The Book of Jonah
Introduction/ background of the Book of Jonah
The book of Jonah is not a book on missions!
If there is one book in the Old Testament that people enjoy reading, it would be the Book of Jonah. It is short, has four chapters and it is easy to understand. It involves one prophet, God, sailor going to Tarshish, the sinful city of Ninevites, the fish, the worm, the sea, the wind. The book of Jonah preached to all ages. From children Sunday school class to people who are in age. They even made a children song. It goes like this: “Who did, who did, who did swallow prophet Jonah.” The book of Jonah shows us the character of God. God who decides to save the great city of Nineveh, at the same time, shows that same love to the prophet Jonah.
Author/Date
The book of Jonah is an Old Testament book, one of the miner prophets. The author was Jonah himself. Critics say that Jonah was referred to in the third person, so Jonah is not the author. However, this is not the only book written like this in the Old Testament. “Moses, author of the Pentateuch, often used the third person when describing his own actions. Also Isaiah and Daniel sometimes wrote of themselves in the third person (e.g., Isa. 37:21; 38:1; 39:3–5; Dan. 1:1–7:1).”
Date of the book is also criticized. Some say, 2 Kings 14:25 sets the context for Jonah. They “places him during the long and prosperous reign of Jeroboam.” Which he reigned 793—753 B.C. However, “this statement… does not give us any certain clue as to the time of its utterance nor as to the time of the ministry of Jonah.” It has been generally assumed by scholars that the book was written in eighth century BC.
The city of Nineveh condition
In the early eighth century B.C., Nineveh was the major city in Assyria. Assyrians were known for impaling their enemies on stakes before their towns. Hanging the enemies heads on the tree in the kings gardens. “They also tortured their captives—men, women, or children—by hacking off noses, ears, or fingers, gouging out their eyes, or tearing off their lips and hands.
They reportedly covered the city wall with the skins of their victims.” They would collect the skulls and place them on the roadways for others to see. When Jonah chapter one verse two states, “for their wickedness has come up before me,” it speaks of a brutal, and the ugliness of sinful nature that reached to the bottom of human morality.
The author of Jonah, does not mention anything about Jonah’s prier knowledge of the city of Nineveh. Yet, we see Jonah knew the location of the city geographically because he runs to Tarshish vs Nineveh. Tarshish is 2000 miles away from where Jonah presently located, and Nineveh was 500 mile away. In fact, we can say that Jonah knew the streets of the great city of Nineveh when he walked three days and proclaimed God’s judgment to more than 120,000 people (3:3).
Issues with the Book of Jonah
There are several issues people raise when the The Book of Jonah talked about. First is it’s truthful. Really, did the fish really swallow Jonah? How can it be that Jonah survived inside of the fish for three days? "Note these clear miracles in the book: the storm; the selection of Jonah by lot as guilty; the sudden subsiding of the sea; the great fish appearing at the right time; the preservation of Jonah; his ejection from the fish, safe and sound, on shore; the gourd; the worm; the east wind; and greatest of all by all reckonings, the repentance of the entire city of Nineveh." Even some reformers take the book of Jonah as non historic literature, like Martin Luther for example. Christ on the other side, validated the accuracy of the events when he mentions Jonah in Matthew 12:38-39.
This reminds me of the story that my mom said when I was a child. An atheist questioned the old lady of her faith. He uses Jonah as an example to say that bible has mistakes. He asks this old lady a question: “How is it possible that the whale swallows a human body for three days?” Now the bible does not say it was a whale, he assumed it was. Her response was simple. She said, “Sir, if the bible said that Jonah swallowed the whale, I would believe that also.” In the book, God performs many miracles, and fish swallowing Jonah is one of them.
Themes
Two main themes we observe in the book of Jonah:
1. Sovereignty of God in Salvation
2. Sinfulness of Man
It speaks of a God who by nature saves people. Let’s look at the first theme.
