A gigantic storm was raging. 1 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. The Scriptures state Jesus was in the earth 3 days and 3 nights. In chapter 4, Jonah was in Nineveh and in the desert. Jonahs repentance is expressed in a long, strange, and beautiful poem that is spoken within the fishs belly, and the language indicates that he is ready to change direction: The bars of the earth closed upon me forever. Jonah became angry. It provides a foretaste of the fullness of Israels destiny to bless Gentiles anticipated in the great Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12.1-3 cf. I believe Jonah didnt go, nor was the intent of God that he go to preach the Gospel but rather he was to preach judgement. And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons?!. Can you help me out here? Twelve years ago, they found out that their baby boy, Jonah, was diagnosed with a fatal rare disease, Sanfilippo Syndrome. Jonah provides instructive lessons. When you quote Jonah 3:9, 4:4, & 4:11 (they are all questions, one by the king, and two are God speaking to Jonah), I would add a question mark inside your quotation marks. 2 I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. Patient-Home-4877 1 yr. ago Verse 2 of chapters 1 and 3 contain the same three Hebrew verbs: (arise), (go), and (cry). We are all runaways. L. C. Allen wrote it was a model of literary artistry, marked by symmetry and balance (Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah) and H. C. Brichto described it, from beginning to end, in form and content, in diction, phraseology, and style, a masterpiece of rhetoric (Toward a Grammar of Biblical Poetics). This is why God makes statements such as 2 Chronicles 7.14. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. One of our greatest Christian authors, Charles Reade, known for his book, The Cloister and the Hearth, has called Jonah, "The most beautiful story ever written in so small a compass.". 8Then they said to him, Tell us, now! The other has Jonah alone with God. Tell us, they said, what is your business? Thank God for second chances! 270, 271.) Many people today talk about victimless sins,. Jesus called this day the Tribulation (Matthew 24.21, 29). Salvation is from the Lord.. And yet, the minute they genuinely repent even though that repentance is, admittedly, self-interested God is merciful. In a remarkable turn in the story, those who are not believers in the God of Israel dress down Jonah,who is to be Gods prophet, unto repentance! As our defiance deepens, the headwinds become ever stronger and the destructive forces ever more powerful. We read: 7Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Because He remembered Hannah, He remembered the Israelites. that grows ever deeper. 2 Chronicles 36.23; Ezra 7.21; Nehemiah 2.20; Daniel 2.18-19, 37, 44). If you wont do it for your own sake, then do it for oursbut call on the Lord! We read: So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of theLORD. Some things must ultimately be left to God. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you (Jonah 1.12). The men decide to draw lots to see who is responsible for the storm and the lot falls on Jonah. This idiom indicates a child under the age of two. Often the last one to know or admit the damage he does is the sinner himself. Jonah tried to run away from God in the opposite direction of Nineveh and headed by boat to Tarshish. Its always a longer journey when you disobey God. In Jonahs responses, he encountered non-Jews: the sailors and the captain and the Ninevites and their king. But God would have us reach out to the sinner, to correct with love. These and many other sins unleash storms that affect not only us but others around us as well. When Jesus told the Twelve not to go to Gentiles it was because Israel had to repent first to comply with the kingdom blessings which were part of the Abrahamic Covenant. Through Jonah, the sailors experienced salvation. When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah fled as far as he could from God. To all this pain can be added many other sufferingscaused by our greed, addiction, lack of forgiveness, pride, impatience, and lack of charity. Surprisingly, the men are not willing to kill him,at least not as the first recourse. The story of Jonah teaches compassion by not following the prophet's example. Rather than trusting God, he brazenly disobeys, foolishly thinking that he can outrun God. It is too easy for us to wish to destroy those who have harmed us, returning crime for crime, sin for sin. God not only plays dice, His dice are loadedand invisible. 4 The God of heaven was a term known to Gentiles (cf. In the story we see a portrait of sin and of God's love for sinners. Abraham bargained with God not to destroy Sodom if the city had ten righteous people (Genesis 18.32). Despite brevity, it is a powerful story of Gods grace to Gentiles and a reflective study into Gods character and mercy. He did not plant, water, or fertilize it. The great majority of it. Thanks for all. By the way, Do u pastor any congregation? So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the. Jonah's prayer is a masterpiece of heartfelt emotion and reaching out to God for mercy and forgiveness. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not. Soph. Many people today talk about victimless sins,actions that supposedly dont hurt anyone. