10.12.22
Jonah— God’s Mercy
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. (Jonah 1:2)
This book is a test book. Many people try to dismiss it as a myth. What one believes about this book tells a lot about his attitude toward the Word of God.
The author is Jonah, the son of Amittai, a prophet from Galilee in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. His authorship is corroborated in the OT (2 Ki 14:25). Jesus also testified to the authenticity of his authorship (Matt 12:39-41).
Jonah is the English form of a Hebrew name which means ‘dove.’ God sought through his ministry to bring peace to Assyria. The book was written some 140 years before the Assyrians would come to conquer Israel. Jonah’s ministry followed that of Elijah and Elisha.
Nineveh was the capital city of the empire of Assyria. The nation reached its zenith under Sennacherib. Nineveh was actually a collection of four cities with a total circumference of sixty miles. It is said that the walls were one hundred feet high and wide enough at the top for four chariots to be driven side-by-side. The city had fifteen gates decorated with bulls and lions. But as large as was the city, so vast was its wickedness. God determined to judge it but would give it opportunity to repent.
The theme of this little book is ‘the wideness of God’s mercy.’ The book demonstrates clearly that the God of the Hebrews has a concern for the whole world. He is sovereign over nature and all human affairs. He will give mercy and salvation to all who repent and turn to Him. A key verse in this regard is “Salvation is of the LORD.” (2:9)
The word that is found often in this book is ‘prepared.’ We find that God prepared a wind, a tempest, a fish, a gourd, a worm, and an east wind.
We see rebellion in chapter 1. Jonah tried to flee “from the presence of the Lord.” Yet, he knew that he could not escape the omnipresence of God. He was knowingly fleeing from the office of prophet.
In chapter two, we find repentance. Jonah is now in the belly of the great fish. His prayer has no petitions. He offers to the LORD words of thanksgiving, contrition and rededication. He knew that God had preserved him. “Salvation is of the LORD.”
In the third chapter, Jonah obeyed the LORD and Nineveh experienced revival. Jonah was released from his captivity in the fish. Back on dry land he obeyed the LORD’s command and traveled to Nineveh. He preached a very simple message containing warning with no promise: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Under the king’s urging, this city of perhaps one million souls turned from their sin to worship the living God.
Instead of ending in glory, the book ends in a whimper. In chapter four, Jonah experiences regret. As a patriotic Jew, he was not happy that the LORD had spared his enemies from judgment. He is the one now who needs to repent and have a tender heart towards his fellows. God had shown His heart of mercy toward Nineveh, and now asks Jonah, as Israel’s first missionary, to have such a heart.
Christ is portrayed in His resurrection, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish (Matthew 12:40). Christ is seen as a prophet to and Savior of the nations. To Jonah, He was Savior and Lord. Is he your Savior and Lord?