Category Archives: Jonah

One of the interesting things about the book of Jonah is that it discloses a different perspective than we normally have concerning God’s character. Jonah repeatedly uses the same Hebrew word to describe God’s actions. Chapter one verse seventeen says that, “Yahweh prepared a great fish…” In chapter four and verse six, “Yahweh God prepared a vine, and made it to come up over Jonah…” Chapter four, verse seven says, “…God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine…” And chapter four, verse eight says, “…when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind…” The Hebrew in all four of these places can be translated: “God directed,” “God prepared”, “God appointed” or “God provided.” But this use of the word causes us to think. The Scriptures tell us repeatedly that God is good. And so, when we think of God’s provision we think of him providing only what we consider ‘good’ things or blessings.

For example, in Matthew 6:31-33 we are told: “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.” Again in Matthew 7:9-11 it says: “Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Some more examples of the good things that God provides are: Rest (Matthew 11:28), The Holy Spirit (Luke 11:11-13), Life (Romans 8:11), Eternal life (John 10:28), Peace (John 14:27), and Insight (2 Timothy 2:7).

God not only provides ‘good’ things, but He is impartial. He does not show favoritism. Matthew 5:45 says, “…he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” 1 Corinthians 15:22 assures us, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” And 1 Timothy 2:3-4 tells us that, “…For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth.”

We not only associate ‘good’ things with God, but we also attribute what we consider ‘bad’ things to Satan. For example Satan is: the Father of Lies and the source of murder (John 8:44), the accuser of God’s people (Revelation 12:10-12), a source of physical affliction (Luke 13:10-16, 2 Corinthians 12:7), and a cause of destruction and suffering (1 Peter 5:8-9).

But if God provides good things, and the devil is the source of evil and bad, then we are startled by some of the things that happen to Jonah. Many of the things God provides for Jonah are what we consider bad. Who is grateful for destructive worms and scorching east winds? Also consider the storm God sent in chapter one and verse four. The Hebrew could be translated “God hurled a great wind…” The storm caused great damage and loss. How can this be considered one of God’s good gifts?

When we take a closer look at Scripture we find that this kind of thing isn’t limited to the book of Jonah. Lamentations 3:38 says that calamities as well as good things come from God. It is written in 1 Samuel 2:6-7: “Yahweh kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up. Yahweh makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.” In Deuteronomy 28:63 God says “…[I] will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy…” his people if they do not follow the Mosaic Law. Is our idea of God wrong? Does God delight in bringing trouble on people? After all, didn’t even Jesus ask “…why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) when He was crucified?

The view presented in the above section raises a problem. Scripture repeatedly describes God as being merciful, compassionate and good. For instance, as we have already seen Jonah says, “…I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.” (Jonah 4:2) We are also told that God doesn’t tempt anyone. In James 1:13 it is written: “Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.” Further, we are assured in Romans 8:28 that for those who love God, all things (not just some things) are working out for good. Obviously, God who is good and loving cannot be eager to cause us harm or to destroy us.

It is not that our view of God being good is wrong, but rather our definition of what is good. Fortunately God has given us His definition of good. In Romans 8:28-29 it says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” In other words, anything that causes us to become more like Jesus, or will help us answer God’s call, is good.

Apparently we can’t become like Jesus Christ without experiencing some suffering and what we consider ‘bad’ things. However, since God is good, we can be sure that whatever He allows us to go through is for our ultimate benefit. After all, even Jesus had to suffer in order to qualify as our Savior! Hebrews 5:7-9 says: “He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation,” If Jesus had to suffer, is it any wonder that we also must suffer on occasion?

We can be sure that if we suffer it is because it is necessary. God does not want to destroy us but is the Great Physician who is out to cure us at any cost (either to us or himself) because He loves us. It is not God’s purpose to cause us pain. But pain is often a natural byproduct of the treatment God must cause us to undergo if we are to be cured. The difference between the trouble the devil brings on us and the trouble God brings on us is this: The devil wants our destruction. God brings trouble in order to heal and to make righteous.

Think about it. If God had not sent the storm, Jonah would not have gone to Nineveh. If God had not sent the storm the sailors would not have turned to him. If God had not sent the vine and the worm and the scorching east wind, Jonah would have died in his bitterness instead of learning about God’s great love and compassion for all of His creation.

When God brings trouble into our lives He is, in His great love and compassion, trying to get us to recognize Him more fully. He is bringing us good that can only come through suffering. He is the skillful surgeon who must sometimes inflict pain in order to heal.

The question is: Am I willing to go through suffering so that God can heal me? Am I willing to be made like Jesus? Do I trust God enough to accept the good that He can bring to us only through trouble, as well as the good He brings through pleasure? May you experience His blessing as you think about these things.

In a previous program we saw how the people of Nineveh repented of their wickedness and how God relented from destroying them. Jonah chapter four, verses one through four says: “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. He prayed to Yahweh [that is, God], and said, “Please, Yahweh, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm. Therefore now, Yahweh, take, I beg you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” Yahweh said, “Is it right for you to be angry?””

