Our church has been studying the book of Jonah this Spring and the book’s central figure has brought to mind the old Sesame Street song that stated, “One of these things is not like the other; one of these things just doesn’t belong”. Children were then asked to identify the object that did not match. For the adults in the room the answer was usually quite obvious, but for the children it was a fun way to figure out (usually by the process of elimination) which object was out of place. Jonah is the odd man out among the prophets. Lined up against Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and the rest, he would easily stand out as “not like the others”. His book is not a collection of oracles or symbolic actions; it is a didactic narrative. It is not a sympathetic portrayal either. Instead the book of Jonah is a satire about a man who was neither an obedient nor a compassionate prophet. Unlike the others who carried out some of the unusual commands of the Lord (see: Jer. 27:1-3; Eze. 5:1-4; Hos. 1:1-3) he was disobedient, judgmental, biased, and sour. In fact, unlike his peers he was not only sent to Israel, he was also sent to Nineveh the persecuting pagans of his day.
The reference to Jonah in 2 Kin. 14:25 gives us some insight as to the messages he brought to Israel while Jeroboam II was on the throne. But the message God gave Jonah to bring to the great pagan city of Ninevah caused Jonah to do something we have no record of any other prophet doing- disobey! Instead of heading southeast to Ninevah, Jonah boards a ship and heads in the opposite direction to Tarshish (Jon. 1:3). Some have speculated that Jonah had a good reason to fear going to Ninevah. The Assyrians had quite a reputation! They were powerful and aggressive, showing no mercy to their captives or nations who rose up against them. It appears that Jonah had also succumbed to the general mindset that God’s only concern was toward Israel. It was hard for him to understand that God’s mercy could be extended to anyone outside the Covenant community. But as Jonah learned, you can’t run from God, nor can you change the recipients of His message. When He says, “Go to Ninevah!” it’s best to go!
Many have portrayed Jonah as a whimpering and distraught man as he spends three (most likely gruesome) days and nights in the stomach of the fish. But a careful reading of chapter 2 shows that Jonah understood exactly why he was there and that it was God’s way of saving him. The situation seemed hopeless, but Jonah’s prayer is full of hope and he is resolved to follow through with the mission God has set before him (Jon. 2:1-9). God calls Jonah a second time to go to Ninevah and Jonah obeys (Jon. 3:1-3). Jonah is shocked to see the Ninevites respond to his message. Some historical factors may have attributed to this. A series of weak and ineffective kings had removed some of Assyria’s glory and might, a serious plague swept through the land in 765 B.C. killing many, and a total eclipse of the sun occurred on June 15, 763 B. C. causing more fear and panic. In ancient times all these components would have been considered to be connected to the spiritual world. Jonah’s appearance and message made sense in light of all these factors and the people responded. True to human nature and still clinging to the last of his narrow way of thinking about God’s compassion, Jonah is bothered that the Ninevites actually repent (Jon. 3:4-4:1) and God forgives them! Once again, God teaches Jonah about Himself through the natural world using a plant (Jon. 4:5-11) and the story of Jonah comes to a quick and unexpected end.
We know that Jonah must have been a gifted speaker to have had such a powerful impact on that great city. But we do not have a record of anything else that he said. However, Jesus makes mention of Jonah in reference to Himself (Matt. 12:39-41) and confirms that Jonah’s preaching did indeed have a tremendous impact on the people of Ninevah. And while it’s easy to see the parallel between Jonah’s days inside the fish to Jesus’ days “in the grave”, other comparisons and contrasts between the two can also be made. Jonah is “sacrificed” by being cast into the sea in order to save the others on the boat. Jesus was sacrificed to save all humans from the bondage of sin (Heb. 7:26-27; 9:11-14; 1 Pet. 3:18). Jonah was not obedient to God’s call at first and somewhat reluctantly fulfilled his mission later, but Jesus never wavered in doing God’s will and was obedient at all times (Jn. 14:31; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 4:14-15).
