Jonah

Introduction

Jonah is among the twelve minor prophets, and it is a very interesting read. When we read Jonah it doesn’t read like the other prophetic literature in scripture. For example the prophetic message it contains, or records as being given, is very short.

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Jonah 3: 4b

It’s not a great message. There’s no sense of who, or why, or what to do about it. It is a poor message. When we consider other prophetic writings these things seem much clearer. So, this raises the question of what sort of writing this is.

There are, broadly speaking, two main options. Either this is an historical account, or it is some sort of parable. Neither of these mean it is not prophetic, but our answer to the question will impact how we read, understand, and apply the message of Jonah.

In this study I will first outline how I am reading this, and why I think that is the most compelling way to handle this book. Then we will read through the book seeking to find and apply the lessons it contains.

What are we reading?

As we’ve already mentioned, the book of Jonah is considered as one of the twelve minor prophets, and I’m not about to dispute that. It certainly speaks prophetically. But is it an historical account of a prophet, or a prophetic parable told to convey some message to Israel?

If you read through the book, and I encourage you to do that now, consider how it compares to other prophetic writing. Many other prophets have a clear message for their audience, often that audience is the people of God. What is the message of Jonah? What does he say to the people of God? Well, nothing. Outside of his conversations with God and the sailors he says only 8 words in Jonah 3:4. As messages gout’s pretty poor. But then repentance and turning back to God doesn’t seem to be the theme of this book.

If we look at other textual clues we see there is a certain amount of hyperbole in the narrative. For example Jonah 3:3 tells us the city took three days to cross. This puts it on par with, or larger than a modern mega-city like Tokyo, or the greater New York area including the outer boroughs. It seems this is here to make a point, not record a fact. We will return to the point it is making later, but archeological evidence suggests a much smaller city size. It was the largest city in the world at the time, but perhaps not as broad as a three day walk.

So, we have some hyperbole regarding the city size, we have a short message followed by an incredible response. A whole people turns to God and then we hear nothing more about them. With all this in mind it seems that this book is not recording historical fact. Rather, it is telling a story to make a point. We could consider it to be a parable.

If we treat this as a parable we must ask the question: what lesson, or lessons, is this trying to teach us? This is what we will spend the rest of this study looking into; what are the lessons of Jonah?

Chapter 1

It seems easiest to work through the book one chapter at a time, so we’ll start in chapter one.

God acts first. At the very beginning we see that it is God who acts first.

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.””

Jonah 1: 1-2

There is a theme of God’s grace at work throughout this story, and it starts right here. By asking Jonah to go to Nineveh God is giving these people another chance. Nineveh is not part of Israel, they are not familiar with God’s laws. In this moment God is giving them a chance to join the family. He is making a way for them to enter the covenant He made with Israel. This is in keeping with the original Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12 – that God’s people would be a vast multitude and would be a blessing to all the nations. What greater blessing is there than a welcome into the family?

Jonah’s response is one I’m sure we can all relate to; he runs away. He says “Nope! Not me, not happening!” I know I have had times where I’ve felt prompted by God to do or say something and I have ignored it. There is absolutely no engagement here. Jonah doesn’t ask what the message is, or try to persuade God out of it, or suggest that God uses someone else. This is not like Moses’ reaction at the burning bush in Exodus 3. Jonah simply runs away.

The result of this is disastrous. A merchant vessel loses its cargo, and the sailors nearly lose their lives. Then Jonah is thrown to the sea.

“But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonad was inside the fish three days and three nights.”

Jonah 1: 17

Once again we see God, in His grace, act first. Jonah hasn’t asked for rescue, it seems that during the storm Jonah doesn’t even pray. In fact 1: 5-6 tells us he was sleeping. Yet here, in his moment of deepest need, God rescues him.

Practical Application

• Give thanks to God for His rescuing grace

• Ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen you to respond well when He prompts you.

Chapter 2

It’s now Jonah’s turn to act. He is in the belly of the big fish – God has protected him from the storm and prevented him from drowning. What will he do now?