Jonah is well acquainted with God’s character. He freely acknowledges that God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love and one who relents from sending calamity. It is interesting to note that while Jonah finally consents to go to Nineveh and deliver God’s message, he never tells the Ninevites to call on God and ask for mercy. Jonah obviously knows very well that God wants to forgive, but he (Jonah) doesn’t want the Ninevites to be forgiven. The only message he brings them is that they will be destroyed in forty days. (3:4)

While reciting God’s character qualities Jonah seems to quote from the Psalms. Psalm 103:8 says, “Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.” Psalm 145:8-9 says, “Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness. Yahweh is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works.” It is tragic that though Jonah knew the Scripture, he had not learned the lessons that Scripture teaches. The two Psalms that Jonah quotes are Psalms of thanksgiving. One reason we should give thanks is given in the next two verses that Jonah does not quote. Psalm 103:9-10 says, “He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.” It is true that God did not treat the Ninevites as their sins deserved. But Jonah should have realized that God had not treated him as he deserved either. This recognition of God’s great love and mercy should have moved Jonah to give thanks. Instead he became angry. Do we act the same way as Jonah? Do we fail to recognize that we need God’s mercy just as much as other people? Does God’s mercy move us to praise him? Can we rejoice when God shows mercy to others?

In becoming angry at God’s mercy, Jonah is essentially trying to usurp God’s authority. In Deuteronomy 32:35 God says, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense…” This principle is reinforced and extended in the New Testament. Romans 12:17-21 instructs: “Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Not only are we to let God take care of any retribution, but Christians are to actively promote the welfare of their enemies!

Is all anger wrong then? No! Anger is one of God’s character qualities as well as mercy. But, it seems that man doesn’t use anger for its intended purpose very often. Our anger more likely than not quickly leads to sin if it didn’t start there. Psalm 37:8 says: “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing.” What a different perspective we would have of Jonah if he hadn’t gotten angry!

Then God gave Jonah an object lesson. Chapter 4:5-9 says, “Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made himself a booth, and sat under it in the shade, until he might see what would become of the city. Yahweh God prepared a vine, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine. But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine, so that it withered. It happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?” He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.””

By means of the vine, God is trying to teach two things to Jonah, and to us as well. The first is that all too often we get to thinking that we own the things in our possession. We forget that we are really only caretakers. There is nothing that we have that we haven’t received from God. 1 Corinthians 4:7 puts it this way: “For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” God is reminding Jonah who owns Nineveh. Just as the vine was God’s, so the city and the people in it are His as well. Do we have the right to tell God what to do with His own possessions?

The second lesson is that, in the final analysis, everybody is a servant. Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you who judge another’s servant? To his own lord he stands or falls…” God alone is the master and judge. That being the case, we have no right to pass judgment on anyone unless the standard of judgment is a command of God. Jonah is acting like the Ninevites are answerable to him rather than to God.

“Yahweh said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night. Shouldn’t I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who can’t discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much livestock?”” (Jonah 4:10-11)

In his zeal to see the Assyrians punished, Jonah overlooks several principles involved in God’s justice.

1) In the Law of Moses it was written: “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” (Deuteronomy 24:16) Even though the Assyrians were a violent and cruel nation, their infants and small children couldn’t be held responsible. God has to take all of the facts into account while administering justice. In our zeal for retribution do we, like Jonah, wish to condemn the innocent?

2) Even though God is a just God and will punish all wrongdoing, He does not take pleasure in anyone’s death. In Ezekiel 18:32 it says: “ For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord Yahweh: therefore turn yourselves, and live.” If we loved as much as God does perhaps we wouldn’t be so anxious to see someone’s destruction.

3) One reason God gives for His mercy to Nineveh is that their destruction would mean the destruction of many animals too. God cares for all of His creation. He does not take its destruction lightly. As it is written in Isaiah 5:8: “Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!” As Jesus pointed out, however, people are of far more value in God’s sight than animals: “Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep!…” (Matthew 12:12) If God wants to spare the animals, how much more the people?

The book of Jonah chapter three, verses three through five tells us that, “Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh [that is, God]… Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!” The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least”

It says that the Ninevites “believed God.” But what does it mean to believe? According to the Bible, belief is far more than merely acknowledging some facts. True belief always compels a person to act in harmony with what he is acknowledging. James 2:14-19 says: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;” and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder”

The Ninevites demonstrated true belief by their actions. Notice also that it was more than just a few people who believed. “…and [they] put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least.” (Jonah 3:5)

Verses 6-8 say, “The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. He made a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water; but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and animal, and let them cry mightily to God…”

Perhaps you are wondering about this fast that the Ninevites declared. In some religions a certain month or time of year is set aside as a time of fasting. But what does it mean to fast? What is the purpose of fasting? There are many examples of fasting recorded in the Bible. By looking at some of these examples we learn that fasting is practiced for a variety of reasons:

1) There are a number of times in our lives when fasting is the natural consequence of the situation we are in. We are so worried or so burdened with sorrow that food is forgotten. An example of this is recorded when king Saul and his sons were killed in battle. Scripture says, “Then David took hold on his clothes, and tore them; and likewise all the men who were with him. They mourned, and wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.” (2 Samuel 1:11-12)

2) A second reason to fast is that it is a way we can present a petition before God on someone else’s behalf. This type of fast is also associated with mourning. In Psalm 35:13-14 king David says, “…But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom. I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother…”

3) Another purpose for fasting is to seek direction from God during a time of crisis. Such a time is described in 2 Chronicles 20:2-4: “Then some came who told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea from Syria. Behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and set himself to seek to Yahweh [that is, God]. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help from Yahweh. They came out of all the cities of Judah to seek Yahweh.”

