Jonah

Jonah

Context:

The book of Jonah contains a large amount of highly emotional content and therefore it is safe to assume that Jonah himself would have been the one to have written it. Also, it is most likely that no one else would have depicted Jonah in such a bad light seeing as he was a respected prophet of that day (2 Kings 14:25).  Because this book was written by a prophet from Israel, it is most likely written to the Israelites in order to give them an understanding of the fact that God is merciful to all peoples, no matter who they are or how evil they are. He showed mercy to the people of Nineveh and Jonah despite the fact that both had disobeyed him.

Jonah was written to give the Israelites an understanding of the fact that God loves all peoples and persons regardless of their actions. He is not a respecter of persons but is willing to show mercy to all people who call out to him for mercy (4:2,3,10).

 Mercy is a major theme found in Jonah. God gives Jonah a second chance after he has disobeyed (3:1). He spares Nineveh after they repent (3:10) and He is faithful to teach Jonah despite the fact that he doesn’t see things the way God sees them (4:6-10). Obedience is also a major theme. You see what happens when Jonah fails to obey (1:4,17) and what happens when he does obey (3:4-10). You also see a theme of repentance. The sailors fear God more than Jonah does and choose to repent and turn to the Lord (1:14-16). The Ninevehites repent and God spares them (3:5-10).

Theme Tracing:

      What does this book show about the character and nature of God?

God is merciful to all peoples when they turn to them. He shows mercy to the sailors by sparing their lives (1:15). Jonah knows that God is a merciful God and states this in 4:2,3. He is unhappy with God’s act of mercy and God finally presents his case at the end of the book of Jonah by asking Jonah, “Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” God was saying to Jonah that if Jonah had mercy for a simple plant, than God should be justified in showing mercy to a whole city of people.

God is also patient. You see him working in Jonah’s life throughout the entire book. Despite the fact that Jonah continually disobeys and doesn’t portray a correct attitude, God is faithful to continue to lead him and work in his life (1:4,17; 2:10; 4:6-10).

2.     What does this book show about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

God is interested in all people’s coming to Him. The book of Jonah was a testimony to the Israelite people that God wants all people to be brought into reconciliation with Him. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. The Assyrians were enemies of Israel. Yet, God still loved them and wanted them brought back to Him and He wanted the Israelites to know that He is a God who reaches out to all people in hopes that they will turn back to Him (4:10).

Application Questions:

       Personal Application

I love the fact that God portrays Himself with such mercy and faithfulness. No matter how many times I mess up in life, God never fails to work in my life. Even His correction is brought into my life for good. God may bring me down into the depths just like He did with Jonah. But even when He allows such circumstances, it is only because He loves me and wants me to be drawn closer to Him. He wants me to be completely clean and He will never fail to pursue me. Jonah messes up several times. He runs away from God. He doesn’t love the Ninevehite people. He is angry with God for sparing them. Yet, in all this, God continually loves Jonah and chooses to work with Him and through Him. I am so thankful that God is faithful to me in this same way. May I always choose to praise Him (2:9).

        Point of Passion

Many of us often think that we have God figured out. It is so easy to fall into the trap of putting God into a box. “Surely God would not do that! Surely he would do things this way. Surely he wouldn’t show love and mercy to the cruelest people.” We often want God to do things our way. We don’t want Him to “show mercy to our enemies”. We want Him to do things in the way that is most comfortable for us. Leaders who fall into the trap of thinking they know how God is going to work or know what He is going to do next will not succeed to the extent that God desires them to. If you are going to lead others into the will of God as the prophet Jonah was called to do, you will have to be willing to step out and lead others into areas that neither they nor you are comfortable in. Jonah who was a respectable prophet in Israel was sent to give a word to Israel’s enemies (2 Kings 14:25). He knew that God would show mercy to them and he didn’t want them to be shown mercy. They were the enemies of his people. What if delivering this word made him hated or unpopular with Israel and Israel’s king? He could lose respect, and be humiliated. Yet, taking that step was what God wanted him to do. Most likely if you are obeying God, the steps you will take will not be popular to those you are leading and they will not be attractive to you either. You will have to swallow your pride as Jonah did and be willing to sacrifice your reputation and humble yourself. Most likely you will have to do things you never wanted to do. Yet, if you are willing to do this in obedience to Christ, God will work in greater ways than you can imagine.