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The Bible ProjectThe Runaway Prophet
When God tells Jonah to deliver a prophecy at terrible Nineveh, Jonah runs away from God instead. He soon learns this is not a good idea.
Out at Sea
A wild storm threatens Jonah's runaway ship voyage. Pagan sailors search for God's help, and Jonah is revealed as the cause of their turmoil. The sailors reluctantly throw him overboard.
Jonah's Prayer
A large fish swallows Jonah while out at sea. It spits him out when Jonah repents, and God tells him to go to Nineveh again.
Nineveh Repents
Jonah tells God's warning at Nineveh, and the whole city repents--from the king to the cows! But, Jonah becomes angry when God spares the city.
Jonah's Lesson
Jonah waits for God's judgment on Nineveh outside the city, but God teaches him about His mercy instead. The conclusion is left to the reader.
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Summary
THE BOOK OF JONAH
OT/NT: Old Testament
SECTION: Minor Prophets (5 of 12)
TRADITIONAL AUTHOR: Jonah
KEY PEOPLE: Jonah, the ship's crew, the people of Nineveh.
SUMMARY: Canonically, Jonah is the thirty-second book of the Holy Bible (1), the thirty-second book of the Old Testament (2) and the fifth of twelve Minor Prophets books (3). This is a narrative about obedience, mercy, repentance and grace.
This oracle begins with God telling his prophet, Jonah, to go to the large city of Nineveh to "preach against it" due to their wickedness. Instead of being obedient, Jonah boarded a ship setting sail for Tarshish- the opposite direction of Nineveh. God responds by whipping up a good storm and the ship's crew figures out there's some Divine involvement here, as Jonah had already told them he was running from his Lord. The end results disclose that once the pagan crew threw Jonah overboard, the seas transformed from raging to calm. The crew came to believe in the Lord and made sacrifices and vows to Him… Only the Most High could parlay a servant's disobedience (4) into the saving of souls. Amen!
Now, back to Jonah, who is swallowed by a huge fish; he remains in the fish's belly for 3 days and 3 nights. He recognizes the error of his ways and prays to God, now vowing to truly follow Him. So, God commands the fish to vomit up Jonah onto dry land and again orders Jonah to Nineveh. This time, he complies.
Jonah arrives in Nineveh and beings proclaiming "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4). The citizens believed God and their king called for a fast, with the prayer that God would relent and show His compassion and mercy toward them. Their prayers were answered. Jonah 3:10 tells us, "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened."
This forgiveness thing didn't go over well with Jonah. He didn’t want to reconcile that God would be so forgiving when repentance was contritely offered. The four chapter book closes with a discourse between God and Jonah in which the Creator attempts to reason with one of His creations.
Through Jonah's perspective, we have the opportunity to perform a spiritual checkup of ourselves. Do we truly forgive and love our enemies? Do we run away from the Lord about certain issues, afraid of being exposed? The answer is different for every individual, and yet God personally knows the answers to these questions. By examining ourselves in Jonah's story, we can learn to trust God in His final decisions and give all our concerns to Him, while knowing that He desires to save every individual on Earth and reunite with them forever. No one is too far for Him to reach.
COMING UP: Next up is the book of Micah (5). Click HERE to explore!
FOOTNOTES:
(1) http://www.downriverdisciples.com/the-good-news
(2) http://www.downriverdisciples.com/old-testament
(3) http://www.downriverdisciples.com/ot-minor-prophets
(4) http://www.downriverdisciples.com/disobedience
(5) http://www.downriverdisciples.com/micah
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