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JONAH

INTRODUCTION
The book relates how the word of the Lord came to Jonah, a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II in the 8^th century BC. It is unique among prophetic books in focusing on a story about a prophet rather than a collection of oracles. The book contains only a single sentence of prophecy.

The story concerns God’s call to Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh of its coming destruction. The book is structured into two main acts with two scenes each. The repetition of God’s command to Go to the great city of Nineveh marks the beginning of each act. The first scene is set on a ship as Jonah tries to avoid his mission. The second scene takes place in the belly of a huge fish which has swallowed Jonah. In the second act both scenes are associated with Nineveh itself, the first within the city as Jonah preaches and Nineveh repents, the second just outside the city as Jonah struggles with God’s mercy.

Jonah’s role in the book is to represent the attitude of many in Israel toward other nations. Instead of accepting their own calling to help these nations come to know the true God, they considered them enemies and expected God to destroy them. The book teaches that God’s love extends beyond Israel to other nations, indeed, to the whole creation. God’s final question to Jonah is intended for all the book’s readers.

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Jonah 1 (ESV)

Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” ³ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

⁴ But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵ Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. ⁶ So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

⁷ And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” ⁹ And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” ¹⁰ Then the men were 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 the Lord, because he had told them.

¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. ¹² He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” ¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. ¹⁴ Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah

¹⁷  And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

REFLECTION:

God sent Jonah to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrians, to announce the message of judgment. The purpose was to make them repent and turn to God. It can be seen that in the Old Testament, God loved not only Israel but also the Gentiles. In the first chapter, the following points are worth thinking and paying attention to:

• Jonah is called a prophet, but he has no message. It can be seen that God uses prophets to preach His message in two ways, one is by words, and the other is by actions. God uses Jonah’s actions to give us His revelation and message.
• If the revival of Nineveh was a “mission” of the Old Testament, this mission was actively planned by God, and it was also a manifestation of God’s grace. God can complete His work by Himself or through angels, but He chooses people to work with Him. Unfortunately, Jonah ran away from God. God could have found someone else, but He managed to make Jonah repent and do His will. This shows the love of God for Jonah.
• Jonah refused to go to the city of Nineveh because the Assyrians were the Gentiles they discriminated against, and the Assyrians were strong, and Israel was facing their attack; the Assyrians’ cruelty to their enemy was well known, Jonah have to walk a few days in the desert to get to Nineveh. Also, he was afraid that God would not punish the Ninevites according to His words, so that he would become a disgraced prophet. If God calls the enemy to repent, how can Jonah face his fellow citizens? Yes, it was a difficult task, but Jonah only looked at the environment and did not rely on the Almighty God.
• When God caused a storm in the sea, the Gentile sailors learned that Jonah’s disobedience had brought disaster; but they tried every means to save Jonah’s life. It can be seen that their love should really shame Jonah. In many cases, people who belong to God have less love than people who do not believe in God. God wants us to care about all His people, whether they are lost or redeemed.

PRAYER:

Dear God! Please give me a heart of obedience, not asking for my own preferences, willing to accept Your call, and fulfill Your entrustment according to Your will.

HYMN:
Grace – youtu.be/fcEIcJX_XUA