Prophets of Doom: Jonah
Part 1 of the “Prophets of Doom” message series
Key Scripture: Jonah 3:6 – Jonah 4:11
6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. 7 He issued a proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8 But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9 Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 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. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. 7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.” 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?”
The BIG Idea:
Jonah resisted going to Nineveh because he knew God would relent if any sign of repentance existed. Jonah wasn’t interested in God’s mercy for others, only in God’s justice for wickedness. If we are honest, at times we’d rather God exercise punishment than forgiveness, and because of this, our hearts are not in line with the heart of God. Some believe the true story of Jonah is fictional, and others dismiss it as being allegorical, yet Jesus mentions it three times in the Gospels. Followers of Jesus should interpret this as a real story with real people and real events that illustrate a central theme: the mercy of God. We all need God’s mercy, love, compassion, and kindness – even those we believe do not deserve these gifts from God.
The story of Jonah occurred between 790 and 760 BCE before the ascension of the Assyrian Empire. Nineveh is near the modern-day city of Mosul, Iraq, near the Tigris River.
Jesus mentions Jonah as a true story three times in the Gospels.
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40 for just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgement and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. – Matthew 12:38-42 (NASB)
An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away. – Matthew 16:4 (NASB)
29 Now as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it demands a sign, and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. – Luke 11:29-32 (NASB)
ILLUSTRATION: Whaler in the belly still alive.
In Jonah chapter 4, verse 2, Jonah lists five attributes of the nature of God.
- God is gracious.
- God is compassionate.
- God is slow to anger.
- God loyally loves us.
- God is relenting.
The book of Jonah is about the mercy of God.
God’s mercy is God’s love, kindness, and compassion towards people.
Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’ – Ezekiel 33:11 (NASB)
- God’s mercy is undeserved.
15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. – I Timothy 1:15-16 (NLT)
The idea that God has relenting grace is difficult for some to accept.
Our judgement of Jonah is not much different from Jonah’s judgement of the Ninevites.
Jonah’s story warns a people of God about the danger of forgetting that we are ambassadors, participating in the reconciling of the world to God.
“If you know that Jesus did not abandon you in that ultimate storm, what makes you think He would abandon you in much smaller storms you’re experiencing right now? And, someday, of course, He will return and still all storms for eternity.” – Tim Keller (1950-2023), The King’s Cross
The hardness of the human heart compared to the compassion of God is at the heart of the book of Jonah.
- God’s mercy is unexpected.
- God’s mercy is unbiased.
- God’s mercy is unlimited.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness and mercy is everlasting.
– Psalm 118:29 (NASB)
Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Hebrews 4:16 (NASB)
Bearing the image of God and as followers of Jesus, we must seek to shine the light of Christ Jesus.
If we choose to not stay faithful to Jesus, this only leaves others in the darkness of this world.
Learning to be patient with others is critical in being able to communicate at the level of people’s deepest needs.
Great HOPE awaits all who relent and turn to God.
Questions for Reflection
How does the message of Jonah challenge you to consider God’s calling on your own life? In what ways have you resisted God’s calling on your life?
Reread Jonah’s reasoning for being upset (Jonah 4:1-3). What do you believe is the source of Jonah’s anger? How much is it about God, and how much is it about himself?
Why do people struggle with God’s forgiveness and compassion? How much of that struggle is the result of personal issues, such as a spirit of unforgiveness and friends?
How much of an influence may a follower of Jesus have on the ability of a person to accept the deep forgiveness of God?
How does Jonah’s situation speak to you about your own attitude toward others God forgives whom you think maybe God shouldn’t forgive?