Old Testament Prophets – Jonah - (The Pharisee Prophet)
The book of Jonah is a book that is very unique in nature. It covers not the life of Jonah or the direct messages of Jonah, but merely a small portion of his life. The book of Jonah is like a novel skillfully pinned allowing us to look into the life of society, the heart and mind of the Prophet, and the response of the gentile world to the message of a merciful and sovereign God.
The Author of the book of Jonah: is Unknown
The Book of Jonah was one of the first Prophetic Books to have been written
Jonah the Man –
We see many things about the life of Jonah and his heart and mind set. His very actions and thoughts give his inner most secrets away.
Jonah is listed as a minor Prophet (book only 4 chapters long)
He was a Nazarene from the region of Galilee, from Gath-hepher
Son of Amittai
He was a racist – against Gentiles
He was a known Prophet of his day in Israel (2 Kings 14:25)
He was very self absorbed (selfish).
He knew God and his attributes – but did not agree whole-heartedly with Gods views.
The Ministry of Jonah
Jonah arrives on the scene in a very interesting time in Israel’s history.
The nation had lived under the rule of 11 Kings and had fallen farther and farther away from Jehovah. It had been 130 years since the reign of King Solomon when Israel started its wayward journey from Jehovah and worship of the one real God for Idols and Money.
A. The State of the Nation of Israel
11 Kings and 130 years had Passed
Saw the introduction of Calf Worship by Jeroboam
Political Murders were becoming the norm of the day.
Alliances with Phoenicia + Syria + Judah were made, and had seen them Broken
Lost cities in war to the Syrians
Introduction of the worship of Baal and the Asteroth under Jezebel
The God had risen up the Assyrians as a world power and used them to deliver Israel from Syria under King Jehoahaz.
The land was becoming peaceful and prosperous again like the days of King Solomon under the kingship of Jeroboam 2.
Saw Nineveh (the capitol of Assyria) beginning to rise towards the height of its glory.
The Ministry of Jonah
The Kings of Israel Jonah Served
King Jehoash
King Jehoash - Israel’s 12 King 133 years after Solomon– As the Prophet Elisha was on his deathbed, he prophesied to king Jehoash concerning the Arameans (Syrians). He had King Jehoash strike the ground with an Arrow. He only struck the ground 3x so Elisha said that he will have three successive victories over the Syrians.
He conquered in three Battles all of the cities that his father had lost to the Syrians
He also plundered the temple of Jerusalem and knocked down part of its walls.
King Jeroboam 2
King Jeroboam 2- Israel’s 13th king, 149 years since Solomon –
Jonah had helped prophecy Jeroboams victories in military conquest (2 Kings 14:25)
2 Kings 14:23-25- 23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. 24 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.
Expanded the nation to its richest day since Solomon.
Nation was at peace under his reign for 40 years
Continued in the Sin of Calf worship
Also heard the prophecies of Amos & Hosea
Jonah ministered in Israel the same time as Amos and Hosea – (very likely the knew one another)
Jonah’s Ministry was towards the 10 tribes of Israel (N Kingdom)
Gad | Issachar | Manasseh | Simeon | Zebulon
Dan | Naphtali | Rueben | Ephriam | Asher
The Call of God (Go to Nineveh)
The Assyrians were beginning to rise to a world power at this time. They however did have in this time frame some of their weaker kings so the nations growth in power had somewhat planed out in Conquest. But would rise again only 40 short years later. Jonah’s ministry brought Peace to Israel from the Assyrian Forces.
Jonah saw the rising empire of Assyria that Amos & Hosea had predicted would carry Israel way into captivity. The City of Nineveh was the most advanced and predominate city of the Assyrian Empire.
The Assyrians were known for their cruelties of war and Jonah had seen them carry off the innocent
Hos 11:5- 5 They will not return to the land of Egypt; But Assyria – he will be their king Because they refused to return to Me.
The call of Jonah was unusual for a Hebrew Prophet. – they normally were not called out of Israel.
