"STUDIES IN THE MINOR PROPHETS"
Jonah - Messenger To Nineveh (1:1-4:11)
INTRODUCTION
- We now come to the most well known of "The Minor Prophets": Jonah,
whose name means "Dove"
- His book does not contain prophecy per se, rather it contains the
history of a prophet...
- A prophet reluctant to fulfill the mission God assigned him
- A prophet who complained when his mission proved successful
-- What kind of prophet is that? Perhaps one that reveals what may
be true of ourselves!
- This short book of "Jonah" easily falls into four sections...
- "Running Away From God" (chapter one)
- "Running To God" (chapter two)
- "Running With God" (chapter three)
- "Running Ahead of God" (chapter four)
- In this brief survey of the book, we will simply read our way
through it...
- Making observations as we go along
- Offering lessons that can be glean from each section
[With the first chapter then, we soon find Jonah...]
- "RUNNING AWAY FROM GOD" (1:1-17)
- AN OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER...
- God commissions Jonah to preach in Nineveh - 1:1-2
- Jonah rebels against God's plan - 1:3
- God has a plan for Jonah - 1:4-17
- He sends "a great wind on the sea" - 1:4-16
- He prepares "a great fish" - 1:17
- OBSERVATIONS IN READING THE TEXT...
- Jonah is also mentioned in 2Ki 14:23-25
- He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 793-753
B.C.)
- He was from Gath Hepher (4 miles NE of what was later
Nazareth in Galilee)
- Nineveh was the capital of Assyria
- It was located about 220 NNW of the present city of Baghdad
- The Assyrians were noted for their cruelty, especially to
prisoners
- The city of Tarshish
- A Phoenician outpost in SW Spain
- On the edge of the Mediterranean world, Jonah was running
in the opposite direction of Nineveh
- In retrieving Jonah, God gained some converts (the sailors)
- cf. 1:14-16
- LESSONS FROM CHAPTER ONE...
- God concerns Himself with the wickedness of heathen nations
- 1:2
- One cannot run away from God! - cf. Ps 139:7-11
- God is able to use incidents in the lives of His servants for
His glory - cf. 1:5 with 1:14-16
[With the end of chapter one, Jonah is now in the belly of the great
fish. Having run away from God, we now find him...]
- "RUNNING TO GOD" (2:1-10)
- AN OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER...
- Jonah's prayer - 2:1-9
- Jonah's deliverance - 2:10
- OBSERVATIONS IN READING THE TEXT...
- The prayer is written like a psalm; its present form may have
been composed after the fact, looking back
- Jonah realized that what happened was God's doing - 1:3
- It is interesting to note that his prayer is more of a
THANKSGIVING, than a petition
- LESSONS FROM CHAPTER TWO...
- "Someone has observed that there are times when we must be
made to go into the lowest depths that we may regain a living
faith" (Hailey)
- Prayers in time of need should be made with an attitude of
thanksgiving as well as petition - cf. Php 4:6
[Having learned his lesson, Jonah is now ready to do God's will; so we
next see him...]
- "RUNNING WITH GOD" (3:1-10)
- AN OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER...
- The Lord again commissions Jonah to preach in Nineveh - 3:1-2
- Jonah obeys and proclaims God's message - 3:3-4
- The people of Nineveh are moved to repent, including the king
- 3:5-9
- The Lord takes notice, and relents of the disaster He had
intended to bring - 3:10
- OBSERVATIONS IN READING THE TEXT...
- Jonah's message was brief, yet clear - 3:4
- An unusual fast is proclaimed - 3:5-7
- Three days without food AND water
- For both man AND beast
- With sackcloth for both man and beast, the king calls for a
true change of behavior - 3:8-9
- The king of Assyria reasons like the prophet Joel - cf. 3:9
with Joel 2:14
- Nineveh's example of repentance is a rebuke of Israel...
- Israel in Jonah's own day - cf. 2Ki 17:13-14,18; 2Ch
36:15-16
- Israel in the days of Jesus - cf. Mt 12:41
- LESSONS FROM CHAPTER THREE...
- Such preaching of condemnation is often conditional - cf. Jer
18:7-10
- The least likely prospects might be the ones who will convert
- e.g., 1Co 6:9-11
- We see the place of fasting and prayer, as one seeks to
petition God - e.g., Ezr 8:21-23
[Jonah's mission was a success! Souls headed for destruction were
saved! You would think that Jonah would have been elated. But in the
final chapter we are surprised to see this prophet...]
- "RUNNING AHEAD OF GOD" (4:1-11)
- AN OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER...
- Jonah vents his anger - 4:1-4
- Angry because he knew that God would relent - 4:1-2
- So angry that he desires to die - 4:3-4
- God uses a plant, a worm, and a hot east wind to teach Jonah
- 4:5-11
- A plant to provide shade for Jonah - 4:5-6
- A worm to destroy the plant - 4:7
- A vehement east wind that with the sun exhausts Jonah - 4:8
- God uses the plant to teach Jonah an object lesson - 4:9-11
- Jonah is angry about the plant - 4:9
- Shouldn't he have similar pity on Nineveh? - 4:10-11
- OBSERVATIONS IN READING THE TEXT...
- We find Jonah manifesting a sectarian spirit
- Perhaps there was an underlying racism in Jonah's heart
- This may explain why he fled to Tarshish in the beginning
- He possessed the same spirit as:
- The elder brother of the prodigal son - cf. Lk 15:11-32
- The Pharisees toward Jesus eating with sinners - Mt 9:10-11
- Jonah is shown to have more compassion for a plant, than for
innocent children!
- LESSONS FROM CHAPTER FOUR...
- We learn the danger of a sectarian spirit
- It makes us to be petty
- It blinds us to matters of greater importance
- We see God's nature
- He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger
- Abundant in lovingkindness, He is willing to relent when
there is repentance
CONCLUSION
- The book of Jonah is of value to PREACHERS...
- Never prejudge an audience
- Don't try to avoid the responsibility God has placed on you
- The book of Jonah is of value to ALL CHRISTIANS...
- Don't have a selfish, narrow-minded, sectarian spirit
- Be concerned for all the wicked, whoever and wherever they are
- The book of Jonah is of value to SINNERS...
- God loves you
- Destruction is coming...
- But He sent Christ and the apostles to reveal His will and
save you
- Today He has His preachers and teachers to warn you
- Salvation is available wherever there is true repentance and
obedience!
Finally, may the example of Nineveh's repentance remind us of what
Jesus said:
"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."
(Mt 12:41)
Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah; have we repented at the
preaching of One (Jesus) Who is much greater?