Jonah 2:1-10 (NIV)From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me”. I said, “I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple. The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord”. And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
This short Old Testament book tells the story of Jonah, a prophet of God who disobeyed God’s call to preach the Word of God to the people of the city of Nineveh. In fleeing from God, Jonah took a ship to another city, but was thrown overboard and was swallowed by a fish. While in the fish’s belly, Jonah recognized his peril in his prayer to God, and acknowledged that salvation only “comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Through God’s saving grace, He provided Jonah with another opportunity to preach to the people of Nineveh, and amazingly the whole city turned from their wickedness. If the account of Jonah was a storybook this would be the happy ending. But Jonah, in showing his humanness became angry that God showed compassion and love to the people instead of carrying out the destruction of Nineveh for their wickedness as He had originally promised. Jonah’s heart was filled with anger and jealousy, as he seemed more concerned about his own comfort, feelings and reputation than for the people he was serving. Ironically, if God was not a God of mercy, Jonah would have died in the belly of the fish. The book ends with God saying to Jonah “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city” (Jonah 4:11, NIV)? My initial reaction is how can the book end here without knowing Jonah’s reaction and response? But ultimately, we do not need to know Jonah’s answer because the book of Jonah is not really about Jonah at all. It is about a God who will hold us accountable for our sin, but who will also show mercy if we believe and follow Him.
Although there are so many lessons we can learn from the book of Jonah, I do think there are a few basic questions we should ask ourselves based on this book. First, where is our Nineveh, or who is God calling us to share the message that we need to put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone to be saved (Romans 10:9)? Many times, as Christians, we are willing at some level to follow the command to love God and to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). But then we can downplay or even ignore our commission to “go and make disciples of all nations”, which is our ultimate demonstration of our love for God and for our neighbor (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). Sometimes we question ourselves in wondering if we are good enough or comfortable enough to share the gospel with someone? But God showed us that even someone like Jonah, who initially ran from God, can be used by God to impact tens of thousands of people. Or we may make excuses through saying things like we are sharing the gospel through our actions. Yes, it is possible for others to see God through “loving our neighbors”, but we should remember that our actions also demonstrate how we fall short of the glory of God. People who are not saved need us to share the gospel with them.
Second, where is our heart when it comes to serving God? Although Jonah ultimately obeyed God and proclaimed God’s message to the citizens of Nineveh, Jonah’s heart was hardened and he became angry at God. It is ultimately not our actions that reflect our love for God, but it is what is within our heart where God sees our motivations and intentions for what we do (1 Samuel 16:7). Therefore, it is important in seeking and serving God to ask Him to create in us a pure heart (Psalm 51:10). Finally, how will we respond to God’s calling in our life? If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, this is an opportunity to respond to God’s calling to know Christ in a personal way. Or if you are a Christian, this is your opportunity to be bold in your faith through seeking your Nineveh and sharing the Gospel and God’s plan for eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. On a closing note, although the book of Jonah exposes Jonah’s weaknesses and humanness, Jonah did remember God and God did answer Jonah’s prayer. Additionally, he used Jonah to turn the people of Nineveh from their wicked ways. And finally, Jesus noted the sign of Jonah in responding to the Pharisees (Matthew 12:40-41). This gives us hope in that although we are not perfect, we can do all things through Christ Jesus the Lord (Philippians 4:13).
Very Good! Thank you for sharing.
Have you given thought to these verses relative to Jonah in the NT?
Matthew 12:38-41
The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign
(Luke 11:29–32)
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For 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. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
Matthew 16:1-4
The Pharisees and Sadducees Seek a Sign
(Mark 8:11–13; Luke 12:54–56)
Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.