Jonah Challenge - The story of the big fish or Big God?

[GoldenEagle]

There are a lot of really good responses on this thread.

 

It made me think and wonder about those groups of people I might find disgusting, or dislike. As a believer, we have a message to share of salvation, and would I rather withhold the message of Gods grace and mercy from them.  

 

Eactly, as if God loves prostitutes, adulterers, fornicators, murderers, pedofiles, drug addicts, alcoholics, homosexuals, etc. less because of OUR view of them.

Very good perspective and challenging to me Q.

[GoldenEagle]

 

Vs 14-16 Ultimately God got the glory. This was foreshadowing of what He was going to do in Nineveh... The sailors didn't want to kill Jonah and continued to row through the storms. The heathen sinners/sailors prayed to God to not count, threw Jonah overboard, the seas calmed down (ceased from its raging), and the heathens sacrificed and turned to God. God made His name known and used for good what Jonah meant for rebellion.

 

Thoughts?

God bless,

GE

 

 

Yeah - I noticed that, too!

 

Come to think of it, I've heard testimonies where the person was in a very low time and got witnessed to by a "backslidden" Christian, and that was one of the steps that brought them to Jesus.

 

 

Yes, God uses imperfect people to bring about His perfect will. What a wonderful, merciful, kind, loving God we serve!

[TsukinoRei]

Challenge:

1. What is the story of and what is the significance of the Book of Jonah? Try doing this by memory without reading the book first.

2. Pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you through this book. Re-read (or read for the first time) the book of Jonah with fresh eyes. Now either edit your post or write a new post with what God has shown you. What is the story of and what is the significance of the Book of Jonah?

The Book of Jonah

 

Jonah disobeys the command to warn Ninevah.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”  But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Notes:  Jonah later confesses that his reason for not wanting to obey God is because he desires Nineveh to be destroyed. He knows that if he goes to Nineveh the city will be shown mercy. 

Johah Witnesses to the Mariners. 

But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.  

Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”

And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

 So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.  Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

Notes: The Mariners did not know of the God of the Hebrews, but once they learned of Him and saw the power of the storm they believed in the power of God.  Even as Jonah was fleeing from the command to witness to Nineveh God used him to witness to the mariners.

The Mariners Desire Mercy for Jonah

 And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.”

 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.  Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.”  So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.  Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

Notes: Jonah does not even desire mercy for himself.  He tells the Mariners to throw him overboard, instead the mariners try to return to land with Jonah but are eventually forced to give up on that idea.

Jonah’s Life is Spared by God.

 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. ² And he said:

“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,

And He answered me.

“Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

And You heard my voice.

For You cast me into the deep,

Into the heart of the seas,

And the floods surrounded me;

All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.

Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight;

Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’

The waters surrounded me, even to my soul;

The deep closed around me;

Weeds were wrapped around my head.

I went down to the moorings of the mountains;

The earth with its bars closed behind me forever;

Yet You have brought up my life from the pit,

O Lord, my God.

“When my soul fainted within me,

I remembered the Lord;

And my prayer went up to You,

Into Your holy temple.

“Those who regard worthless idols

Forsake their own Mercy.

 But I will sacrifice to You

With the voice of thanksgiving;

I will pay what I have vowed.

Salvation is of the Lord.”

So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Notes:  Jonah describes sinking into the sea, seeing the mountains beneath the sea, weeds wrapping around him, and ‘the earth with its bars closed behind me forever’.  He fully expected to die when he was thrown into the storm. ‘Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.’  Imagine his surprise at finding himself alive inside the belly of a fish! 

“Those who regard worthless idols

Forsake their own Mercy.

 But I will sacrifice to You

With the voice of thanksgiving;

I will pay what I have vowed.

Salvation is of the Lord.”

Here Jonah relents.  He thanks God for sparing his life and acknowledges that Salvation is of the Lord, even so he cannot help but add the proviso that ‘Those who regard worthless idols’ have forsaken that Mercy which God offers.  He still hopes that Ninevah will be destroyed.

Jonah Goes to Warn Nineveh

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,  “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Jonah walked through the city for three days, declaring that Nineveh would be destroyed by God in forty days.