4) Fasting is an appropriate response when we are faced with major decisions or changes in life’s direction. Ezra the priest wrote these words concerning the time when the people returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon.: “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all those who forsake him.” So we fasted and begged our God for this: and he was entreated of us.” (Ezra 8:21-23) Another example of this kind of fast is the fast Jesus kept just before beginning His public ministry.

5) One of the more important reasons to fast is to confess our sin and demonstrate repentance. There are several example of this in the Bible. One of them is found in Nehemiah 9:1-2: “Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth on them… and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.” To “confess” actually means to say the same thing as God. To “repent” means to change our thinking about God which causes us to turn away from our present course of action and to go the other way.

But how does God regard our fasting? What is important to him? Earlier in this program we saw that faith is demonstrated by action. In the same way a true fast is far more than just abstaining from food. The prophet Isaiah has preserved God’s words for us: “…Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness: you don’t fast this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Yahweh [that is, God]? “Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth as the morning, and your healing shall spring forth speedily; and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Yahweh shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and Yahweh will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; and if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then your light shall rise in darkness, and your obscurity be as the noonday;” (Isaiah 58:3-10)

The Ninevites responded to God’s message in a way that was pleasing to God. The king proclaimed, “…let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows whether God will not turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?” (Jonah 3:8-9)

The Ninevites confessed their wickedness and repented by turning away from evil. Because the Ninevites’s fast was a true one, and not just for show, God honored it.

“God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.” (Jonah 2:10) We all need to ask ourselves whether our fasting in the kind that God will honor, or whether we are just going through a meaningless ritual.

One of the amazing things in God’s character is that He does not force himself upon us. He calls, and then waits for our response. With every call we are faced with a decision. There are basically two choices before us. We can either harden our hearts so that we do not heed the call, or we can obey. In the book of Hebrews 3:12-15 it says, “Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God; but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today;” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm to the end: while it is said, “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion..” In the third chapter of the book of Jonah, Jonah and the Ninevites are both faced with the decision of whether to obey God’s message, or to harden their hearts.

But this raises an important question. If we are free to disobey God, do we have the ability to destroy God’s plans? No! God will always accomplish His purpose. The question is not whether God will triumph, but rather whether we will be included in that triumph. The book of Esther records how Queen Esther had to face this decision when she was asked to petition the king to spare her people from destruction. “Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai: “All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, know, that whoever, whether man or woman, comes to the king into the inner court without being called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king might hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” They told to Mordecai Esther’s words. Then Mordecai asked them return answer to Esther, “Don’t think to yourself that you will escape in the king’s house any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:9-14) All too often we choose disobedience because obedience conflicts with what we perceive as our own best interest. We need to broaden our horizons and realize that God’s plan is our best interest. When we become aware of God’s will for us, we need to have the same attitude as Queen Esther: “…I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

In a previous program we saw how Jonah chose to harden his heart at God’s first call. At the second call he takes the path of obedience. The book of Jonah, chapter three, verses one through four tells what happened:

“The word of Yahweh [that is, God] came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I give you.” So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across. Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”

Traditionally, verse three has been translated, “…Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across.” The imperial city, or Nineveh proper, was enclosed by a wall about eight miles in circumference. The administrative district around Nineveh, however, included extensive suburbs and lessor cities like Hatra, Khorsabad and Nimrud. The name “Nineveh” may have been used to also include the cities of Rehoboth Ir, Caleh and Resen, which are mentioned in Genesis 10:11-12. So, no one should find fault with the description that it took three days to go all through the city. For someone to say, “I am going to Nineveh” during the days of Jonah would be equivalent to someone today saying, “I am going to Karachi” when in fact they are planning to visit Malir or Nazimabad.

But we should not allow arguments about the physical size of Nineveh to distract us from the lesson God is trying to teach. Verse three can also be translated, “Nineveh was a very important city.” The fact is that each person is important to God. In 2 Peter 3:9 it is written: “The Lord is… patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” But God does not merely desire our salvation, he actively demonstrates His love for us. Romans 5:6-8 says, “For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We should never doubt whether we are important to God. We are so important to him that Christ died for us. If God loves each one of us so much, is it any wonder that Nineveh was important to Him? God wants everyone to be saved, no matter who they are. And so, God sent Jonah to Nineveh. “He proclaimed: “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4)

But this raises another question. As we learned in a previous program, the Assyrians were a wicked and cruel people. Surely they did not deserve to be spared from destruction did they? No, they didn’t. But does anyone deserve salvation? The Apostle Paul points out that, “…For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin. As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not, so much as one.” (Romans 3:9-12) The truth is that if we were good, we would not need saving. And, since we are bad, we do not deserve it. “…we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:3-5)