Elisha had left Israel to speak to the king of Aram but his message was for a man not a nation.
Jonah became God’s first sent Missionary to a foreign Land.
Jonah’s Flee (rebellion against God)
God called Jonah to leave Israel and Go to Nineveh in the far North-East and Preach Repentance.
Jonah heads south west the opposite direction towards Joppa – to go to Tarshish by Boat
Tarshish was one of the farthest western civilizations of the known time. It was a Phoenician colony on the southwestern banks of Spain.
Jonah gets on a cargo ship headed for Spain – and God raises a large storm to buffet the ship at sea.
The men fear for their lives and all cry out to their God. The captain finds Jonah a sleep in the boats hull and commands, “he rise up and seek his God”. God uses a Heathen Ship captain to reorder Jonah to serve God!
Jonah tells them he is fleeing from God. “ In those days to servants stood in the presence of seated Royalty – Jonah by declaring he was fleeing from the presence of God was telling of his willing resignation of the prophetic call on his life.
Jonah 1:10
10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah gets thrown over board and a Large Whale eats him & saves his life from drowning.
Jonah 1:14-17
14 Then they called on the LORD and said, “We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased.”
15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
16 Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.
17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
The Whale Issue: Could Jonah have really been eaten by a whale & lived?
Frank Bullen’s – “Cruise of the Cachalot” displays some idea of the size of the whales of the deep – The Sperm Whale in particular. Frank is an experienced whaler and records events he has actually seen. He records of numerous times where whales over 70 feet long were caught and killed. The size & weight were estimated at 15 tons. He records the events of one trip of how a 15-foot shark was found whole in the belly of a whale. The one piece of interesting evidence to the Jonah story is that when a sperm whale is dieing he records, the whale actually ejects the contents of its stomach. He records one such event in his book, were a whale ejected its stomach contents in a pile as large as the ships Hatch house. 8 feet x 6 feet x 6 feet
The James Bartley story- James Bartley was a British seaman aboard the whaler ship star of the East. In 1891 when out at sea Mr. Bartley was part of an attempt to capture a sperm whale off the coast of Labrador. The whale upset one of the boats and the men were thrown into the sea. All were saved but two. These men were thought to have drowned. The Star of East managed to capture and kill he sperm whale and towed it to shore. 2 ½ days later they opened the whales belly and to their amazement found one of their sea comrades Mr. James Bartley. He was unconscious but still alive. He suffered intensely afterwards but finally made a complete recovery. The story was fully investigated by the leading journalist of the day M de Parville, editor of the journal des Debats. Who conclude all the recorded events and statements from Captain and crew all coincided and was worthy of belief.
Why Did Jonah Flee from God? __________________
Jonah actually was rebelling against the God of Israel in his own heart.
Jonah Hated the Gentiles (Assyrians) in his heart and wanted God to destroy them
He knew That God was Merciful, long-suffering, and that he feared God might actually help the Assyrians and save them.
He knew that God had prophesied through Amos & Hosea That the Assyrians would destroy Israel
He was full of Pride (he thought the Jews were above the gentiles and that salvation should belong to them alone.
Jonah 4:22 He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
What must Jonah’s Mind-set and emotions been like while running from God? __________________
Jonah’s heart was smitten by God in his rebellion. Thus he repents in the sea.
He was fighting a depression of mixed emotions thus he slept of the journey (don’t face it)
He was wrestling with own inward convictions as God embraced them and demanded Change
Why Did God save Jonah after he deserted Him? ____________________
Because he was the selected of the lord and God loved Jonah even in his rebellion.
God was training the heart of Jonah, and using Jonah’s life to touch the life of others.
The whole trip was about Jonah
The 1st Salvation of Jonah
Jonah 2:1-9
Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish,
2 and he said,
“I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. 3 “For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. 4 “So I said, “I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5 “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 “I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 “While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard vain idols Forsake their faithfulness, 9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.”
Jonah felt the anger and pursuit of God as the waves beat all around him he knew he was about to die.
