The Cepher of the Prophet Yonah / The Book of Jonah
Jonah: a Pre-Assyrian Invasion Prophet to the Nations.
Jonah was active during the second half of the 8th. Century BC, which places him after the separation of the land into two kingdoms but before the invasion of the northern kingdom by Assyria. He came from Gath-hepher in the territory of Zebulun. Thus, the Pharisees were wrong when they said of the Lord Yeshua that no prophet had ever come out of the Galilee. Jonah was a contemporary of the other minor prophets, Amos and Hosea.
He apparently did some good work for Jehovah according to 2 Kings 14:25 but of course he is principally remembered for attempting to evade God and avoid his commission to prophesy to the people of Ninevah. Jonah is the only prophet known to have refused a commission from God.
The Book of Jonah presents its main character as a flawed individual who behaved quite irrationally at times.
Jonah knew he was being commissioned by God; he had no doubt about the task he had been given or who had commanded him. It is a mystery how he thought he could evade God. Undoubtedly as a Jew, he found the task he had been given distasteful. Assyria was an enemy of Israel, although at this time not as powerful as it would become. Israel’s distrust of Assyria and with a serious feeling of the spiritual superiority of his people, as the covenant people of God, produced a recalcitrant attitude in Jonah. He was horrified at the thought of salvation and mercy being afforded to a Gentile nation.
The Book of Jonah reveals God’s sovereignty over all mankind and all creation. Creation came into being through Him and responds to HIs every command. The Book of Jonah challenges God’s people not to exalt themselves above others. The Lord is free to bless, be gracious to, and to be patient with all nature –even with the wicked, temporarily.
Jonah was sent to Ninevah to shame him and Israel by the fact that a pagan city could respond to the preaching of a stranger, while Israel would not respond to the words of her many prophets.
The Lord Yeshua used the repentance of Ninevah (Matthew 12: 38 – 41) to rebuke the Pharisees, thereby illustrating their hardness of heart and unwillingness to repent.
Jonah is a picture of Israel. He was chosen and commissioned by God. But he rebelled! Nevertheless, he was preserved and restored as Israel will be.
So, let us open up the Book of Jonah.
The first thing to note is that “the word of God came to Jonah”. This is a precise affirmation of the divine source of the message to Jonah, even if we are told how it came about. However, Jonah had no doubt about the source of the command, or the nature of the command itself. There is no possibility of error or misunderstanding.
Whilst this was perhaps an unusual commission, it was quite clear: “Arise, go to Ninevah”. Whilst other prophets prophesised against foreign nations, Jonah’s is the only case of a prophet being sent abroad to deliver God’s message. Jonah’s ministry was to be for the salvation of the city of Ninevah, for the shaming and jealousy of Israel, as well as a rebuke to the Jews for their reluctance to bring Gentiles to the true God.
There was a great deal of “wickedness” in Ninevah. Their sins included pride, great brutality and adultery; described later as “evil ways” and “violence”. Their evil was carefully noted by God. They were pagans worshipping the fish goddess Nanshe (the daughter of Ea, the goddess of fresh water) and Dagon, the fish god who was represented as half-fish and half-man. They also worshipped Assur and Ishtar.
In chapter 1 verse 3, we read, “But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord”. Tarshish could be Tartessus on the southeast coast of Spain. Probably this was the furthest place known to the Jews. Despite the general aversion to sea travel among the Jews, Jonah chose to try to sail 2,000 miles away from Joppa. He clearly had no desire to go to Ninevah!
This is the only recorded instance of a prophet refusing God’s commission. Jonah seems to have tried to get away as far as possible. He may have had some sort of notion, that being far from the Temple in Jerusalem (the place of God’s manifest presence), he could escape God’s reach.
In chapter 1 verse 4, we read, “But the Lord sent a great wind on the sea”. Throughout the book of Jonah, the Lord shows Himself as sovereign over every aspect of creation. This is no ordinary storm. The ship which Jonah boarded was probably a Phoenician vessel, as the Phoenicians were the best sailors of the age. But in this storm even these hardened mariners “were afraid”.
Despite this great storm, which caused the sailors to lighten the ship’s load as it was taking in water, Jonah was so sure that he had avoided God’s will that he was “fast asleep” in the ship’s hold.
In their fear, the sailors showed their commitment to polytheistic belief system in contrast to Jonah’s monotheism. Phoenicia was the centre of Baal worship.