I. God Shows compassion to Gentiles
There is a clear picture of the God who chooses to display mercy and compassion towards Gentiles. God also displayed mercy and compassion towards his disobedient prophet. Old Testament is filled with God’s wrath and the punishment of sin. Different kingdoms and nations were washed away or burned because of their sin. However, the sinful city of Nineveh was pardoned by God.
God calls Jonah and says, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). “Unlike Moses and Jeremiah, who protest against the mission with which they are entrusted, Jonah simply indicates, by his actions rather than his words, his refusal to obey.” Lets ask a question: what prevents God from destroying the city? When we see one of the first encounter God had with the sinful people, we see God destroying them.
Genesis chapter 6: “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish” (Gen 6:17).
God destroys everything with the great flood. Only Noah, his children, animals were able to survive swimming in the ark (Genesis 7:23).
Second vivid illustration of sinful behavior being punished is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. “The LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground” as the punishment for their sin. These are not isolated stories, the whole OT is filled with God’s wrath destroying sinful people over and over again. The city of Nineveh was filled with wickedness, but God chooses to save them.
What is unusual with the story of Jonah is that the city of Nineveh were gentiles and not Israelites. God expressed his love to Israel. In Deuteronomy 7:7 God highlights that there was nothing in them that influence his chose to love them, but he did it anyways. The people of Nineveh are not Israelites, but Gentiles–and God’s love reaches out to them. In fact, God’s love and mercy was evident to the whole creation in the book of Jonah.
Even though there were a distinction between God’s chosen people and everyone one else, God by nature is a loving God. This is what Jonah mentions to God as he tries to excuse himself for disobey: “You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 4:2). The big picture in the Book of Jonah shows us of a God who loves and cares for his creation. This transitions us to talk about God’s sovereignty over the means of salvation.
God shows mercy towards the city of Nineveh
It is not hard to see from the beginning, Jonah was not willing to obey God – his problem, was God. Jonah, after hearing God’s command (1:2) took off the other direction.
God had to tell Jonah twice the same command (1:2 and 3:2). “The phrase ‘the word of the Lord’ is mentioned seven times in this book.” There were no questions whether Jonah understood God’s command. Jonah clearly understood what God said. There were no questions in his mind, “does God want’s me to go to Nineveh or not?” No, he had a clear direct message–God is a clear communicator. Bible does not say in what means God delivered the message, was it a vision, or a dream, we don’t know. Most likely it was a voice from heaven. Jonah prayed to God in chapter 2:1; 4:2, 4:8, and we see a back and forth conversation in chapter four. So, the message was clear in what did God expected of Jonah. But Jonah runs!
Creation obeys God
God uses creation to stop Jonah in his rebellion:
- God uses the wind and the sea when he sailed to Tarshish– Jonah 1:4.
- God uses the big fish to preserve his life when the sailors throw him over board – Jonah 1:17.
- The fish was there at a perfect time to swallow Jonah
- Fish is used as a means to preserve his life.
- Fish was a means to humble Jonah – Jonah 2:2
We can ask the same question to ourselves: what does it take God to humble us?
Health?
Trouble in the family?
Trouble with the law?
Or, just simple reading of the scripture?
There is a sane, if you don’t humble yourself, God will humble you?
- God appoints the plant to grow and later appoints a worm to attack the plant so it die’s – Jonah 4:7
God uses: fish, sea, wind, storm, tree, worm as the means to humble Jonah – everyone listens to God, Jonah does not. The wicked city of Nineveh and the pagan sailors listened to God from the first encounter!
Repentance of the City
After number of near the death episodes, Jonah goes to the city to preach the sermon: “Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (3:4). The city repents (3:5-9). The word has reached the King, “he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes” and ordered a decree to “not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing” – even water (3:6-7) a sign of repentance. Eugene H. Merrill, says their idol that they worship, was a fish Greek Oannes. Here, fish spits Jonah out to the shore. Did that played a roll towards how they viewed Jona’s? No one knows. All we know that the great city of Nineveh repents and God turns his wrath away (3:10). Isaiah 55:7 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And he will have compassion on him, and to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” God, by nature, is a God who forgives.
