Sometimes it indicates the putrefaction
that dead bodies undergo in the grave. For example Psalm 16:10

"You will not leave my soul in sheol, nor will you allow your holy one to see
corruption.

Peter applied Ps 16:10 to Jesus Christ when he said:

"Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh
also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in hades, nor will you
allow your holy one to see corruption. (Acts 2:26-27)

According to Ecclesiastes, the dead are inactive in sheol and they have
neither knowledge nor wisdom; but Jonah had enough wits about him in
sheol to pray an intelligent prayer.

"I cried for help from the depth of sheol; and You heard my voice." (Jonah
2:2)

Jonah also prayed from within the fish.

"From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. "Jonah 2:1)

Jonah also prayed a death-bed prayer.

"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord (Jonah 2:7)

Permit me to pass on an important safety tip as regards Ecclesiastes. It isn't
a book of revelation; rather, it's one man's philosophy of life as seen from
the perspective of a man of the earth; viz: a man under the sun whose
understanding of death and the hereafter is limited to what he can see for
himself in the world around him-- empirical evidence --which no doubt is at
least part of the reason why Ecclesiastes is so popular with atheists and
agnostics.

There's no textual evidence indicating that the author of Ecclesiastes had
ever seen the hereafter for himself before writing about it. In contrast, Jonah
did.

So then; people have a choice to make. Do they listen to an inexperienced
philosopher or do they listen to a fully-experienced prophet? Abraham
recommends listening to the prophet. (Luke 16:27-31)

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[FHII]

Jonah was not dead when he prayed. He was alive and well, but in the belly of the great fish

LOL!!! Yea.... That one was pretty easy to figure out!