Nineveh Repents and is Saved.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.  Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Notes:  The miraculous nature of this event is made more clear with the aid of other historical texts.  Jonah had good reason to believe that this city deserved no mercy because this was a city that showed no mercy. Think severed heads decorating the doors, people flayed alive and their skins displayed on the walls, a very active slave trade with the whip used liberally.  But the people believed, and they repented.

http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/3403.htm

Jonah is Angry that Nineveh is Spared

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.  So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.  Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

Jonah’s sense of justice is greatly offended by Gods mercy.  Having seen the level of suffering caused by the City of Nineveh his own heart cried out for their destruction and had no room for the possibility of repentance and salvation.  It would be like hearing a pastor stand up and declare that a child rapist and child pornographer who have repented have been forgiven and are going to heaven.  There are people who could not accept that truth.  Jonah would have rather died than seen these people spared, let alone be a part of their salvation.

A City is Like a Plant That Gives Shelter to Those Beneath Its Roofs.

Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.  And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered.  And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

 But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.  And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

Notes: Jonah told them it would be 40 days until their destruction.  So depending on when the countdown began at the end of his third day of warnings or at the first utterance when he stepped through the gates Jonah sat outside the city for 37-40 days to wait and see if it would be destroyed.  When the timer was up, and the city was still standing, Jonah was enraged. 

I can relate.  I was hurt badly at a Bible College and have often wished for the institutions economic destruction.  If I was commanded to rescue the place, become a fund raiser for it or give my own money that would be a very hard pill to swallow!  I have prayed that I would like to see the place either transformed or destroyed, but if I am honest I would rather see it destroyed.

God is more logical than that, if a place can be turned to good use through repentance then it is not to be destroyed.  The purpose of a city is to provide shelter and protection for the people within its walls.  If violence, torture, murder, and rape have taken over then the city is not serving its purpose to its people.

Additional observations:

Jonah witnessed to the city for three days.  Jesus was in the grave for three days.  Walking through the city of Nineveh, witnessing all the corpses and the suffering must have been like walking through the grave.

Israel was created to be a witness to the nations.  Their covenant was a commission to bring God to all the nations.  The focus of the priesthood seemed to become remaining separate, rather than separate for a purpose.

1.     What is the story of and what is the significance of the Book of Jonah? Try doing this by memory without reading the book first.

From memory, I believed the book to be about mans desire for vengeance, vs Gods desire for mercy.

2.       Pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you through this book. Re-read (or read for the first time) the book of Jonah with fresh eyes. Now either edit your post or write a new post with what God has shown you. What is the story of and what is the significance of the Book of Jonah?

After re-reading the book I think that the significant themes are two-fold.

a.     Mercy

b.     The Great Commission.

[GoldenEagle]

 

Also I agree Jonah wanted to die rather than loose face.

 

Just curious, GE, why do you believe Jonah's concern was humiliation?

 

 

I was thinking this really has to do with the middle to the ending of Jonah. In Jonah 3:2 God told Jonah to go call out a message HE would give Jonah. Jonah's message was that in 40 days Nineveh would be overthrown.

 

Jonah 3:1-4

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” ³ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.⁴ Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

⁴ Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Yet at the end of the chapter after there was true repentence from pretty much the whole population and the king of Nineveh God relented of the disaster He had planned to do to Nineveh.

 

Jonah 3:10

¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

So Jonah's prophecy was made out to be a lie at least in the eyes of the people of Nineveh. Jonah was agry because God's showing compassion to the evil Ninevehites displeased Jonah. (vs 1) By the first few verses in chapter 4 we can infer that there was a conversation Jonah had with God - that Jonah's objection was that Jonah would make the long journey to Nineveh and God wouldn't destroy the evil Ninevehites. (Vs 2) Jonah would rather die than loose face before the Ninevehites and ultimately with his own people when he returned home.

Think about how that conversation would've gone: "Hey guys I'm back from Nineveh. I ran away from God by trying to catch a boat to Tarshish. God became mad at me and caused a huge storm. I told the sailors to throw me overboard. When they did instead of dying I was eaten by a fish. Being in the belly of the fish was like being Hades. I repented and asked God to have mercy so the fish spit me up on dry land. Then I went to Nineveh and I prophecied that the city would destroyed but God changed His mind due to the repentant attitude of the people so the city was spared. How have you guys been the last few months?"

