Jonah is probably the most well-known minor prophet. I mean, who doesn’t love a good story about a fish? But there is so much more to learn from his story.
Jonah 1:1-3
"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."
Jonah immediately fled from the Lord. He actually set sail to a place called Tarshish, which was close to a whopping 2500 miles the opposite way of Nineveh. What in Jonah’s heart made him so resistant? It said that he tried to flee from the presence of the Lord, meaning he thought he could hide from God by being far away from where he should be. Does it sometimes seem like God’s not there when we are doing what we shouldn’t? Just because God isn’t in our mind doesn’t mean we aren’t still in His. He cares too much to let you slip away by hiding in sin (2 Peter 3:9, Romans 5:6-10).
Jonah 1:(4-9),10-14
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. 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.
This part was interesting to read, because I never noticed it. These people who were with Jonah wanted so badly to save themselves while also keeping Jonah in the boat. They knew they had to try everything in their power to keep him alive with them. But, there was nothing they could do. Since Jonah had chosen to reject God, and continued to do so, until he chose to change they were only being dragged down by him. They asked God for Jonah’s safety and with remorse threw him out of that boat. This constant storm proved the Lord’s power to the guys on the boat. Even in running away from his prophet-calling, Jonah's situation was used to teach others about God. Aside from Jonah's resistance, the people in the boat mirror some other lessons. It makes me think of what we are told to do when someone decides to sin and continues in it after one or two confront him/her: the eventual application of Matthew 18:15-20, where we need to take a stand and separate from that person's sin. For these men, it was so difficult to let Jonah go, even though it was Jonah’s choice. Do we sometimes hold on to people who choose sin to the point that it brings us down with them? The seamen did everything in their power to save him, first. Evangelism and leading others back to Jesus is the first goal (Matthew 5:43-48, 2 Corinthians 12:10). But if we begin to be pulled away from God and hurt by those we want to save, we are not helping further the kingdom. If the influence of a friend is bringing you away from God instead of them closer to Him, it's time to take a different approach for the sake of both your souls.
[read] Jonah 1:17-2:10
The Lord prepared the big fish for Jonah. We normally look at the time in the big fish as a bad thing, but that is from the worldly perspective that we deserve to always have it easy even when we don’t want to do what’s right. It may be difficult, but look at this time Jonah is trapped in the fish as a blessing. God knew that this was the one circumstance that would help Jonah start to rely on God again and trust in Him, so this suffering in the belly of a fish was way better than Jonah resting in the deck of the boat. Take this as a challenge to pray and ask God to lead you in whatever path brings you closer to Him, and not whatever path brings you happiness. My happiness is going to have to conform to joy found in the Lord, and I’m okay with that. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:10-13,
"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your [the Christians at Philippi's] care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
What matters most at the end of the day is the will of the Lord. Whatever needs to happen to fulfill it is what I want to happen, even if it makes me like Paul, where he was in need (specifically imprisoned).
[read] Jonah 3:3-10
All God wanted was for these people to be righteous. They hadn’t been, and, as a just God, their actions demanded punishment. But, as a merciful God, He took them back immediately when they were no longer in sin. God wants all to repent. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
Every time, it’s not God in the way. It’s ourselves. It’s our giving in to our temporary desires of the flesh (James 1:13-18). But He’s always offered a way to be with Him. Even to these previously wicked people in Nineveh.
The next verses show not a point of view from God, but from man.
Jonah 4:1-3
"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 was literally mad at God for being forgiving. Jonah hated that he had lived this “righteous” lifestyle his whole life, and was blessed, but these people who had way worse sins (in his eyes) were going to get the same blessings. Sometimes we blind ourselves, not seeing that any sin makes us a debtor to God (Romans 3:9-26). Any sign of mercy from God should be something to rejoice over. This negative view towards others, and this view that some sin is worse than others, kept Jonah himself from being right with God. The irony is that Jonah went to preach a repentance to which he himself wasn’t willing to submit.
4:4-6 says
"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."
Notice how again God prepared something for Jonah in his time of spiritual need. God never stopped caring for and blessing Jonah, but we never see a repentance take place on Jonah’s part.
Verse 7-11
"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?”"
In the end, we never know if Jonah made it right with God. What we do know is that thousands of people in a very wicked city learned of the blessings of repentance and rejoiced. They mourned for their wrongdoing, but they praised the Lord for His mercy.
The book of Jonah’s prophecy prepares the way for Christ: this whole story shows us how God cared about the Gentiles. While many Jews in the first century would have a hard time accepting this, the Gentiles were offered the same salvation through Christ. Everyone is called to repentance. Let us make sure to be like the Ninevites and accept it rather than like Jonah, who wouldn’t acknowledge his wrongdoing.