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GOD'S DEFIANT PROPHET
The Story Of Jonah
Lesson 2; JONAH 1:17 thru CHAPTER 2
(Gerald Dickson)

GOD’S RESPONSE TO DISOBEDIENCE
(RUNNING BACK TO GOD)

1:17-2:10 [Read]

God’s Preparation; v.1:17
The Lord had prepared a GREAT FISH to swallow Jonah. This calls for our faith to believe in a supernatural God.
The great fish was not a run of the mill whale although some species are large enough to swallow a man.
The text indicates it was a specially prepared GREAT FISH.
Jonah wasn’t just swallowed, he remained in the fish’s belly for three days and three nights.
In Matt. 12:40 [Read], AND Luke 11:30 [Read], Jesus not only acknowledged this historical fact, but went beyond this and showed it’s prophetic significance.

Jonah’s Prayer; 2:1-9
After sloshing around inside the fish for three days, Jonah thought possibly prayer might help him so he prayed from the fish’s belly, calling out to God. (Quite an unusual place to pray.)

His Prayer Of Repentance; v.2
He cried out from darkness and silence. Out of the belly of Sheol.
Sheol is pictured in Scriptures as being beneath the ground; Job 17:16 [Read].
Sheol is the realm of the dead. A place of death not of life.
Jonah had separated himself from God earlier, but was now crying out for access to Him.

His Prayer Of Submission; vv.3-4
Here Jonah came to his senses. Within the belly of the great fish, he saw the sovereignty of God in spite of his physical circumstances.
He recognized the one who used the sailors to execute His judgment by casting him into the sea.
Jonah became a revivalist, and also appealed to God’s mercy.

His Prayer In Trouble; vv.5-6
A description of the terrifying depths Jonah had sunk.
His flight from God,
A violent storm,
Deep water, and
The hungry mouth of a monster fish.
He eventually acknowledged God’s loving correction for his restoration, not his destruction.

His Prayer Of Restoration; v.7
As Jonah was beginning to fade, he prayed for restoration.

His Prayer Of Confession; v.8
Jonah was confessing his sin of trusting in an idol that could do nothing to save or rescue him. A complete waste of time and energy.
Jonah’s idol? His self will. His pride. The ultimate spiritual failure.

His Prayer Of Thanksgiving; v.9
This meant he was now ready to stop worshiping himself at the altar of his own will, and prepared to make the turn.
He gave himself up! He declared he will sacrifice and pay what he had vowed. With these words he declared his long overdue surrender. In effect, he said, “LORD, take me to Nineveh.”

God’s Power; v.10
Again we see the control of God:
The winds obeyed,
The seas obeyed, and now
The fish obeys.
The only one who had disobeyed was Jonah, the man of God.
After Jonah’s amphibious landing, he never stopped running until he arrived in Nineveh. This by the way is the only positive use of the word ‘vomit’ in the Bible.
Jonah’s story began with him “succeeding at failure” as he rejected:
God’s call,
Disobeyed God’s command, and
Ignored God’s will.
He had worshipped at the idol of self, choosing rather to die rather then submit to God.

However in God’s grace and in correction, God pursued His wayward servant.
Now he who succeeded so well at spiritual failure will be given a second chance, another opportunity to get it right.

LESSON 3; JONAH CHAPTER 3

FAILING AT SUCCESS
(RUNNING WITH GOD)

Winning The Battle vv.3:1-10 [Read]

By this time, the LORD of Israel has won the battle, but the war is not yet over.
Back on land, Jonah now makes his way to Nineveh. He had taken quite an adventurous detour. Remember he still had that journey of over 500 miles ahead of him.
Unknown to Jonah, God will now use him to bring about one of the greatest rescues in history. How will he respond?

A Second Chance; vv.1-2
Notice this call was much more personal and intense than the first. First was general, “cry out against”, but the second was more specific “preach… the message that I tell you.”
Second chances are not unheard of. They were given to Moses, and Peter for example. But never presume we shall be given a second chance. It is much safer to respond to God favorably the first time.
In Jonah’s case, God could have called a second man, but for His own purposes He chose to call the same man a second time.