In chapter 1 verse 9, we see the contradiction in Jonah. He identifies himself as a “Hebrew” and he expresses his “fear” of the Lord, “the God of heaven”. The term “Hebrew” was a title in common use at the time by Jews among Gentiles. It may have been chosen deliberately to express the sovereignty of God “who made the sea and the dry land”; in contrast to Baal who was a sky god. Jonah’s description of the Lord as Creator was an appropriate identification when introducing the true God to pagans who did not have scripture, but whom reason led to the fact that there had to be a creator. Jonah’s actions in fleeing had contradicted his own words! It was not disbelief that led Jonah to disobey God, it was his national pride which clouded his commitment to God’s divine commission to evangelise Ninevah.
Unwilling to go to Ninevah and feeling guilty at putting the sailors in danger, Jonah to his credit offers a solution,” pick me up and throw me into the sea, then the sea will become calm for you. For I know this great tempest is because of me.”
The sailors however had more compassion on Jonah that he had for the thousands of people in Ninevah. To their credit, they tried to row to land. But when they realized that their task was impossible, they cried out to the Lord. Only then did they throw Jonah overboard. And as predicted the storm ceased when they had done this. Jonah needed God’s grace as much as the people of Ninevah.
The sailors however did recognise God’s sovereignty, “You, O Lord, have done as pleased you”. This is of course the core of the Book of Jonah. The Lord is free to do as He wills. So, the sailors felt justified in doing what Jonah had said. They could see no other option. With a sense of permission from the God of heaven and Creator of the sea, the sailors threw Jonah into the sea. When “the sea ceased from its raging”, the sailors feared the Lord exceedingly and offered sacrifices and vows to God. The sailors then had the same reverential attitude to God which Jonah claimed to have. Despite Jonah’s failings, the sailors became converts to the God of Israel.
In chapter 1 verse 17, God’s plan is revealed: “The Lord had prepared a great fish”. God’s plan was to save Jonah from drowning., not to punish him. The miracle was not so much the fish swallowed him, but that he was not digested by the fish’s stomach acid. He would be in the belly of the fish “three days and three nights”. The Lord Yeshua, of course, said that His death and resurrection were foreshadowed by Jonah’s experience.
Matthew 12: 39 and 40.
“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 Ninevah will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”
In chapter 2 verses 2 and 3, we have Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish. This contains not a word of petition. He gives thanks for deliverance from drowning but does not request escape from the fish. Jonah prayed to “the Lord, his God” showing that even though he was disobedient, he was a believer.
But realizing what danger he was in, out of terror, he cries for help. He describes his experience as being in “Sheol”; a hyperbolic expression denoting a catastrophic condition close to death. Thus, for Jonah, the sea became like “Sheol”, the place of death. He acknowledges God’ judgment on him and God’s control over his life; he is accepting his reality without complaint.
In chapter 2 verse 4: he accepts that “I have been cast out of Your sight”. He realizes that temporarily has set him to one side. “Yet I will look toward Your holy Temple”. Jonah expresses confidence, despite his situation, that he will one day be in the sight of God again – possibly in Jerusalem but more likely in heaven. Jonah who had turned away from God’s presence, now realises that he is alone. Yet he clings to the hope that God would not totally abandon him.
Jonah pictures himself so deep in the sea that he has found “the moorings of the mountains”. It is mysterious and terrifying, but it is part of God’s creation and God has brought him back from “the pit” (Sheol).
In chapter 2 verse 7, Jonah states, “I remembered the Lord”. Jonah reaffirms his faith, and he renews his commitment to God. Jonah acknowledges that every human or demon inspired alternative to God is a “worthless idol”; they pass away quickly and are valueless. Only to the Holy One of Israel can we look for “mercy” i.e., loyal love. This is the faithfulness that only He can give to His covenant people.
Therefore, declares Jonah, “I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving” and “I will pay what I have vowed”. Jonah declares that he will keep his promise; a pledge both to sacrifice and to acknowledge God’s help; “salvation is of the Lord”. God delivers! He acts on behalf of His creation and the redeemed community to ensure a relationship with them.
God’s plan continues to unfold. “The Lord spoke to the fish”. Again, the focus of the story of Jonah is on the Lord’s sovereign control His creation to bring about His purposes. The fish delivered Jonah back to dry land; possibly at Joppa from where he started his attempted absconding.
A gracious God gives Jonah a second chance. He receives his commission for a second time. This time he obeys and makes the 500-mile journey to Ninevah. The city was so large that the walls were eight miles in circumference.
Jonah declares that there are only “forty days” before the destruction of the city. Both this announcement and the specified delay, show God’s mercy. It was this mercy which bothered Jonah.
