Many of us have come to know about Jonah, whose name in Hebrew means dove, as the disobedient prophet, the prophet who tried to run away from the Lord, the prophet who spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, and the prophet who finally completed his preaching mission against Nineveh but also got angry because of the Lord's actions.
The story of this prophet from Gath-Hepher, a border town in the territory of Zebulun (Josh.19:13), who also served the Lord during the reign of the King Jeroboam II of Israel (2 Kings 14:25) often leaves us with many questions: why did he run? why was he angry when the Lord decided not to destroy Nineveh? Why did God have compassion for Nineveh? The ten points below provide answers to all these questions.
1. SALVATION COMES FROM THE LORD ALONE
When the Lord sent a storm against the ship that harbored Jonah, the sailors aboard unsuccessfully tried to save their ship by calling upon their own gods and lightening up the ship. It was only when they called upon the God of Jonah shortly before they threw him off overboard that the storm calmed down. This is proof that there is ONLY ONE TRUE GOD who has created the heavens and the earth and detains power over all. When we face impossible situations in life and all efforts to arrange things by our own efforts remain unsuccessful, we have to call upon the Most High because He will not fail. "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" Rom 10:13.
2. JONAH'S DISOBEDIENCE WAS NECESSARY OR USED BY GOD TO SAVE THE SAILORS
The sailors did not know or believe in the God of Jonah before. When the storm started, they were calling upon false gods. After the storm calmed down, they realized that the God of Jonah was real. The bible says that they greatly feared the God of Israel, made vows to him and offered him sacrifices following that event.
3. EVEN IN DISOBEDIENCE, GOD IS MERCIFUL TO US AND WILL DO WHAT IT TAKES TO BRING US BACK ON THE RIGHT PATH
We often condemn ourselves or are condemned by people because of our actions. In the midst of sin, we think or people think that the Lord has or will forsake and condemn us. If this was true, the woman that was caught up in adultery would have been stoned to death by Jesus himself per the Law of Moses, which demanded that anyone caught up in adultery be put up to death (Lev 20:10). But Jesus instead showed her forgiveness, compassion and love (Jn 8: 3-11). This shows that even in sin, God still loves you, not so you can keep sinning but so you can find grace and strength to get back on the right path.
4. SALVATION IS FOR ALL: FOR THE JEWS AND GENTILES
Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because he knew that if he proclaimed the message and the Ninevites changed their ways, God would forgive them. The Jews knew that the Messiah would come to redeem them and be King over Israel but they thought that redemption was only for them. Even the Apostle Peter, hundreds of years later, struggled with that truth until God opened up his eyes when he was sent to the house of Cornelius, a gentile who got baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). Salvation is for all and the bible reminds us that "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" Jn 1:12.
5. CULTIVATING LOVE FOR OUR ENEMIES
Nineveh, located in modern day Iraq, was the oldest and most populous city in the Assyrian empire, with more than 120, 000 people around the 8th century B.C. In ancient times, Assyria and Israel were not always on good terms. During the reign of Hoshea, King of Judah, for instance, Assyria invaded and blockaded Samaria, a city in the northern Kingdom of Israel, and took Israelites captives to Assyria (2 Kings 17). These actions could have aggravated relations between both countries and incited hatred of the Israelites for the Assyrians, which could in turn explain why Jonah wanted Nineveh to be destroyed rather than saved by God.
It is understandable that naturally, we would want God to punish and destroy our enemies or people who have hurt and done us wrong. But God's mercy and compassion for Nineveh which fasted and repented after Jonah's preaching should be an example for us. God's love is for all, regardless of our background and past, and His desire is that all men are saved and come to the knowledge of Christ (1 Tim 2:4). Who are we to judge others and wish they wouldn't be saved? Have we forgotten where God brought us from? We were sinners before Jesus came to lay down His life for everyone.
In Mat. 5:45, Jesus tells us to love our enemies so we can be children of our Father who makes His sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and unrighteous. So, we must wish well and pray for our enemies to repent. I know, from personal experience, that it's not easy. But we can do it by trusting Jesus, asking for a forgiving heart and laying down everything at the feet of Jesus.
6. GOD CAN CHANGE HIS DECISIONS AT TIMES
We have been taught that the Word of God is immutable, which is true. But at times, God can change his decisions as in the case of Abraham pleading with God for Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18). The Lord confirms this in Jer 18:7-10 "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it."
Food for Thought: Isn't it mind-blowing how the Ninevites, immediately upon hearing God's message through Jonah, started fasting and eventually repented from their evil ways? This is a pagan nation, worshiping many idols and that normally would have decided to find security in their own gods. At what price did their humility come? Did they consult with their diviners who felt powerless? Did they hear of how powerful the God of Israel was?
7. MEN OF GOD ARE NOT PERFECT
The bible says that Jonah was angry when God decided not to destroy Nineveh again, then he was happy when God provided a leafy plant to give shade for his head, and then he was very upset when the leafy plant withered. This shows that men of God, despite being anointed, remain human beings with emotions and feelings. The realization of this truth will help us be more compassionate, less judgemental and more prayerful for them.
Further, God could have sent someone else to preach against Nineveh, but He still chose Jonah despite him trying to run away. Why? Because he wanted to teach Jonah something: that Salvation is for all. So, men are God are also in a constant learning process with God.
8. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE CALL OF GOD UPON YOUR LIFE
Who can run away from the Lord, the God who is omniscient and omnipotent, the God to whom belongs the whole earth and sees even in darkness? Show me one! All of us have been called by God for something, which could be ministry, teaching, philanthropy, law, medicine, etc. But like Jonah, many are running away and disregarding God's voice either because they don't like the mission, don't know they've been called or don't believe they are appropriately equipped.
We tend to magnify our doubts more than the greatness of the God who has called us, but we must be reminded that God's grace is enough for us to step into that calling. Jonah had to be on the brink of death to realize that he could not escape God's call. Like him, you can be going in the opposite direction of your calling, but God, who has faithfully loved us, will meet you on that path and bring you back on the right one.
9. YOUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S CALL WILL SAVE LIVES
Jonah's obedience to God's call saved the lives of the Ninevites, even though he did not really want it. The truth is that at times, you may feel so inadequate for the task at hand, do not even have the support or resources to fulfill that call. But you have to start from somewhere because your obedience will save lives. Obedience requires faith and total trust in Jesus. You have to trust that the Lord who called you knows what's best, even if you may not fully understand the why of certain things when He calls.
10. GOD SPEAKS THROUGH MANY WAYS
The sailors discovered that Jonah was responsible for the calamity by casting lots! They didn't try to consult diviners or waited to have dreams before knowing who was responsible for the storm. Many of us have limited God by thinking that He can only speak in some ways. But God can speak through so many ways: his Word, strangers, dreams, signs in the sky, events, colors, time, numbers, birds and animals (Num 22:21) because He is the Creator of all things! So let's not limit God and learn to discern His Voice in all things in our lives.
Did You Know? The Book of Jonah was probably written by himself around 783-753 B.C. The book is read every year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the holiest day of the Jewish year.
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