Other Israelites: "You are a liar. You are not a prophet of God then because God doesn't lie. You've also shamed your God, your people, and yourself by prophesying something that didn't come true."

Maybe I'm reading into the story too much?

 

Regardless of his motivation for doing so, Jonah didn't want to live with how God handled the circumstances in Nineveh.

 

In verse 5 it is clear that Jonah thought God should still destroy the city of Nineveh.

Jonah 4:1-11

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,and he was angry. ² And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. ³ Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴ And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

 

⁵ Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. ⁶ Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. ⁷ But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. ⁸ When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” ⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” ¹⁰ And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

 

On a side note chapter 4 verse 10 reminds me of the story of the little red hen. Have you heard of it? I think we love to enjoy the benefits of God's blessings without realising the cost associated with them. We also take for granted that God has to do things our way.

 

http://www.storybus.org/stories_and_activities/the_little_red_hen/story

God bless,

GE

[nebula]

 

 

Also I agree Jonah wanted to die rather than loose face.

 

Just curious, GE, why do you believe Jonah's concern was humiliation?

 

...

 

Jonah 3:10

¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

So Jonah's prophecy was made out to be a lie at least in the eyes of the people of Nineveh. Jonah was agry because God's showing compassion to the evil Ninevehites displeased Jonah. (vs 1) By the first few verses in chapter 4 we can infer that there was a conversation Jonah had with God - that Jonah's objection was that Jonah would make the long journey to Nineveh and God wouldn't destroy the evil Ninevehites. (Vs 2) Jonah would rather die than loose face before the Ninevehites and ultimately with his own people when he returned home.

Think about how that conversation would've gone: "Hey guys I'm back from Nineveh. I ran away from God by trying to catch a boat to Tarshish. God became mad at me and caused a huge storm. I told the sailors to throw me overboard. When they did instead of dying I was eaten by a fish. Being in the belly of the fish was like being Hades. I repented and asked God to have mercy so the fish spit me up on dry land. Then I went to Nineveh and I prophecied that the city would destroyed but God changed His mind due to the repentant attitude of the people so the city was spared. How have you guys been the last few months?"

Other Israelites: "You are a liar. You are not a prophet of God then because God doesn't lie. You've also shamed your God, your people, and yourself by prophesying something that didn't come true."

Maybe I'm reading into the story too much?

...

 

OK.

 

When Jonah responded: “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm." - I always read that Jonah fled because he didn't want God's mercy and lovingkindness to be given to Ninevah in the first place. So when this is what happened, Jonah was complaining, "I knew it!" Grumble, grumble, gripe, gripe.

 

I would then interpret his return home conversation to be more like: "...Then I went to Nineveh and I prophecied that the city would destroyed but the people cried out to the Lord to spare them and fasted for Him to spare them, from the king to the animals. Then God is is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindnesses and relents from doing harm had compassion on them, and He withheld His judgment against them."

 

Keep in mind that Jonah would have been an established prophet by then, so there is a good chance the people would have respected him telling them God relented when the people repented.

 

Remember God told Moses He would wipe out the Israelites? But Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord did not do what He had told Moses He would do.

 

 

That's how I take it.

[GoldenEagle]

 

 

 

Also I agree Jonah wanted to die rather than loose face.

 

Just curious, GE, why do you believe Jonah's concern was humiliation?

 

...

 

Jonah 3:10

¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

So Jonah's prophecy was made out to be a lie at least in the eyes of the people of Nineveh. Jonah was agry because God's showing compassion to the evil Ninevehites displeased Jonah. (vs 1) By the first few verses in chapter 4 we can infer that there was a conversation Jonah had with God - that Jonah's objection was that Jonah would make the long journey to Nineveh and God wouldn't destroy the evil Ninevehites. (Vs 2) Jonah would rather die than loose face before the Ninevehites and ultimately with his own people when he returned home.

Think about how that conversation would've gone: "Hey guys I'm back from Nineveh. I ran away from God by trying to catch a boat to Tarshish. God became mad at me and caused a huge storm. I told the sailors to throw me overboard. When they did instead of dying I was eaten by a fish. Being in the belly of the fish was like being Hades. I repented and asked God to have mercy so the fish spit me up on dry land. Then I went to Nineveh and I prophecied that the city would destroyed but God changed His mind due to the repentant attitude of the people so the city was spared. How have you guys been the last few months?"