He felt the very sea grabbing at his life in the forms of seaweed and waves billing over him.
Jonah was dieing at sea and the lord and he repented and God rescued him,
Jonah had done the very thing he had run from. He had preached to the Gentiles aboard the Phoenician boat and they after seeing the works of God repented and worshiped Jehovah.
The Captain had taken the voice of God and they had responded more to the dealings of God than Jonah Had and he was the prophet on Board.
God never gave up on Jonah because he was his own choice but Jonah was going through the dealings of God to make him a man of character that would work with God with a pure heart.
Jonah was a racist and hated the gentiles and felt they deserved Judgment but he himself wanted Mercy. – He was a Pharisee at heart and they were not even created yet.
The 2nd calling of Jonah
God is determined Jonah is going to get his deliverance from Pride and Prejudice against the Gentiles
So the whale becomes his Fiery Furnace where Jonah meets God face to face again and recommits so He is thrown up on the land.
Jonah walks and goes to Nineveh to speak on behalf of the Lord. And Cry against their Sins!
Jonah was humbled in the sea and the whale but he was not yet a broken vessel of Pure Heart.
The Message
Oh Nineveh your sin and violence has come up before the Lord of the heavens and Nineveh will be laid waist (destroyed) in 40 days.
Jonah preached three days in Nineveh in order to cover the whole city. In Jonah’s day Nineveh was about 3 miles long and wide and hosted 120,000 people ( 6 Kirksville’s)
(Now Jonah the bible says was a wonder or a sign to the Ninevites)
Jonah after three nights in the belly of the whale must have been quite a site. Three days of stomach acid and water and seaweed,
Matt 12:39-41
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
The Men of Nineveh (Assyrians who were superstitious by nature) believed this man from another land who cried against their city in the name of an unknown God. They repented and cried out for Mercy.
The King himself tore his clothes and demanded every man turn from his wicked way and every man and animal in Nineveh Fast and cry out to the God of Jonah to see if the sovereign God would change his mind
The Assyrian King took on the sound of a Hebrew Prophet “ turn from your wicked way”
God recants on his Judgment against Assyria because the humbled themselves before him.
Jonah’s 2nd Salvation – Winning the Prophet’s heart
The lord honored the Assyrian’s repentance and it says that 120,000 people turned to God.
Jonah leaves the city after his words of Judgment and is looking forward to seeing God’s Judgment on Nineveh.
He sits up a shelter outside of the city to watch Nineveh’s fate. As time passes he realizes God has changed his mind and Jonah’s gets angry.
Jonah was now a False Prophet in his own mind. His word never came to pass.
God remains gentle and patient working with Jonah to convert him like he had the Assyrians and Phoenicians.
He grows a plant for shade for Jonah and Jonah is pleased and then God kills it with a worm of the ground and it dies and God begins to blow a wind over Jonah off the dessert to agitate him.
God goes to the heart Issue of Jonah-
Jonah 4:22
He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
Jonah 4:9-11
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.”
10 Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
11 “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”
Jer 18:7-8
7 “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it;
8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.
The Effects and Purpose of Jonah’s Journey
Jonah was very hard in his own heart –
God hand selected Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach to the thing he hated so he could the thing he hated out of him.
God used Gentiles to mold the prophet and touched the earth in the process.
God knew Jonah would run but selected a ready crew to meet him
God used a city of repentant Pagans to convert his very own Hebrew Prophet and shatter him so he could be pure
God revealed that he was completely in control, and he loved the whole earth not just the borders of Judah and Israel.
Because of Jonah’s ministry there was 40 years of peace between Israel and the Assyrians through the days of Jeroboam 2.
The book has many lessons to be learned
God will choose you for a purpose usually its more about what he is doing in you not just the people he is sending you to.
God’s will, will get done at all cost
God loves his elections even when they are proud, stupid, unlearned, or haters of God.
The book is a book a pure Salvation first for a prophet, then the heathen Phoenicians and finally the Pagan Assyrian’s and then once again the Prophet.