Jonah means "dove". The name suits him very well for Jonah tried to run away from God's will for his life. He ran but was unable to run away from God and His will. He was a prophet to Israel, the northern kingdom during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Ki. 14:23-25 ). Other than the passage in 2 Kings and the book of Jonah there is no other information we can glean about the man.
His home was in the village of Gath-hepher, located about 4 miles northeast from what was later the city of Nazareth, in Galilee. Jonah is seen in this book as "a narrow-minded, fiercely zealous patriot; he is jealous for Jehovah and desirous of seeing the enemies of His people destroyed (Hailey, 62)."
The date of the book might be fixed at some time in the general period around 780 B.C. Thiele fixed Jeroboam's reign from 793/2 to 753 B.C. (Edwin R. Thiele. The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, 205). The date would be some time during this period.
This book has been abused by the liberals who do not believe in miracles. This book is different from the other books of the Minor Prophets. It was written from the historical point of view -- the history of a man, a nation and his God. There are three interpretations of the book: the mythical, the allegorical, and the historical.
The mythical assumes the story is a myth. This view suggests that the account was a myth arose from some incident in the history of Israel. The allegorical view assumes that the story is an allegory of Israel's captivity, repentance, and restoration to its land. Both these views do not care very much whether Jonah existed or not as a real person.
The historical view sees Jonah as a real prophet of God sent to do a task he blatantly refuses to do because of prejudices. God intervened in his life and was determined that Jonah obeyed Him. Jonah fled in a ship to Tarshish but God sent a storm to stop him and a big fish to swallow him up so that Jonah will learn the lesson of obedience, hard though it was. Jonah finally learned his lesson and went to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians who in less than fifty years later would destroy Jonah's beloved nation, Israel. He went and preached that God will judge them for their sins. After that Jonah waited on top of a hill overlooking the city to wait for God's judgment. But God did not punish the Ninevites in Jonah's days because the people, including the king and the animals, of the city repented of their sin. Jonah sulked and complained to God that he should not have gone. Jonah wanted the Ninevites dead! Now God had forgiven them because they had repented!! God taught Jonah another precious lesson through the provision of a gourd plant which gave shade to Jonah which God destroyed the next day. Jonah cried and complained again because "his" gourd plant died and there was now no more shade for Jonah. Then God rebuked Jonah that he had shown more compassion for a plant which he did not grow than for the people of Nineveh in which dwelt more than 120,000 persons that cannot discern between their right hand from their left (jon 4:11 ).
Compassion is something that believers find hard to exercise than justice and punishment.
The main message is twofold: God is willing to save the heathens if they would only repent and turned from their sins. Therefore His love is infinite and includes them as well. We must watch out for prejudices in our lives. The second is that the LORD, the covenantal God of Israel, is a universal God. He is the God of the whole earth. As the One true living God all must turn to Him for salvation. There are not many gods where anyone can turn to and be saved. There is only one God and only one mediator between this God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5 ).
The outline is adapted from Hailey's book and Master's Study Bible.
Jonah was called by the LORD to go to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians. His mission was to "cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me (God)".
1. Jonah's reaction was most unusual, compared with the prophets we have studied thus far. But then his message too was also very unusual, to say the least. He was told to warn the enemies of the Israelites that the Israelite God will come and punish you if you do not repent. Every Jew wishes their God to punish their arch enemy, the Assyrians.
2. Jonah fled to Tarshish. Nineveh was eastward whereas Tarshish was westward. The primary reason for his flight to Tarshish was not that there was a "special holiday offer" to Tarshish but that he wanted to flee . . . from the presence of the LORD". Jonah might have thought that I am only a prophet of Israel in the land of Israel. Now if I left Israel may be God will not regard me as a prophet anymore so He will probably call someone else to do the job. For one thing Jonah, the son of Amittai, will not do it!! This is only a possibility.
3. He got into a boat heading for Tarshish. Everything seems to be working according to the desires of Jonah's disobedient heart. But God has other plans for him. His rebellious, prejudiced servant must be taught the important lesson of absolute obedience. God sent a mighty tempest that the ship was about to break. Lots were cast to determine the culprit who caused this mighty tempest. The lot fell on Jonah. He did not deny his guilt. He even told them . . . "I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. {10} Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them (Jon. 1:9-10 )."