Other Israelites: "You are a liar. You are not a prophet of God then because God doesn't lie. You've also shamed your God, your people, and yourself by prophesying something that didn't come true."

Maybe I'm reading into the story too much?

...

 

OK.

 

When Jonah responded: “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm." - I always read that Jonah fled because he didn't want God's mercy and lovingkindness to be given to Ninevah in the first place. So when this is what happened, Jonah was complaining, "I knew it!" Grumble, grumble, gripe, gripe.

 

I would then interpret his return home conversation to be more like: "...Then I went to Nineveh and I prophecied that the city would destroyed but the people cried out to the Lord to spare them and fasted for Him to spare them, from the king to the animals. Then God is is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindnesses and relents from doing harm had compassion on them, and He withheld His judgment against them."

 

Keep in mind that Jonah would have been an established prophet by then, so there is a good chance the people would have respected him telling them God relented when the people repented.

 

Remember God told Moses He would wipe out the Israelites? But Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord did not do what He had told Moses He would do.

 

 

That's how I take it.

 

 

I guess I didn't realize Jonah was an established prophet. Where did you read this?

 

Sure in red, honestly it could've gone either way.

I guess I was just thinking that this was Jonah's first stint and he would've viewed himself as a failure. Remember too that Assyria was the super power of Jonah's day. Word would've spread thoughout the empire and reached Israel of what happened. Particularly as there was this decree by the King of Nineveh.

 

Perhaps he was only mad that God didn't kill the Ninevehites. I think there's clear Biblical backing for this.

To me I guess it's all speculation in the end how others (Assyrians/Gentiles and Jews) would've reacted to him. Perhaps he was concerned about his own reputation. I think Jonah's stubborness by waiting to watch the city as to what God would do perhaps points to this idea. I guess we forget too how much of the ancient culture was based on honor. Jonah IMO was very personally "dishonored" by God as God forgave the Ninevehites and made Jonah's warning void. Jonah predicted destruction. God saved the Ninevites - all 120 thousand of them! Instead of celerating God's mercy (remember God had spared Jonah in chapters 1-3) Jonah wanted to see a good show of destruction. Reminds me of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 28:21-35.

Food for thought.

God bless,

GE

[nebula]

 

I guess I didn't realize Jonah was an established prophet. Where did you read this?

 

 

Sure in red, honestly it could've gone either way.

I guess I was just thinking that this was Jonah's first stint and he would've viewed himself as a failure. Remember too that Assyria was the super power of Jonah's day. Word would've spread thoughout the empire and reached Israel of what happened. Particularly as there was this decree by the King of Nineveh.

 

Perhaps he was only mad that God didn't kill the Ninevehites. I think there's clear Biblical backing for this.

To me I guess it's all speculation in the end how others (Assyrians/Gentiles and Jews) would've reacted to him. Perhaps he was concerned about his own reputation. I think Jonah's stubborness by waiting to watch the city as to what God would do perhaps points to this idea. I guess we forget too how much of the ancient culture was based on honor. Jonah IMO was very personally "dishonored" by God as God forgave the Ninevehites and made Jonah's warning void. Jonah predicted destruction. God saved the Ninevites - all 120 thousand of them! Instead of celerating God's mercy (remember God had spared Jonah in chapters 1-3) Jonah wanted to see a good show of destruction. Reminds me of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 28:21-35.

Food for thought.

God bless,

GE

 

 

To me, the set up sounds as if God is speaking to someone who is used to God telling him things, and someone who knows God like David, that is, truly knowing the vastness of the love of God. (He said so himself in ch. 4.) 

 

In ch. 1, God tells Jonah to prophecy against Ninevah, but that's it. Where did Jonah come out with "40 days and Ninevah will be destroyed?" And how could such a word have turned the hearts of the people? (Speculation: The Assyrians' god was represented by a fish. Imagine the impact of a man walking through the streets having been spit out by a fish prophecying destruction!)

 

I believe Jonah was acting much like the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. 

 

Keep in mind, too, the whole reason Jonah ran away. If it was because he knew God would stay His hand if the people repented, and he didn't want the people to be saved, then to see his fear come realized would set him on edge. 