A Simple Message; vv.3-4
Nineveh was a city great in size, significance, and wealth.
But it was also great in its sin; v.1:2 [Read]
Once there he began the three day journey through town to declare God’s warning to the people.
How did he get a crowd?
Perhaps his experience within the great fish caused the removal of his hair and bleached his skin. The very sight of him may have caused people to notice.
Did God, in advance, prepare the hearts of the Ninevites?
God’s judgment was that Nineveh would be overthrown; v.4.
A complete destruction of the city to its foundation. The same term “overthrown” that God used to describe the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; Gen. 19:25 [Read].
Jonah no doubt preached other words, but this was the main theme.
As warnings go, this was short and to the point. Messages of judgment are often marked by such directness:
Nathan’s words to David; 2 Sam. 12:7 [Read]
Judgment on Belshazzar; (the writing on the wall) Dan. 5:24-28 [Read].
God’s warning to the Ephesian Church; Rev. 2:5 [Read].
Jonah may have enjoyed this message of destruction to the Ninevites thinking that they would not heed this warning.

God’s Mercy Was Evident; v.4b
God gave them an opportunity for repentance, a specific amount of time, forty days to repent.
To Jonah’s astonishing surprise the people of Nineveh were about to honor God with a surrender.
This could be called the greatest revival in Biblical history – over 600,000 people repented and turned their hearts to the Lord in worship, and the campaign lasted no longer than three or four days.
Jonah’s internal rebellion remained even though externally he was in obedience to God.
Even though he was speaking the words of God he was passively rebelling against the heart of God who is not willing that any should perish. 2 Peter 3:9 [Read].

A Serious Response vv.5-9
Imagine as Jonah cried out, people turned to listen. There was soon weeping and other signs of genuine repentance.
At last the message of God, spoken by Jonah, entered even the palace and the king took the place of a mourner alongside his repenting subjects. (v. 6)
An entire culture responded to the grace and mercy of God.
“ So the people of Nineveh believed God….” V.5a [Read] This word “believed” is the same as used in Gen. 15:6 [Read]. It is trusting the God who has spoken.

Their Repentance And Prayer; vv.5-9
Fasting and sackcloth are two Old Testament expressions of a sincere heart.
Faith produced action:
Spontaneous, Immediate, and Unanimous.
The people’s repentant faith caused a change in their behavior.
They acknowledged that God is sovereign and if He chose to, could “turn away from His fierce anger.” V9 [Read]
It is important to notice that by faith the people went to prayer with hope that mercy would overtake judgment.

A Saving God v.10
God saw that the people and their king had genuinely turned from their sin. Their lives had begun to change.
What God did
He relented in bringing disaster among them. He reversed His declaration of judgment and rescued them from their sin.
This does not mean God changed His mind. He had given the Ninevites a choice. They accepted their fate and chose wisely.
God’s laws about judgment of sin are clear, but escape is available when we accept His terms seeking mercy and forgiveness.

LESSON 4; JONAH CHAPTER 4

LOSING THE WAR
(RUNNING AHEAD OF GOD)

vv. 4:1-11 [Read]

Jonah’s job was complete, he had brought the message to Nineveh as God had instructed. However as we approach this final chapter we see him failing at success.
Jonah was now more than upset – he was seething with anger that wouldn’t go away.

Jonah’s Anger vv.1-3
Nineveh was exceptionally quick to respond to God, yet Jonah was slow to respond to the LORD.
Jonah reveals his bigotry. “It displeased Jonah exceedingly….” In this use of the word, “displeased,” it means to see as evil. He actually viewed God’s rescue of Nineveh as wrong!
“… .and he became angry.” The word for anger means “to burn.” God had mercifully turned from His anger, but Jonah’s anger toward God was kindled.
Why was he angry?
Because judgment had been averted. A judgment Jonah had desperately wanted to see happen! Jonah had done what God wanted of him, to preach, but God had not done what Jonah wanted, complete destruction of Nineveh.
The last time Jonah had prayed, he was in the belly of the great fish, and glad for mercy. But now he was angry at God for that same mercy because it had gone to his enemies.
He felt God had betrayed him. We must remember we are responsible only for performing the will of God not the consequences of the performance. God is:
GRACIOUS – showing favor to those who don’t deserve it, like Jonah who accepted it.
MERCIFUL – showing kindness, compassion, and forgiveness to those in need. Jonah had received it, but refused to extend it.