But while God wants our salvation, He allows us to freely choose. Will we accept, or will we reject His message? Will we repent, or will we harden our hearts? “The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” (Jonah 3:5-6) Will we respond to God’s message like the Ninevites did? The book of Hebrews reminds us that, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27)

We can learn another lesson from the Ninevite’s response to God’s message. By all external measures the Assyrians were not the most likely candidates for conversion. Their extremely ruthless and violent behavior would cause the vast majority of us to simply write them off as irredeemable. But, “…man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh [that is, God] looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) God can see through the hard exterior to the tender soul within. Remember that Jonah viewed the Assyrians as the enemies of God’s chosen people, the people of Israel. Yet God wants to save them from destruction. Do we have the same concern for our enemies that God does? Jesus said, “But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28) We cannot see people’s hearts. Who knows? Maybe by doing what Jesus said, our enemies will repent like the Ninevites did.

Jonah chapter 2:1-10 says, “Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God, out of the fish’s belly. He said, “I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice. For you threw me into the depths, in the heart of the seas. The flood was all around me. All your waves and your billows passed over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to the soul. The deep was around me. The weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth barred me in forever: yet have you brought up my life from the pit, Yahweh my God. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple. Those who regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.” Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.”

While considering this portion of the story of Jonah two incredible things become apparent that give us a new perspective on Jonah and the kind of prayer that God honors. 1) Jonah is praying this prayer while he is inside the fish! 2) Nowhere does Jonah ask for deliverance, rather he prays this prayer from the viewpoint of one who has already been delivered. As far as Jonah is concerned his prayer has already been answered. When we come before God in prayer, do we come with this kind of confidence?

A great deal could be said about Jonah’s prayer. We will only take the time, however, to consider a few of the phrases he used.

“…You heard my voice.” (Jonah 2:1)

In Isaiah 65:24 God gives His people the following promise: “It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” One of the attributes of God is that He is eternal. In other words, He does not live in time. This is why the Bible affirms that God knows the end from the beginning. Since God is not bound by time, to Him all time, both past and future, is present. Because of His omniscience, God is able to answer before we call out to Him though His answer is often different than we expect. Jonah probably wasn’t expecting a fish when he prayed for deliverance. But think about it. That fish had to be there long before Jonah finally gave in and called on God! It would have done Jonah no good whatsoever if the nearest suitable fish was a hundred miles off when he cried out.

Another lesson we can learn from this verse is that God is there until the very end. Jonah was about to drown when he was rescued. However, the precariousness of the situation doesn’t affect God’s ability to save, one whit. He can work in and through impossible situations. When we pray do we have faith that God has heard us even though we are in an impossible situation?

“…I will look again toward your holy temple.” (Jonah 2:4)

Three things come to mind in this verse:

1) Hope. Jonah has been inside the fish for three days. From a human perspective there is no hope at all. Yet Jonah knows that this isn’t the end. He will still be able to worship and serve God in days to come. When we pray do we consider how we can serve God in the future, or do we merely pray because we want to get out of trouble?

2) From Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple which is recorded in 1 Kings 8:22-53, it seems that “looking toward the temple” is a symbolic expression for repentance. For example, Solomon prayed, “ Listen to the supplication of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place. Yes, hear in heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.” (1 Kings 8:30) Jonah exhibits a completely different heart in the fish’s belly than he had while on board ship. There he was insensitive and indifferent, here he is contrite and repentant. When we pray, do we come before God with a repentant heart?

3) Remember that Jonah’s ministry up to this point has been in the country of Israel while God’s temple was located in Jerusalem in the country of Judah. Also remember that Jeroboam the first had deliberately introduced idol worship in Israel to prevent people from worshiping at God’s temple in Jerusalem. It is very possible that when Jonah says that he will look toward the temple again, he is acknowledging that he has given more importance to serving his country than to serving God. He is once again making serving God his first priority. Where are our priorities? Are we allowing anything to hinder our service to God?

“…I remembered Yahweh…” (Jonah 2:7)

What caused him to forget God? We don’t know the details. We are left to conjecture, but Jonah was an influential man. Was it his prosperity and his acceptance at the king’s court that turned his head and heart? Jeroboam II is described a wicked king. Did Jonah fall into the trap of excusing or overlooking his wickedness? We all want God’s blessing. But it is ironic that those very blessings can cause us to forget God. In Deuteronomy 8:11-14 Moses warned the people: “Beware lest you forget Yahweh your God, in not keeping his commandments, and his ordinances, and his statutes, which I command you this day: lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and lived therein; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; then your heart be lifted up, and you forget Yahweh your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage;” Many other things also can cause us to forget God. We all need to examine our hearts to make sure that business, evil companionship, anger, bitterness or something else does not draw us away from him.

“Those who regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” (Jonah 2:8) (“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” NIV)

Jonah clung to his idols until it was almost too late. But when we’re staring death in the face an awful lot of the things that we thought were so important lose their glitter. Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? For what will a man give in exchange for his life?” (Mark 8:35-36) We have to give up in order gain what is really worthwhile. A seed cannot bear fruit unless it dies. What worthless idols am I clinging to which prevent me from experiencing God’s grace?