Despite his reluctance to deliver God’s message, Jonah was amazingly successful. The common people and the highest in the land (influenced by King Assurden the third) believed the warning and acted accordingly.
Perhaps Jonah’s stay in the fish helped gain him an audience. It is generally believed that acid from the fish’s stomach bleached Jonah’s face, giving credibility to his story.
Although they had accepted God’s message immediately, their response would be short-lived. History (and the Book of Nahum) bears this out. There is no historical record of a period of belief in the Holy One of Israel in Ninevah.
But temporarily, at least, the people of Ninevah, from the greatest to the least, put on signs of mourning and lamentation. The king’s edict reached all Ninevah. The reversal of the threat to destroy the city depended solely on the grace of God and His mercy. Any announcement of destruction form God can include offers of mercy and forgiveness.
Zephaniah 2: 1 – 3.
“Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. Before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you! Seek the Lord, all the meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility, it may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.”
For whatever reason, the people of Ninevah repented which was exactly not what Jonah wanted. Thus, the Assyrians one generation later, would be used as the rod of God’s anger to punish Samaria. However, at this time, Jonah was very annoyed that the people of Ninevah believed his message!
4: 1 and 2.
“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.”
Jonah seems to be telling God off (not something I would recommend) for being “gracious and merciful” – even though he had benefitted from this very aspect of God’s character and nature.
And indeed, on this occasion “God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”
Jonah, because of his rejection of Gentiles, and his distaste for their participation in salvation, became displeased with God’s mercy towards the Ninevites. He was seriously irritated at what was good news that the city had been spared. He himself had just been spared God’s fair judgment but he could not see the parallel. Jonah was much like the Pharisees of the Lord Yeshua’s day stuck in their own mindset.
Jonah’s frustration was so great that he said to God, “please take my life”. Jonah’s death wish came from disgust at the people’s repentance! It seems quite irrational. Only a few days previously, he had begged God not to abandon him.
Jonah’s anger was kindled because his will did not prevail, but the will of God did. Jonah did not answer God’s question, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Jonah had taken a grandstand seat “till he might see what would become of the city.” In his continued stubbornness and lack of compassion, Jonah held out hope that God would judge Ninevah, and this was God’s chief complaint against him.
Compare Jonah’s attitude with the attitude of David (Psalm 59) when Saul sent men against him. Yes, he does call for punishment on evil doers, but he ends with reassurance of God’s mercy on him, and moderates his call from death to his enemies, to that they be “scattered.”
As Jonah sat waiting for the destruction he wanted to see, God “prepared a plant and made it come over Jonah” – this may have been a castor oil plant. The Lord who had rescued Jonah from drowning, now wished to relieve the prophet from the misery of the strong sun. The reach of God’s mercy to the undeserving is a theme which continued to elude Jonah even as he experienced it. Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
But “God prepared a worm”. The Book of Jonah depicts the Lord as being sovereign and free to act in creation as He pleases. He placed the worm in the plant as an agent in Jonah’s life. The plant withered and then God prepared a “vehement east wind” (the scorching sirocco) that blows in from the desert, draws moisture from the plants and causes them to wither.
Jonah’s anger becomes quite irrational, “It is better for me to die than to live … It is right for me to be angry even to death.” Jonah justifies his anger. But it does not arise from a desire for justice but from his own selfishness. He cared more for the plant, than the thousands of people who might have perished in Ninevah. He continued to justify his rebellious attitude, but again God was merciful towards him.
God felt “pity” (deep compassion) towards the people of Ninevah. People are more valuable than animals, and animals are more valuable than plants. But God has compassion that extends towards all His creation. The Lord’s “pity” comes from His character.
Joel 2: 13 and 14.
“So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him – a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God.”
God had created the people of Ninevah in His own image. His love is very different from Jonah’s indifference to their possible damnation and from Jonah’s warped concern about a wild plant. It had provided him with shade, but he had done nothing to deserve it. The Book of Jonah on that note of contrast between Jonah’s ungracious heart and the kind heart of the Lord.
In conclusion, I would like to say a word on behalf of Jonah. His foolishness might never have been known had he not written about it (he is generally held to be the author himself), and after all we all behave foolishly at times! His openness is Jonah’s ultimate redeeming characteristic. He unveiled his character, flaws and all. He does not try to mitigate his mistakes.
But we can draw from the Book of Jonah, that the self-righteous make the grave mistake of rejoicing over their own deliverance and God’s answer to their own prayers. They miss out by narrowing God’s grace and favour to themselves. Like Jonah, the self-righteous cannot share in God’s delight in saving others – as we saw in Jonah’s case over the people of Ninevah.
AMEN.