SLOW TO ANGER – God does not immediately execute deserved punishment, but gives us time to repent.
ABUNDANT IN LOVING KINDNESS – God abounds in love, goodness, and pity.
ONE WHO RELENTS FROM DOING HARM – He is capable of judgment as well as forgiveness.
Jonah was so angry and bitter toward God, he just wanted to die.
He asked, “…. take my life from me….”
Jonah had earlier praised God three times for saving his life now he wanted God to kill him…. Amazing! What a contrast to the Savior, who died so we could live.

God’s Challenge v.4
God challenged Jonah about his anger, and was eventually taught the breadth of divine mercy.
God often challenged His people with penetrating questions:
He asked Adam, “Where are you?” Gen. 3:9
He asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” Gen. 4:9
Jesus asked Judas, “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48
It’s as if God is saying to Jonah, “We are looking at the same situation in different ways. Which of us has the proper perspective?”
Jonah’s answer should have been, “Let God be true but every man a liar.” But instead he ran away again.

Jonah’s Flight v. 5
Jonah was concerned only for his comfort – making a shelter where he could sit and watch the city. He had become an isolated and bitter man. Without a change of heart a bitter person only gets worse with time.

God’s Preparation vv. 6-8
God prepared a plant to grow over Jonah and his shelter.
Now for the first time in this story, Jonah is grateful. But it is only because the plant was of benefit to him.
He now relaxed and fell asleep. (v.6)
In the morning God surprised Jonah with a worm, no doubt a large one, with a voracious appetite which readily chewed the vine.
Notice verses 6 and 7 expose two opposite characteristics of God’s nature – His ability to deliver and to destroy.
God also created a hot scorching east wind that blew in off the desert.
Now God had Jonah’s undivided attention. But what does he do? He saw death as preferable to submitting to God.

God’s Question v. 9
In verse 4 Jonah was angry about God. Now he’s angry about a plant.
Not unlike us, we may become angry at a big thing, and then quickly we become angry at petty things. One circumstance overcomes another.
God questions Jonah if he had a right to be angry with a plant even though he had nothing to do with its development and growth.

Jonah’s Animosity v.9b
Jonah still doesn’t get it. There he sat under a withered stalk, despondent, bitter, vindictive – a tragic portrait in self pity.
He thought if God was going to act this way, he would be better off dead.

God’s Rebuke vv. 10-11
God tried to put Jonah’s attitude into perspective:
He loved a worthless withered plant, but hated the souls of men.
It’s as if God is asking who’s rationale is right, Jonah’s or His.
God is expressing to Jonah that compassion for a city of human beings has eternal value. The “120,000 persons” likely refers to the number of children within Nineveh.

THE REST OF THE STORY
The story ends with no satisfactory results. We hope that Jonah finally came to understand the need for mercy to overwhelm judgment. If this were not true, why would he write of his own experience of God’s words about the value He places on eternal souls?

On his journey back to his home in Gath Hepher, God’s rebuke probably weighed heavily on his heart. We can hope he returned home with a heart of love and compassion for the lost – even for those who were his enemies.
When our enemies come to faith in God, they’re not enemies anymore.

Jonah wrote his story with frankness and honesty. We should be reminded why love is always better than hate. If for no other reason than the God we worship and praise, loves those we call enemies.

We should have learned from this book of Jonah of the great mercy of God:
Of His pursuit and restoration of Jonah,
His sparing of the sailors, and
His miraculous salvation of Nineveh.

It is utterly impossible to escape from God.
David knew it. Psalm 139:7-8 [Read]
Jeremiah knew it. Jeremiah 23:23-24 [Read]
Jonah found out about it.
And we know it!

It is absolutely essential to submit to God.
Jonah serves as a lasting reminder of the compassionate heart of God for the lost, and His determination to use us regardless of our will.

May God grant that we would succeed in gratefully and obediently taking His mercy to those who need it as much as we.

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