4. When the mariners asked him what they should do to him because he was the "guilty" party, he daringly told them to cast him into the sea. [His prejudice was so deep that he was willingly to die for it] This was the only way they could stop the mighty tempest. The mariners were afraid to do it. They rowed hard but to no avail. Finally, with fear and trembling in their hearts for Jonah's God, who would do such a fearsome thing to one of His own prophet's because of disobedience, what more would He do to them, heathens, who were about to throw His prophet over board and to certain death!! They prayed for mercy (jon 1:14 ). The tempest ceased immediately when they threw Jonah overboard. The calming of the tempest according to Jonah's word must have shocked the mariners to the depths of their soul, being very superstitious. The Bible said that "the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows (Jon. 1:16 )." Were they saved because of the "disobedience" of Jonah? It was through Jonah's disobedience that he met the mariners and God used him, Jonah the reluctant evangelist, to bring salvation to their souls. Truly "salvation is of the LORD!"
If Jonah had expected death, he received a great surprise. His God had prepared a big fish to swallow him up "for some time alone with his thoughts to reconsider the many prejudices that plagued his life". He remained in the fish's belly for three days and nights.
Some observations gleaned from Jonah's prayer:
1. Jonah was reduced to a state of utter and total despondency before he turned to the LORD.
2. In the depths of his afflictions he turned to the LORD (jon 2:4 ).
3. They that hold on to "lying vanities" forsake their own mercy." (jon 2:8 ).
4. He recognized in his own life that his life was in the hands of his the LORD. As such salvation is of the LORD and Jonah's duty was to obey the One who called him (jon 2:9 ).
Jonah was vomited out by the fish onto dry land. What a traumatic way to learn obedience!! May we be spared from such experiences and live obedient lives to His glory.
Jonah did not receive a "new" word from the LORD but the same word. He was still required to go to Nineveh to preach to them that their wickedness is come up before God (jon 1:2 ).
This time he went and preached God's word. Was he afraid to die because he was in the city of his enemies? He was not. He was a courageous prophet of God. [Fear was not the reason for his flight to Tarshish.] Jonah did not delay in preaching the message. . And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown (Jon. 3:4 ).
1. The ministry of Jonah produced a city wide revival. The people believed God i.e. what Jonah told them about God's impending judgment because of their wickedness. From the greatest to the least of them they put on sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance and turning from their sin (jon 3:5-6 ).
2. They did not stop there. The king asked that they fast as well. This included all the people and animals (jon 3:7-8 ). In their repentance the king called them to . . . cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands (jon 3:8 ).
3. The Ninevites hoped that in their city-wide repentance, God might also repent of the "evil" (i.e. the punishment) that He said will befall them because of their sin. From this statement by the king of Nineveh, we see that Jonah did not tell them to repent but only told them of God's impending judgment because of their wickedness!!
4. God did repent because He . . . saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not (jon 3:10 ). The repentance of the LORD here must not be interpreted like a sinner's repentance. This refers to the change in the sinners' behaviour, repentance of the king and his people and animals, such that the LORD dealings with them change accordingly.
1. Everyone in the city would be rejoicing if they had known of what God had intended to do, for the forty days was probably not up yet when Jonah knew of God's "repentance". But Jonah's reaction was one of anger to say the least (jon 4:1 ).
2. Jonah's doctrine of God's character was absolutely correct. But it remained at the head level. He allowed his prejudice to take the better of him again. He applied his knowledge of his LORD to the Israelites only. God must not and cannot be the God of mercy and grace to Israel's enemies. He is OUR God and not of the Assyrians!! Once again his reaction reveals the depth of the prejudice in his heart. He asked God to take his life!! (jon 4:2-3 )
3. The LORD was extremely patient with him and asked him, "Doest thou well to be angry?" Jonah did not reply probably too angry to reply. His sulking and tantrum are very much like many Christians today when we do not "get" what we ask for from God (jon 4:4-5 ).
1. God continue to work through the life of Jonah despite his sins, prejudices, and tantrums. How gracious is the God we adore!!! The LORD prepared a gourd plant for Jonah to give him more shade. His futile attempt in providing shade for himself was not very successful. In his anger, it must have been quite difficult to construct anything of substance that will give him much shade. His desire at this moment was to sit on top of a hill overlooking the city and wait for the LORD to destroy the city, maybe when the forty days are up. Jonah was very glad for the gourd plant (jon 4:6 ).
2. The next morning, God prepared a worm to smite the gourd plant and it withered. By noon Jonah faced the onslaught of the heat of the sun. On top of this God sent a vehement east wind (i.e. a dry and hot) and Jonah became faint and once again, wanted to die. He could simply get off the hill and go home. He was kept up there because of the prejudice in his heart. See the effect prejudices can have on people, even the servants of God who should now better. This is also an example of head knowledge and no heart knowledge (jon 4:7-8 ).
1. The LORD asked Jonah if he had any right to be angry over the death of the gourd plant? Jonah's reply was a resounding yes . . . And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death (Jon. 4:9 ).
2. God's reply is classic. "Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: {11} And should not I spare Nineveh, hat great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? (jon 4:10-11 )"