How well do we listen to God’s call? How well do we obey His commandments? Personally, I don’t think I fare any better than Jonah! But oh how I would love to be like Paul, who when given a vision by God to go in a different direction than the one he had planned, listened and obeyed (Ac. 16:5-12). Jonah is a great encouragement to me. I know I don’t always listen to God. I know I often limit Him and the way He works in people’s lives. But Jonah’s story demonstrates to me that God loves me enough to get me back on track when I’m not listening to Him and He can use me to proclaim His message even when I make mistakes. I hope Jonah’s story encourages you in that way too! Now, it’s time to go to Ninevah!
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre
The reference to Jonah in 2 Kin. 14:25 gives us some insight as to the messages he brought to Israel while Jeroboam II was on the throne. But the message God gave Jonah to bring to the great pagan city of Ninevah caused Jonah to do something we have no record of any other prophet doing- disobey! Instead of heading southeast to Ninevah, Jonah boards a ship and heads in the opposite direction to Tarshish (Jon. 1:3). Some have speculated that Jonah had a good reason to fear going to Ninevah. The Assyrians had quite a reputation! They were powerful and aggressive, showing no mercy to their captives or nations who rose up against them. It appears that Jonah had also succumbed to the general mindset that God’s only concern was toward Israel. It was hard for him to understand that God’s mercy could be extended to anyone outside the Covenant community. But as Jonah learned, you can’t run from God, nor can you change the recipients of His message. When He says, “Go to Ninevah!” it’s best to go!
Many have portrayed Jonah as a whimpering and distraught man as he spends three (most likely gruesome) days and nights in the stomach of the fish. But a careful reading of chapter 2 shows that Jonah understood exactly why he was there and that it was God’s way of saving him. The situation seemed hopeless, but Jonah’s prayer is full of hope and he is resolved to follow through with the mission God has set before him (Jon. 2:1-9). God calls Jonah a second time to go to Ninevah and Jonah obeys (Jon. 3:1-3). Jonah is shocked to see the Ninevites respond to his message. Some historical factors may have attributed to this. A series of weak and ineffective kings had removed some of Assyria’s glory and might, a serious plague swept through the land in 765 B.C. killing many, and a total eclipse of the sun occurred on June 15, 763 B. C. causing more fear and panic. In ancient times all these components would have been considered to be connected to the spiritual world. Jonah’s appearance and message made sense in light of all these factors and the people responded. True to human nature and still clinging to the last of his narrow way of thinking about God’s compassion, Jonah is bothered that the Ninevites actually repent (Jon. 3:4-4:1) and God forgives them! Once again, God teaches Jonah about Himself through the natural world using a plant (Jon. 4:5-11) and the story of Jonah comes to a quick and unexpected end.
We know that Jonah must have been a gifted speaker to have had such a powerful impact on that great city. But we do not have a record of anything else that he said. However, Jesus makes mention of Jonah in reference to Himself (Matt. 12:39-41) and confirms that Jonah’s preaching did indeed have a tremendous impact on the people of Ninevah. And while it’s easy to see the parallel between Jonah’s days inside the fish to Jesus’ days “in the grave”, other comparisons and contrasts between the two can also be made. Jonah is “sacrificed” by being cast into the sea in order to save the others on the boat. Jesus was sacrificed to save all humans from the bondage of sin (Heb. 7:26-27; 9:11-14; 1 Pet. 3:18). Jonah was not obedient to God’s call at first and somewhat reluctantly fulfilled his mission later, but Jesus never wavered in doing God’s will and was obedient at all times (Jn. 14:31; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 4:14-15).
How well do we listen to God’s call? How well do we obey His commandments? Personally, I don’t think I fare any better than Jonah! But oh how I would love to be like Paul, who when given a vision by God to go in a different direction than the one he had planned, listened and obeyed (Ac. 16:5-12). Jonah is a great encouragement to me. I know I don’t always listen to God. I know I often limit Him and the way He works in people’s lives. But Jonah’s story demonstrates to me that God loves me enough to get me back on track when I’m not listening to Him and He can use me to proclaim His message even when I make mistakes. I hope Jonah’s story encourages you in that way too! Now, it’s time to go to Ninevah!
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; [email protected]; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre
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