JONAH

In Jonah’s day, Nineveh was an “exceeding great city” having a large population (Jon. 3:3; 4:11; cf. Deut. 1:39). Moses mentioned first Nineveh as being built by Asshur, the son of Shem (Gen. 10:11, 22). The children of Asshur then became the Assyrians of which Nineveh became the capitol. Nahum says it was a rich city through commercial enterprise (Nah. 2:8,9; 3:16). However, it was a city full of sin, full of lies and robbery (Nah. 3:1), witchcraft (Nah. 3:4) and idolatry (Nah. 1:14). It was to this city that Jonah was sent by God.

The only man in the Bible named Jonah, meaning “dove,” was the son of Amittai from Gath-hepher, a city of Zebulon (II Kings 14:25). Gath hepher, “wine press of the well,” is today a “small set of ruins” about three miles north of Nazareth in the Galilee district near Mashhad, Israel. Jonah and Jesus grew up in the same area. There is near this site one of the several purported tombs of the prophet Jonah. He was possibly one of the earliest of the writing prophets following Elisha.

Jonah had apparently prophesied in Israel concerning the restoration of the territory once given to the children of Israel in fulfillment of the prophecy to Abram (Gen. 15:18). This prophecy was first fulfilled in Solomon (I Kings 8:65) and the territory, after having been lost (e.g, II Kings 13:25), was then restored in fulfillment of Jonah’s prophecy (II Kings 14:25). It was only after his successful mission to Israel that the Lord sent Jonah over 500 miles away to Nineveh. It was a mission that Jonah did not want to undertake.

So “Jonah arose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord” (Jon. 1:3). Jonah, as a prophet of the Lord, must have known that no man can hide himself from God (Jer. 23:24; Psalm 139:7-10; Heb. 4:12). Indeed, he admits as much (Jon. 1:10-12). But it has been a human reflex to hide from the face of God knowing you have done wrong instead of facing His Holiness and judgment (e.g., Gen. 3:8-10; Rev. 6:15,16). Jonah intended to flee as far as he could from Nineveh in the northeast to Tarshish, in Spain. But his plan was to fail.

With Jonah’s admission that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord (1:10), and his own solution of being cast overboard to spare the ship (1:12), God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah (1:17). For three days and nights Jonah cried out to God from the belly of hell (2:2). His prayer of fear and hope and of terror and trust is recorded in the second chapter of his book. After three days and nights, at God’s word, the great fish vomited Jonah upon dry ground. Jesus used this episode of Jonah’s life to foreshadow His own resurrection from the dead (Matt. 12:40).

Given a new lease on life, Jonah is again commanded by God to go to Nineveh and “preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee” (Jon. 3:1). Instead of fleeing in the opposite direction, this time Jonah heads toward Nineveh and begins to preach “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (3:4). Jonah must have been an effective and persuasive preacher because the people of Nineveh believed God and turned from their evil way (Jon. 3:10). And because they repented and God saw their works, God also repented of the promised destruction (Jon. 3:10).

This should have pleased Jonah. Instead, “it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry” (Jon. 4:2). The commentaries provide a host of possible reasons for Jonah’s anger, but the answer must lie in Jonah’s response: “Therefore I fled before The unto Tarshish: for I knew that Thou are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of evil” (4:2). Jonah fled because he knew God was merciful. These words suggest that Jonah sought the destruction of Nineveh. Furthermore, God’s words “Should I not spare Nineveh…” suggest the same idea.

The fact that the Lord used the repentance of Nineveh against the Jewish leaders of His day, demonstrates what a poignant example Nineveh had become. Jesus said “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here” (Matthew 12:41). A greater than Jonas is here. Will you repent?

Eric L. Padgett