“…with the voice of thanksgiving…” (Jonah 2:9)

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 the Christian is instructed, “ Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.” Thanksgiving and worship are so intertwined that we can even say that worship doesn’t take place in the absence of thanksgiving. But can I give thanks in all circumstances – for instance in the belly of a fish?

“I will pay that which I have vowed.” (Jonah 2:9)

We aren’t told in the text what Jonah’s vow was. However, we can make an informed guess. Remember that Jonah was a prophet, one who was solemnly anointed and set apart to proclaim God’s message. Isn’t it logical to assume that he had vowed to faithfully fulfill the charge that was laid on him? But proclaiming God’s message was the very thing he had refused to do! Now, after three days in the fish he is finally ready to keep his vow. Notice that it is only at this point, when Jonah re-commits himself to the fulfillment of the vow, that God commands the fish to put him on the beach! Lip service isn’t enough. God demands obedience. Am I being true to the vows I have made before God?

Sometimes it is difficult for us to understand why God is allowing something to occur in our lives. One reason may be that in order for someone else to draw close to God, God has to change our circumstances. One of the messages of the book of Jonah is that we need to broaden our horizons. We need to see less of ourselves, and more of the whole picture from God’s point of view.

Our understanding of the book of Jonah will be greater if we keep in mind that God is dealing with three different groups of people. Namely: 1) Jonah, 2) The Sailors, 3) The Ninevites. God had to arrange circumstances so that all three groups would draw closer to Himself. Everything God did in relation to Jonah was designed to give those diverse groups exactly what they needed to open their eyes to His presence.

We have already seen in a previous program how Jonah disobeyed and tried to run from God by boarding a ship which was going the opposite direction from where God had told him to go. Jonah discovered that though you can run from God, you can never escape from Him! God sent a storm to foil the prophet’s plan. Jonah 1:7-16 tells what happened next:

“[The sailors] all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?” He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.” Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?” For the sea grew more and more stormy. He said to them, “Take me up, and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; for I know that because of me this great storm is on you.” Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you.” So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging. Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh, and made vows.”

It would seem logical that if a situation is a direct result of sin, that the first remedy would be to repent of the sin. Jonah however, is not yet ready to repent. He is still trying to frustrate God’s plan. His attitude is that he’d rather die than do what God said. If his death will result in the destruction of Nineveh, then he is quite willing to die.

God indeed does want Nineveh saved, but He also wants to save Jonah and He will use the means necessary to accomplish both objects. Jonah says he wants to die rather than obey. Very well, God will bring Jonah to the brink of death in order to secure his obedience. The sailors did their best to return to land. They were probably still within sight of land when the hurricane struck. But to allow Jonah to return to land in an unrepentant state would save neither Nineveh nor Jonah. It would look like Jonah had challenged God and won. Jonah can still be reached although God must go to extreme measures to do so. “So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging… Yahweh [that is, God] prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:15, 17)

But what about the sailors? How did God work in their lives? Sometimes we tend to think that the only place we meet God is during formal worship services. While we certainly should meet Him there, it is interesting to note how many times God does His most significant work in people’s lives during the course of their ordinary occupations. Moses encountered God at the burning bush while he was tending sheep. Gideon was threshing grain during his encounter. Elisha was plowing his fields when he got his call. The shepherds of Bethlehem were tending their flocks when the angels told them of Christ’s birth. Peter, Andrew, James and John were tending to their fishing business when Jesus called them. Matthew was poring over his ledger sheets. The Samaritan woman was trying to get some water when she met Jesus at the well. Wherever there is a receptive heart, God will reveal himself to it.

God is the Lord of all, not just of a special place of worship. Therefore He will often choose to do His work in our hearts while we are involved in our ordinary, every-day activities. The sailors set out on a voyage to Tarshish. On their way they discovered God. One of the beautiful and wonderful things about God is that He takes us as we are and uses the things we are already doing to bring us to himself. The sailors knew how to pray. God showed them to Whom they should pray. They had a method for making decisions when reason failed. God used their method to give them an opportunity to hear about Himself. They knew the sea. God used the sea to show them His sovereignty and power.

What did the sailors learn about God? At the beginning of the story, the sailors were idolaters. They apparently believed that their gods had some sort of control over the weather, but it is significant that when they learned that Jehovah had made the sea and land that they were terrified. Gods made in human likeness are comforting to the idolater because they can be understood. The idolater pays them homage because he thinks that the gods are more powerful than himself. Aside from homage, however, the gods of men really don’t have much of a claim on a person. If you can placate them with a sacrifice or two, they will pretty much leave you alone to do your own thing. However, the God who made you isn’t like that. If He made you, then He has a claim on you. You are not free to do your own thing. Here the sailors are confronted with a God who issues explicit commands and expects to be obeyed. Jonah is living proof to them of that point.