 

But the question for you is, if Jonah's concern was about his reputation, rather than seeing the Ninevites repent unto salvation, why did he not mention his reputation in his complaint to God? And why did not comfort the fear of being thought of as a liar?

[GoldenEagle]

 

 

I guess I didn't realize Jonah was an established prophet. Where did you read this?

 

 

Sure in red, honestly it could've gone either way.

I guess I was just thinking that this was Jonah's first stint and he would've viewed himself as a failure. Remember too that Assyria was the super power of Jonah's day. Word would've spread thoughout the empire and reached Israel of what happened. Particularly as there was this decree by the King of Nineveh.

 

Perhaps he was only mad that God didn't kill the Ninevehites. I think there's clear Biblical backing for this.

To me I guess it's all speculation in the end how others (Assyrians/Gentiles and Jews) would've reacted to him. Perhaps he was concerned about his own reputation. I think Jonah's stubborness by waiting to watch the city as to what God would do perhaps points to this idea. I guess we forget too how much of the ancient culture was based on honor. Jonah IMO was very personally "dishonored" by God as God forgave the Ninevehites and made Jonah's warning void. Jonah predicted destruction. God saved the Ninevites - all 120 thousand of them! Instead of celerating God's mercy (remember God had spared Jonah in chapters 1-3) Jonah wanted to see a good show of destruction. Reminds me of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 28:21-35.

Food for thought.

God bless,

GE

 

 

To me, the set up sounds as if God is speaking to someone who is used to God telling him things, and someone who knows God like David, that is, truly knowing the vastness of the love of God. (He said so himself in ch. 4.) 

 

In ch. 1, God tells Jonah to prophecy against Ninevah, but that's it. Where did Jonah come out with "40 days and Ninevah will be destroyed?" And how could such a word have turned the hearts of the people? (Speculation: The Assyrians' god was represented by a fish. Imagine the impact of a man walking through the streets having been spit out by a fish prophecying destruction!)

 

I believe Jonah was acting much like the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. 

 

Keep in mind, too, the whole reason Jonah ran away. If it was because he knew God would stay His hand if the people repented, and he didn't want the people to be saved, then to see his fear come realized would set him on edge. 

 

But the question for you is, if Jonah's concern was about his reputation, rather than seeing the Ninevites repent unto salvation, why did he not mention his reputation in his complaint to God? And why did not comfort the fear of being thought of as a liar?

 

Since Scripture doesn't mention the specifics of what Jonah was to give prophecy and we know that there was an original conversation from when Jonah was still in the land of his people that was not included from chapter 4, I think it's really conjecture to say that Jonah was used to God telling him things. We simply don't have enough information. And if the spirit of God was truly on Jonah then Jonah would've been compelled to go to Nineveh instead of fleeing to Tarsis IMO. But I digress. lol.

 

Yes, this in red.

I agree too as a Jew Jonah probably didn't want to see the enemies of his peoples (Assyria) saved.

In any case the point of the story despite whatever Jonah believed is that God is merciful to those who don't deserve mercy and yet if they repent He will forgive them.

[Elhanan]

When I i think of the story of Jonah... I think God is relentlessly pursuing, loving, and saving people.

Thoughts?

 

God bless,

GE

 

Perhaps more relentless than we were taught or can imagine.  Consider this - the story of Jonah is a typology with Jonah being the type and Jesus being the antitype.  Jonah's story foreshadows the redemptive work of Christ.  Matt 12:40 states "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  Jonah's 3 days/3 nights of captivity ultimately resulted in all of Ninevah turning to God.  What did Jesus' descent into the earth accomplish?  1Pet 3:19-20 states: " After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,"  What did Jesus proclaim and what was the result?  In the very next chapter 1 Pet 4:6 states: " For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." Eph 4:8 states "Therefore it says, 'When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.'"  When Jesus ascended to heaven he emptied hell of its captives - this is known as the harrowing of hell.  Just as Jonah's preaching saved all of Ninevah, the proclamation of the gospel eventually results in the salvation of all mankind.

[nebula]

In any case the point of the story despite whatever Jonah believed is that God is merciful to those who don't deserve mercy and yet if they repent He will forgive them.

 

 

Agreed!