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.”

Jonah 2: 1

He prays. This is the first positive thing Jonah does in this story. This shows us that we can call on God from anywhere. There is no need to go to a special place to pray. It demonstrates that no matter how dark and distressing a situation is, right in the midst of it all we can pray. Whenever and wherever we are we can call on God!

“We have no need to run to a particular prayer mountain in a time of crisis. Nor do we need to take our troubles to diviners and magicians, as many Africans do. Nor should we assume that our troubles are so overwhelming that there is no point in prayer. Jesus taught that we ought to pray at all times without giving up (Luke 18:1)

(Adeyemo, T. General Editor Africa Bible Commentary, Hippo Books 2006

Cossi Augustin Ahoga, Jonah Commentary p 1072)

As we read the prayer, Jonah 2: 2-9, we see that Jonah is humbling himself and recognising what God has done for him.

This prayer is a recap of what has happened, and it ends with a commitment to follow God, and to do what has been asked. It is possible that this prayer, this psalm of Jonah, is a later addition. If we read chapter 2 without it it still makes sense.

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his GOD.

…

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

Jonah 2: 1 and 10

After this, at the start of chapter 3 God commissions Jonah again.

Even if this prayer is a later addition it is still part of this story, and still worth looking at.

What we have in this prayer, in this psalm, is a telling of how God rescued Jonah from this horrendous situation. It speaks to us a message of hope and salvation. No matter how dire the situation is, even if it is entirely of our own making, God can rescue us.

The first question we should ask is what is Jonah’s distress? We might think it is being in the fish, but that is part of the rescue. Or perhaps being thrown in the sea? That is also part of the rescue and restoration of Jonah. I think that his distress is really the fact that he has run away from God. If we think that, we can see that the storm, the being thrown overboard, and the great fish are all God working to rescue and restore Jonah.

Reframing a situation like this can be very helpful. Often it takes hindsight but when we reexamine situations we can often see that God has been active throughout. As an example of this I think about my career. Generally it has been pretty positive but there was one very negative spell. At the time it felt impossible, culminating with me being briefly out of work. When I look back at this I can see that God used that period to teach me greater dependence on Him in my work, and also to open the door to the position I now hold, almost 14 years later. At that moment I did not see it like this, but looking back and reframing that period it is clear that God was at work.

Reading on in these verses we get an excellent summary of the situation and an insight into how Jonah was feeling. Even in his trouble he has hope; “yet I will look again toward your holy temple”(Jonah 2: 4). The psalm speaks of God’s rescue and we trust that He will rescue us, but Jonah shows us what humility looks like.

“I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple”

Jonah 2: 7b

This prayer is an acknowledgement that help is needed, and that only God can help. It is no good struggling on, no good stubbornly seeking our own solutions when we really need God. This is what Jonah demonstrates to us in this part of his psalm.

There is also a declaration of the grace of God that is available to all who turn to Him, verse 8. Finally, there is thanksgiving and commitment, verse 9.

The challenge for us is to hold this attitude of humility, commitment, and thanksgiving no matter what. This is tough, sometimes it may seem impossible but, as Jonah shows us, it is always worth it. To cling to anything other than God is to forfeit His grace, the grace that is ours in Jesus.

Practical Application

• Ask God to help you reframe situations so you see His hand at work, then give thanks that He was so intimately involved.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you humble, committed, and thankful no matter what the situation may be.

Chapter 3

This short chapter packs quite the punch. It starts with God speaking to Jonah again and concludes with Nineveh being saved. We have the grace and compassion of God working hand in hand here. I think this is the point of the chapter, and one of the main points of the book. After all there is not much recorded of what Jonah said in the city. Let’s take a look at some key moments in this chapter and see what they can teach us today.

First of all we see God’s grace towards Jonah.

“Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time.”

Jonah 3: 1

God has not written Jonah off. We can all make mistakes, we can all be stubborn and foolish like Jonah, God doesn’t write us off at that moment. He forgives us, restores us, and gives us another chance. What Jonah does, what we do with the next chance is key. Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh. When we look at chapter 4 we will see that Jonah’s heart towards other people hadn’t really changed. The challenge for us is to have the same heart as God towards other people.