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice. Chapter 1 ends, And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1.17).6 This verse fits more appropriately as the beginning of chapter 2 which contains Jonahs prayer to God. On account of selfishness and sexual misbehavior, many families have been torn apart. He could have told the crew to turn the ship back to Joppa. How much of our trouble comes from our sin? Jonah prefigured the fulfillment of this promise which will culminate in the Messianic (Millennial) kingdom. Deor.,' 3:37). That attitude, rather than Jonah's outward disobedience, was what upset God the most. Jonahs defiance sends him and others headlong into a stormthat grows ever deeper. Like Jonah, though, many line up to pay the price and take the long, painful journey deeper into defiance and sin. Did he fear that their redemption would make a mockery of his prophecy (that the city would be destroyed)? The book of Jonah ends with God having the last word: 10Then 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. If Only We had the Faith of Jonah! For the hesitant or doubters, the king issued anexecutive order for fasting, dressing in sackcloth, prayer, and repentance. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Jonah had appeared during a time of national distress and its rulers could ill afford divine wrath by aninvading army, famine, earthquake, epidemic, or flood. This familiar expression is found in many books of the Bible, occurring 92x (e.g., Genesis 15.1; 2 Samuel 7.4; 1 Kings 6.11, 16.1, etc.) Jonah is a dangerand a cause of grief to others around him. Jonah is a scientist who becomes a business theorist and helps Alex save his plant. God replied to Jonah:Do you have good reason to be angry (Jonah 4.4)? That was Jonah. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 2, 26-30. Nineveh was probably the greatest city in the world in Jonahs day. Jonah's Commission Was Clear But Distasteful "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." a. Externally, Assyria was threatened by Arameans and Urartians and suffered famine and revolts internally. The Ninevites repented from wickedness to righteousness. Why was Jonah disappointed in the repentance of the Ninevites? One night, when Hill was 15 years old, he and a friend snuck out in an SUV. He would not have to go to Nineveh. This would mean the metroplex was about 60 miles in diameter (comparable to modern Dallas-Ft. Worth). Wake up from your delusions. ), king of Assyria, invaded Israel during Hezekiahs reign about 50 years later. Jonah 3 God gave His commission to Jonah a second timeand this time, Jonah was ready to obey. Then, God prepared() a worm to eat the gourd which killed it (Jonah 4.7). Sometimes, to get a mans attention, God creates havoc. 16Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. The waves quickly enveloped him and overpowered his body. After He calmed the storm, they had declared, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him? Same power. If the plan of God was NOT to go to the Gentiles even as in the Gospels, Jesus said NOT to go to the Gentiles but only to the lost sheep of Israel, WHY did Jonah go to the Gentiles Nineveh? Each man had cried to his own god (Jonah 1.5). The next few verses demonstrate Gods grace and power: 14Then they called on the Lord and said, We earnestly pray, OLord, do not let us perish on account of this mans life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.15So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. We are all runaways. Jonah would rather die than go to Nineveh. Instead, he told them to throw him into the sea. 8Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, 9But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. If I ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I descend into hell, thou art present. Every crew member was praying to his god for deliverance. God pursues each of us to restore our broken relationship with Him (Genesis 3.8-10). On the one hand, there are the Ninevites, the evil I do not see Jonah as having fear, or being scared or afraid. The reason: God destroyed his army. As soon as Jonah has settled gratefully into its shade, God sends a worm to chew the roots of the plant, killing it so that Jonah is left exposed once again. 1The etymology of the name is literally wine-press of the digging and is mentioned in Joshua 19.13 and 2 Kings 14.25. Online and in the booth, he has done voice work with studios in Tokyo and across LA. Both messages resonate on Yom Kippur: repentance is staggeringly hard but Gods mercy is generous and swift. - with those thoughts in mind, let me invite you to turn to the closing verses in the book of Jonah. He gave this wayward prophet a second chance to fulfill the commission that was given. He tried to kick up to the surface, but no air was foundonly waves and water. 3 For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me. It is of course the children who suffer the most pain and injustice as a result of so much bad adult behavior. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple., ut You have brought up my life from the pit, O, Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple (Jonah 2.4). It is a prayer well worth careful study. He said, While I was fainting away,I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple (Jonah 2.7). He pouted and expressed anger. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. The kings proclamation indicated that like Jonahs sailors he had abandoned his gods and recognized Jonahs God (). 'sch. These would be paid whatever was right. At noon and 3 p.m. he did the same thing. Some things must ultimately be left to God. Jonah was angry over Gods destruction of the gourdhe lost his shade. All the while, they continue to ramble on about their right to do as they please. Jonah 1.12, 4.3, 9). Jonah hated this idea because Nineveh was one of Israel's greatest enemies and Jonah wanted nothing to do with preaching to them! 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