Who was Jonah?
Jonah was a prophet. A prophet was a person God chose to deliver His message. God wanted Jonah to deliver His message to the wicked people of Nineveh.
He wanted Jonah to preach that Nineveh would be overthrown because of their wickedness. The correct course of action was to repent, (meaning, feel truly sorry and then change their ways) to avoid this consequence.
But Jonah didn’t want to deliver this message. Foolishly thinking he could somehow hide from God, he disobediently boarded a ship that was set to sail in the OPPOSITE direction!
God caused a strong wind to come, and a violent storm threatened to sink the ship. The sailors tried to figure out the cause of their misfortune. Jonah confessed that HE was the reason for the storm and advised them to throw him overboard, and reluctantly, they did. The storm immediately stopped and then Jonah was swallowed by what the Bible describes as a “great fish” – we might think of it today as a whale.
While inside the belly of the whale for three days, Jonah repented and prayed.
God then caused the whale to spit Jonah out onto dry land.This time, Jonah followed God’s command and went to Nineveh to preach that in 40 days, Nineveh would be overthrown.
The king heard the message and – remarkably – repented! He took off his royal robes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and sat in ashes.These actions symbolized that he was truly sorry for being so sinful. He issued a decree that everyone should fast (meaning, not eat or drink) for three days and be dressed in sackcloth, even the animals. God accepted their repentance, and the people of Nineveh were saved!
Why didn’t Jonah want to deliver God’s message?
Nineveh was the capital of a large, ancient empire called Assyria. Assyria was Israel’s dreaded enemy, a very strong nation at that time. Assyria often invaded Israel and treated them very cruelly. So obviously, the Israelites didn’t like the Assyrians!
When we read Jonah’s words, we conclude that Jonah WANTED the people to be overthrown – after all, they were his country’s enemies! Jonah said bitterly to God, “…I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” (4:2, The Life Application Bible, which uses a form of NIV).
In other words, Jonah knew that if the people of Nineveh repented, God WOULD spare them because He is so merciful and loving. Therefore, Jonah decided that he would rather NOT give them the message – in HIS mind, it was better if they faced consequences without being warned!
Why did the king listen to a prophet that wasn’t even from his own country?
In those days, people exchanged news through the trade routes. Maybe the king listened and repented because he had heard the news of God’s great power in saving Jonah inside a whale!
Was God’s word fulfilled or not? After all, He said Nineveh would be overthrown.
Well, look at what happened – Nineveh repented, and even put sackcloth on their animals…so, in a sense, Nineveh – the OLD, evil Nineveh – WAS overthrown. Now there was a new, reformed Nineveh, intending to change their sinful ways.
Interestingly, Jesus made a personal comparison with Jonah in Matthew (12:40, NIV). where he said, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
His stay in the tomb would correspond to Jonah’s stay in the belly of the whale. After three days, God rescued Jonah and after parts of three days, God resurrected Jesus.
Jonah offered his life to save the men on the ship, just like Jesus offered HIS life to save ALL of humankind. In God’s future kingdom, when all are brought back to life because of Jesus’ sacrifice, everyone will be given an opportunity to live forever on a perfect earth.
We see God’s love in both the story of Jonah and in Jesus’ life! So, who was Jonah? A prophet of God. Instead of delivering God’s message to the people of Nineveh, he disobediently fled in the opposite direction. After spending three days in the belly of a whale, he finally followed God’s command. The people of Nineveh listened, repented, and were spared. It’s silly to think we can hide from God or what He wants us to do, so let’s learn from Jonah and stay obedient to God’s word!
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com