The sailors also learned that God is perfectly capable of controlling inanimate objects. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh.” Notice that even after the lot fell on Jonah the sailors did not fix blame on him. Apparently, they viewed the lot more or less as a form of roulette that would select a victim to satisfy the whim of the gods. It is very possible that part of the terror they expressed was due to the fact that Jonah really was guilty. Verse 14 gives the impression that the sailors still had trouble believing that the storm was a result of actual guilt and not just caprice of the gods. “Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you.”” Apparently the lot had indicated something much more than they had bargained for. It is interesting to note that although there are many examples in Scripture of using the lot to make decisions, it never appears after Christ’s church was established on the day of Pentecost. God apparently no longer wishes His people to use the lot since He has given His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

The sailors provide a beautiful example of how we should respond to God. When they found out that God is the creator and controller of the universe their first reaction was fear. This is natural when we first realize who we are in comparison to God. The book of Proverbs tells us that, “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) But the sailors did not merely fear. Their fear moved them to worship and to make vows to God. Like the sailors, our fear of God should cause us to worship, and our worship should progress to commitment. The question is: Can we recognize events in our lives as divine encounters that God is using to bring us closer to himself?

It is often difficult for us to know whether God is leading us in a particular direction or whether we are merely following our own inclinations. Even when we know that God is leading, we sometimes have difficulty understanding just exactly what He is trying to say to us. Many times we seem to recognize God’s leading only in retrospect. But God understands our weakness. In the book of Proverbs it says, “If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this;” doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:12) It is a mark of God’s grace that He doesn’t judge people for not doing something that they didn’t have a reasonable opportunity to find out about. Jonah, however cannot use this as an excuse for his behavior. “Now the word of Yahweh [that is, God] came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”” (Jonah 1:1-2) Please notice the following five things: 1) There was no doubt about who was speaking – God himself gave the message. 2) There could be no mistaking to whom the message was directed – it was explicitly given to Jonah. 3) Jonah was told precisely where to go – to the city of Nineveh. 4) He was told exactly what to do when he got there – to preach against the city. 5) He was given the reason for the command – because it was a wicked city.

“But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.” (Jonah 1:3) The message to Jonah was very clear. Why then did he disobey? The fundamental reason for deliberate disobedience always is that we choose to harden our hearts. As it says in Psalms, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Psalm 95:7b-8 NIV)

Perhaps at this point you are thinking, “But, I am not a prophet. How can I hear God’s voice?” The key is wanting to do God’s will. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from myself.” (John 7:17) God communicates in many different ways, but we will mention just two of them. One way that God speaks to us today is through the words that He has already revealed to His prophets. In the book of 2 Peter 1:20-21 it says, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” This is why it is so important for us to regularly read and study the Bible. As it says in Psalms, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

Another way that God speaks is through His Holy Spirit. The same Spirit through whom God spoke to the prophets, is living in each Christian. As the scripture says, “Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) In another place it is written, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18) But whether God speaks to us through His Word, His Spirit or some other means, it is essential that we do not harden our hearts to His message as Jonah did.

Now let’s consider the results of disobedience. In Jonah 1:4-10 it says:

“But Yahweh [that is, God] sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.” They all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?” He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.” Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.”

One of the tragedies of hardening one’s heart is that we become insensitive to what is going on. Where we once were able to clearly hear Gods “still small voice” we are now unaware of the hurricane that is threatening our destruction. It seems incredible that Jonah could be totally oblivious to what was happening, yet while the ship is in danger of breaking up around him, he is deep in slumber. We should learn a lesson from this. Do we often find ourselves in unexpected trouble? Is it difficult for us to hear God’s voice? If so, it might be that we have ignored or refused what God has already told us.

Notice too, how callous Jonah is to the other men caught up in this situation. He shows no anxiety or concern for them. In verse 12 Jonah says, “I know that because of me this great storm is on you,” yet shows no sorrow or remorse either for what he has done or for the loss and damage he has occasioned. The idea is prevalent in much of modern society that it’s alright to do whatever you like as long as it doesn’t hurt somebody else. Unfortunately, there is no sin that doesn’t harm others. If our sin does not bring actual harm to someone, then it at least withholds some good, that would have been theirs if we had not sinned. Jonah’s sin caused major financial loss and put lives in jeopardy. The fact that God brought great good out of the situation does not alter the fact that other people were badly hurt. Each one of us should ask ourselves if we too have become hard like Jonah. Do we care about the hurt our sin causes other people?

Disobedience also destroys our prayer life. How astonishing that a prophet of God has to be admonished by a pagan sailor to pray! One would think that the very shame of the situation would have caused Jonah to repent. But this didn’t happen. Jonah did not begin to pray again until he was on the verge of drowning. In chapter two, verse seven he says, “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you LORD, and my prayer rose to you…” (NIV) Do we wait to pray to God until our life is almost gone? How much better to repent and enlist God’s help before our lives are in danger!

Another lesson we can learn from Jonah is that our example and testimony to unbelievers is ruined by our disobedience. We need to be very careful that the way we live matches what we say. Scripture asks a very important question: “You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you…”” (Romans 2:23-24) How incredibly absurd for Jonah to claim to worship the God who made the sea and land and yet try to run away from Him! Surely he was aware of Psalm 139 where it is written, “Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol [that is, the grave], behold, you are there!” (Psalm 139:7-8) But knowledge and faith are two different things. Sin will always expose our inconsistencies and foolishness. Perhaps Jonah knew that he could not hide from God, but thought that he could disrupt God’s plan. Perhaps he thought that by running away God’s message would never get to Nineveh or would get there too late to avert its destruction. In that case he should have paid more attention to what is written in Proverbs 21:30: “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.”