Nineveh is described as a three day walk (Jonah 3:3). This is a way of showing us how much God wants to save other people and expand those included in His family, it also shows the Israelites how small minded and insular they had become. Another purpose this book serves. As Jonah is walking through the city declaring the very short message of coming destruction, we see the people's response.

“The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”

Jonah 3:5

What a response. An immediate turning to God, and humbling themselves. Fasting and sackcloth are signs of repentance, and people began to trust Israel's God, they believed in God, not just in Jonah’s words. Even the King of Nineveh is on board, issuing a city wide fast for all, and removing his royal robes in favour of sackcloth. He, along with the people, are arguably more repentant than Jonah.

The result of this repentance is God’s compassion.

“When God saw what they did and how they turned away from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”

Jonah 3: 10

In this moment we can see something very clearly – God’s declaration, man humbling himself, and God’s compassion. All are present in this chapter. When we consider the book to this point we must conclude that it is all because of God’s grace. It is His grace that sends Jonah with the warning, and His grace that rescues and restores Jonah. Then, as the people humble themselves before Him, He responds with compassion and grace. This is the story to this point.

• Are there people you need to be more open about God with? People you should share God’s grace with?

• Ask the Holy Spirit to lead, prompt, equip, and embolden you for that purpose.

Chapter 4

“I have other sheep that are not of this pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

John 10: 16

These words of Jesus should be in our mind as we conclude chapter 3 and move into chapter 4 of Jonah. This is what has happened in Nineveh, it is what has happened, and continues to happen around the world since Jesus’ death and resurrection. Yet Jonah, the prophet sent with a message to help bring this about, is not at all pleased with this in Nineveh.

The question we must ask is why was Jonah so angry? God sent him on a mission, and it was highly successful. We might expect a celebration. Or perhaps, if this book is to serve as a warning, we might expect Jonah to become proud or conceited at this point with this serving as a warning against such attitudes. It might act as a reminder that it is God who saves and rescues.

Yet that is not what happens. Instead Jonah is angry.

“I know you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

Jonah 4: 2b

This all seems positive. I am certainly thankful that God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. Jonah, on the other hand, is cross about this. In fact this is why he ran away in chapter one; he didn’t want God to rescue this city. This points to an insular and selfish attitude, one that does not want to share God, and one that does not grasp God’s plans and purposes. Jonah may have obeyed, but his heart hadn’t changed. He did not want these people to be saved.

There is a very strong challenge in here that we must pay attention to, that we must be aware of. Are these people we don’t want to share God with? 

This can be for all sorts of reasons, and we may persuade ourselves it’s ok. It is not. Jesus came for all of us. He came for the lost and the broken, we are all lost and broken without Him. The way that brokenness is expressed may look different, but it is the same root issue with the same solution.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3: 23-24

The challenge we are presented with in Jonah is one of welcoming others, of being in-line with God’s plan for the whole world. If we are the people of God we are to be a blessing to the whole world, and that includes everyone in it (Genesis 12: 2-3).

Jonah four concludes with the seemingly strange exchange between Jonah and God. This incident with the vine serves as an illustration of the point we have just made. In this moment God shows Jonah how he is capable of concern and compassion beyond himself. Jonah shows both of these emotions towards the vine, a vine he has neither produced nor cared for. God uses this to show Jonah how much more He cares for Nineveh. God is right to show compassion towards Nineveh. We should be extremely grateful that He does, for we too receive that same compassion. We must also show compassion to those around us, sharing the love of God with them. This is what Jesus called us to (Matthew 28: 18-20), sharing His grace and love, not hoarding it for ourselves, or being angry about others coming to Jesus.

Practical Application

• Give thanks to God for His grace, compassion, patience, and abounding love.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you who your Nineveh is, repent for that attitude, and ask God to open your heart towards those people.