II. Jonah Disagree with God’s decision
Jonah’s Reaction to God’s Decision
“God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them” (3:10). Which is good news! Jonah’s preaching was a success! But, does Jonah see it that way? The way the author of Jonah writes, he brings the word “displeased” to the for front. He highlights Jonahs reaction. Read with me, Jonah 4:1: “But it greatly displease Jonah and he became angry.”
He got angry to the point where he had no interest of life. “O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life” (4:3) he prays. Have you ever got to the point where you wanted to die? It is depressing. People lose their love ones, and have no hope in the future. Therefore they want to end life. It says that “it greatly displease Jonah.” Not just displeased Jonah but greatly displease him. You got to ask the question: Jonah, why do you want to die? And that is what God does, he asks Jonah a question: “Do you have good reason to be angry?” (4:4). Jonah, has not good reason, or any reason to be angry. How does Jonah answers God? He doesn’t, Jonah has no answer.
Jonah continues in His Rebellion
So, what does Jonah do next? Go home? Get’s back on the ship and sails back? No, Jonah is mad. He walks away from the city, makes himself the shelter, sits there to see maybe God will actually destroy the city. In his heart, he still want’s to see the city of Nineveh be destroyed.
There is God’s heart, and there is Jonahs heart.
There is God’s motive, and there is Jonah’s motive.
There is God’s plan, and there is Jonah’s plan.
By nature, God is a loving God and He want’s to forgive. God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness (4:2). In Ezekiel 18:23, it says, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God” (18:23). God want to see these people be saved, Jonah does not want to see people be saved. And he let’s God know. “He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.” (Jonah 4:2)
Jonah, told God, you are going to forgive these people and not punish them. Why should I go? Because this was something Jonah predicted, he sets himself a camp outside if the city. “Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city” (Jonah 4:5).
Let’s step aside and ask this question, what if God did destroy the city? How would Jonah react? Jonah probably be very happy.
- Proverbs 24:17-18 says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; or the Lord will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 says, “does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Jonah, clearly is not reflecting God’s heart, he is reflecting his sinful heart.
Are we any different than Jonah?
What is our reaction to those who hate us when they suffer?
Do we pray for our enemies?
III. God Shows compassion to his prophet Jonah
God shows mercy and love to Jonah
In chapter four, God pursues Jonah.
Imagine you are a CEO of a company. Let’s say you are the owner of the Los Angeles times. And there you have one worker, who disobeys the mission of your company. You decide to take him through some mentorship programs to reeducate him. He agree to the program but after, he continues to disobey. How would you respond to him being the being the owner of that company? Probably, you are going to say three words and it’s all going to end there: “you are fired!” But that is not how God treats Jonah.
Just as God is slow to anger to Nineveh, He is slow to anger towards Jonah.
Just as God gracious to the city of Nineveh, He is gracious towards Jonah.
Just as God compassionate to the city of Nineveh, He is compassionate to Jonah.
Just as God, loves the people of Nineveh, He loves Jonah also.
There are two disobedient people: saved and not saved. And God reaches out to both of these groups. God’s character, is not only on displays when he forgives the people of Nineveh. But it is on displays even more when he approaches Jonah.
Jonah’s heart is Exposed
Jonah sit there, he is very upset. Most likely:
His heart rate is up
His blood pressure increased
He face turned purple
His nostrils flaring
He clenches his jaw
His muscle are tensed
His arms crossed over his chest.
It’s very hot
Sun constantly blazing on Jonah
He sits there and stares at the city, hoping for the rain of fire to come down. And here, Jonah notices a plant that started growing. God appoints that tree to grow (4:6). Jonah sits under the burning sun and here comes the tree over his head, now Jonah is happy. “Jonah was extremely happy about the plant” (4:6). Here, Jonah get’s angry when God relents from destroying the city; but here Jonah is very happy when he gets shade over his head. Jonah might of thought, God provided me the shade, he will provide me the seen. What makes Jonah angry and what makes Jonah extremely happy? What makes him angry is that God has compassion towards the city of Nineveh. What make him happy is that he has the shade.