Jonah ran from God. But he discovered that while you can turn your heart away from Him, it is impossible to escape from Him.

The book of Jonah opens with these words: “Now the word of Yahweh [that is, God] came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.” (Jonah 1:1-3)

But who was Jonah? The book of Jonah gives us very little biographical detail about him. Two possible reasons are: 1) God is not as concerned about who a person is, as about what kind of person he is. God didn’t give us the book of Jonah so we could have the biography of an amazingly talented man. Rather, He wants us to take a deep look inside ourselves through the lens of Jonah. 2) God wants to disclose Himself to us through His dealings with Jonah. We may find that we need to re-evaluate our concept of who God is and what He is like.

In the Bible, history is important only as it relates to the unfolding of the divine purpose in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the book of Jonah concentrates on attitudes. It assumes that the reader already knows who Jonah is and the political and historical background of the story. However, for those of us who are separated from the events of Jonah by some 2,800 years, a review of history will help us understand Jonah’s (and therefore our own) heart a little better.

Aside from the book of Jonah there is only one other mention of Jonah in the Old Testament. 2 Kings 14:23-25 says: “In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria for forty-one years. He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh [that is, God]: he didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath Hepher.” From this brief passage we learn several very important things about Jonah:

1) He was a prophet – someone set apart and anointed to bring God’s message to others. It is quite possible that he was acquainted with the prophet Elisha and may even have been anointed by him. From comparing the geographical areas in which both Elisha and Jonah served, the kings under whom they served and their messages to those kings, it is possible that Jonah was Elisha’s spiritual successor.
2) He was from Gath-Hepher, a small town in Galilee about 2.5 miles from Nazareth where Jesus grew up.
3) He lived and ministered during the rule of a wicked king, that is Jeraboam the second.
4) He had influence at the national level. His voice was heard at court. His message had a bearing on major international policy.

In order to understand the book of Jonah it is important to remember that at Solomon’s death the kingdom of Israel was split. The southern-most two tribes, Benjamin and Judah, remained loyal to the house of David and their kingdom became known as Judah. The remaining ten tribes to the north formed their own kingdom under the leadership of Jeroboam which became known as Israel. Jonah lived and served in this northern kingdom.

The salient characteristics of Israel could be summarized as ungodliness, instability and violence. In an attempt to prevent the people’s loyalty from reverting to the house of David, Jeroboam deliberately introduced idol worship so that the people wouldn’t make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship at God’s temple. Spiritual and moral degeneration quickly followed. Spiritual degradation brought political instability with it. King after king fell through bloody revolution. The house of Jeroboam was toppled by that of Baasha which was destroyed in turn by the house of Zimri. The next dynasty was that of Omri which was succeeded by that of Joram who in turn fell to Jehu. Jonah’s ministry falls in the reign of Jehu’s great-grandson Jeroboam who was the second king to bear that name.

To the north of Israel was the kingdom of Syria. During the reigns of David and Solomon, Syria was under Israelite control. Before or during the reign of Ahab, the kings of Syria regained their independence. The kings of the Damascus area then began a series of wars and border raids against Israel. During the ministry of Elisha, Samaria, the capitol of Israel was besieged. Hazael, king of Syria and his son Ben-Hadad virtually made Jehoahaz a vassal. Jehoash however, was able to recapture Israelite towns from Ben-Hadad (2 Kings 13:25). As we have already seen, Jeroboam II was able to recapture most, if not all of Syria.

Israel and Syria did not quarrel in a vacuum. Though the Bible doesn’t give us much information about them, the Assyrians were a major factor in the history of the divided kingdom. Before Omri came to power, the Assyrians had already fought many of the battles that were to make them the most powerful force in Mesopotamia. “The merciless cruelty of his campaigns is the constant boast of Ashur-nasir-pal II: “I stormed the mountain peaks and took them. In the midst of the mighty mountain I slaughtered them, with their blood I dyed the mountain red like wool. With the rest of them I darkened the gullies and precipices of the mountains. I carried off their spoil and their possessions. The heads of the warriors I cut off, and I formed them into a pillar over against their city, their young men and their maidens I burned in the fire.”

“I built a pillar over against the city gate, and I flayed all the chief men who had revolted, and I covered the pillar with their skins; some I walled up within the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes, and others I bound to stakes round about the pillar; many within the border of my own land I flayed, and I spread their skins upon the walls; and I cut off the limbs of the officers, of the royal officers who had rebelled.” (Light From the Ancient Past, The Archaeological Background of Judaism and Christianity, Jack Finegan, Princeton University Press, second printing, 1974, p. 202-203)

How does this relate to Jonah? “The ruthless Assyrian fighting machine which Ashur-nasir-pal II had developed was directed by his son… Shalmaneser III (858-824) in repeated campaigns against Syria and Palestine.” The annals of his sixth year includes a description of one of these battles. “Among the allied leaders who opposed Shalmaneser III, Hadadezer of Damascus is named first. Then Irhuleni of Hamath is mentioned, and in third place stands “Ahab, the Israelite.”

Another inscription preserves a fragment of the annals of Shalmaneser III, in which he also refers to the taking of tribute from Jehu, son of Omri…”

“Shalmaneser III liked to call himself “the mighty king, king of the universe, the king without a rival, the autocrat, the powerful one of the four regions of the world, who shatters the might of the princes of the whole world, who has smashed all of his foes like pots…” (Finegan, op cit., p.204-206)

The historical record sheds light on Jonah’s motive for trying to run away from the mission God sent him on. Knowing the character of the Assyrians, it would be reasonable to assume that Jonah would be afraid to go to Nineveh. After all, the Assyrians were bitter enemies of Israel. However, this is not the case. Jonah never shows any trace of fear. Why then did he run? He tells us himself in chapter 4:2. Jonah wanted the Assyrians to be destroyed. He says, “…wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.” Jonah does not suffer from a problem with his nerves, but rather from a problem with attitude. From a human point of view is it any wonder, considering what the Assyrians had done to his own nation?

The response of Jonah to God’s command should cause us to look into our own hearts. Do I have the same compassion for other people as God does – even if they are the enemies of my country? Do I allow my patriotism to blind me to God’s plans? What excuse do I use for not doing what God has told me to do?

Most people, when they hear the name Jonah, think of the prophet who was swallowed by a fish. Unfortunately, they do not understand the real significance of the story or how it reveals the quality or nature of their faith. In the West there are many who say that they believe in Jesus Christ to a certain extent, but that they do not believe the story of Jonah. In the East there are many who say that they believe in the story of Jonah but who deny that Jesus Christ was crucified, was buried and then rose from the dead. But in reality, God has not left either of these possibilities open to us. If we truly believe in Christ, then we must also believe the story of Jonah. If we truly believe the story of Jonah then we must also believe that Christ rose from the dead. How is it possible to make these assertions? Let’s explore it further.

The reason that people give for not believing in the story of Jonah is that miracles either cannot happen, or that God does not perform miracles. Some people thought this way even when Jesus was on the earth. For example, in Acts 23:8 it is written, “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit…” It is obvious that people who think like this will not believe the story of Jonah, because it is based on miracles. If miracles cannot take place, then the story of Jonah must be false. This philosophical position, that is that miracles cannot occur, was one of the reasons the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus. Acts 5:17 tells us, many of the Jewish leaders belonged to the party of the Sadducees: “But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees)…” These men, and all people who reject miracles cannot have a strong faith in Jesus because He performed miracles in order to demonstrate that God had sent him. He said, “If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:37-38)

On the other hand, those who accept the story of Jonah but reject the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus do so because such a death is shameful. According to their way of thinking, God would never allow His prophet to undergo such humiliation. And so, these people put themselves in the place of God. They have determined in their own minds what God should do and what He should not do. Because of this prejudice they reject the very means that God has provided for their salvation from sin. The Jewish leaders displayed this same attitude toward Christ. The gospel of John chapter 7, verses 43 through 52 says: “So there arose a division in the multitude because of him. Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You aren’t also led astray, are you? Have any of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? But this multitude that doesn’t know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus (he who came to him by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?” They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”

Because of their prejudice these men had concluded that no prophet could come from Galilee. Therefore, since they put more importance on their own reasoning than on God’s plan, the rulers concluded that Jesus could not be God’s prophet because He came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.

The conclusion of the rulers was a very simple one. If prophets cannot come from Galilee, then Jesus could not be a prophet. If miracles cannot occur, then Jesus did not perform them. In view of this is it any wonder that the rulers decided that Jesus was not who He claimed to be? After Jesus had been crucified, “…the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead;’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” (Matthew 27:62-64)

Jesus had a very straightforward answer for those who refused to believe. In Matthew 12:38-41 it is written: “Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here.”” On another occasion, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times! An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” He left them, and departed.” (Matthew 16:1-4)

By giving the example of Jonah, Jesus at one stroke dealt with both of the objections that were raised against him. Do you say that prophets don’t come from Galilee? In that case consider Jonah. He came from Gath-Hepher which is only about two and one half miles from Jesus’ home town of Nazareth. Have you concluded that miracles don’t occur and therefore Jesus’ miracles were done by deceit? Then consider Jonah. Jesus is plainly saying, “I have shown you many miracles and signs that I am God’s prophet, but you still will not believe. When you kill me I will perform the greatest miracle of all by rising from the tomb. If that will not convince you, then nothing will, and you will be condemned by your lack of faith.”

And so, the story of Jonah and the story of Jesus are tightly linked together. If you reject one, then you must reject the other also. As Jonah was swallowed by the fish, Jesus was buried in the tomb. As Jonah was given new life, Jesus rose from death.

Now this raises a very important question. Is there anything in my life that is preventing me from believing? Does my philosophy conflict with God’s word? Am I trying to place limits on God’s actions by my prejudice rather than accepting His actions even though I may not understand them? As the scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12) Perhaps you are wondering why not believing in Jonah or the resurrection of Jesus would lead to death. The answer is that Christ’s death, burial and resurrection are part of God’s plan to save sinners from hell. Without Christ’s resurrection there is no hope of being saved. The Apostle Paul explained it this way: “Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.” (I Corinthians 15:12-19) So you see, the resurrection of Christ, and therefore the story of Jonah have a direct impact on our salvation.