God appoints the worm to eat the roots of that tree, so it dies (4:7). We can see that the worm is more obedient to God than the prophet Jonah himself! The next day, sun rises, the tree is gone, sun shines on the Jonah head to a degree where he becomes faint. Jonah prays to God, and guess what he says? He asks God to die. Look what it says, “begged with all his soul to die, saying, Death is better to me than life” (4:8).
Then God speaks: "You have compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not known the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?" (Jonah 4:10-11)
Another words, Jonah, you have no connection with these people and you want them dead. There are 120,000 of them: children, infants, mothers and fathers. But you have no connection to this plant and you want it to live. Where is the logic? What is going on here? It seems like we would mourn over our gold fish that died in the fish tank vs people that are killed everyday.
The way that God deals with Jonah, he deals with other too
Story of David
You might remember the story of king David (2 Samuel 11-12). When all kings went to battle, and David decides to stay. He walked on his roof and noticed a married woman bathing. He calls for her (since he is a king) and sleeps with her. She becomes pregnant and lets him know. So, what does he do? How is he going to get out of this situation? He committed adultery with a married woman.
He he call her husband. He was at the battle protecting David and his kingdom. David eats meal with him. Asks him questions about the war and send him home. In his mind David is thinking he will go back to his wife, and people will think that the child is from her husband. This man, who's name is Uriah, did not go home, he stays at the gate of the city. People notify David so he calls him back. This time, David thinks of a different plan. He sends him back to the battle and requested the general to put Uriah in front of battle where he can be killed. The second plan worked. He receives a letter notifying the Uriah is death. So David takes Bathsheba, the woman that he slept with and marries her. David commits adultery. David commits murder. And he thinks he got away.
How does God reacts to Davids sin?
Does God destroyed David?
Does God abandons David?
Takes him of his throne?
No, God send a prophet to rebuke him of his sin. This leads king David to repentance.
Conclusion
The book of Jonah ends with a question: “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (Jonah 4:11). The answer to this question is YES! It is up to God WHO he want’s to forgive. It is up to God HOW he want’s to forgive. Jonah had no reason to be angry. His selfishness got in the way and he was angry on God. He was angry that God send him to the city of Nineveh. He was angry that God did not destroy the city of Nineveh. He was angry towards God when the tree grew and died next day. The Book of Jonah, communicates to us that all of us act like the city of Nineveh or Jonah. Either we are in open rebellion or we profess to know God, but disagree with how he works in our everyday life. The sailors, who worshipped idols, understood God better than Jonah. “You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased” (1:14). “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Psalms 115:3). It is a simple truth that speaks to us everyday when our life does not go according to how we want!
Bibliography
Allen, Leslie C. The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2010.
Brand, Chad, Charles Draper, Archie England, Steve Bond, E. Ray Clendenen, Trent C. Butler, and Bill Latta, eds. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.
Hannah, J. D. (1985). Jonah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 1460–1461). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.
Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). The Hebrew
Merrill, Eugene H. “The Sing of Jonah.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Societ, March 1980, 23-30
New American Standard Bible. Anaheim, Calif.: Foundation Publications, publisher for the Lockman Foundation, ©1997.
Price, Brynmor F., and Eugene Albert Nida. A Translators’ Handbook on the Book of Jonah. UBS Handbook Series. Stuttgart: United Bible Societies, 1978.
Smith, Billy K., and Franklin S. Page. Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. Vol. 19B. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995.
"Who Did Swallow Jonah? | Lyrics." Who Did Swallow Jonah? | Lyrics. Accessed April 05, 2017. https://makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_mmf_music_library_songbook/who-did-swallow-jonah-lyrics.htm.
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