Jonah - Messenger To Nineveh (1:1-4:11)

Jonah - Messenger To Nineveh (1:1-4:11)

INTRODUCTION

1. We now come to the most well known of "The Minor Prophets": Jonah,
whose name means "Dove"

2. His book does not contain prophecy per se, rather it contains the
history of a prophet...
a. A prophet reluctant to fulfill the mission God assigned him
b. A prophet who complained when his mission proved successful
-- What kind of prophet is that? Perhaps one that reveals what may
be true of ourselves!

3. This short book of "Jonah" easily falls into four sections...
a. "Running Away From God" (chapter one)
b. "Running To God" (chapter two)
c. "Running With God" (chapter three)
d. "Running Ahead of God" (chapter four)

4. In this brief survey of the book, we will simply read our way
through it...
a. Making observations as we go along
b. Offering lessons that can be glean from each section

[With the first chapter then, we soon find Jonah...]

I. "RUNNING AWAY FROM GOD" (1:1-17)

A. AN OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER...
1. God commissions Jonah to preach in Nineveh - 1:1-2
2. Jonah rebels against God’s plan - 1:3
3. God has a plan for Jonah - 1:4-17
a. He sends "a great wind on the sea" - 1:4-16
b. He prepares "a great fish" - 1:17

B. OBSERVATIONS IN READING THE TEXT...
1. Jonah is also mentioned in 2Ki 14:23-25
a. He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 793-753
B.C.)
b. He was from Gath Hepher (4 miles NE of what was later
Nazareth in Galilee)
2. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria
a. It was located about 220 NNW of the present city of Baghdad
b. The Assyrians were noted for their cruelty, especially to
prisoners
3. The city of Tarshish
a. A Phoenician outpost in SW Spain
b. On the edge of the Mediterranean world, Jonah was running
in the opposite direction of Nineveh
4. In retrieving Jonah, God gained some converts (the sailors)
- cf. 1:14-16

C. LESSONS FROM CHAPTER ONE...
1. God concerns Himself with the wickedness of heathen nations
- 1:2
2. One cannot run away from God! - cf. Ps 139:7-11
3. God is able to use incidents in the lives of His servants for
His glory - cf. 1:5 with 1:14-16

[With the end of chapter one, Jonah is now in the belly of the great
fish. Having run away from God, we now find him...]

II. "RUNNING TO GOD" (2:1-10)

A. AN OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER...
1. Jonah’s prayer - 2:1-9
2. Jonah’s deliverance - 2:10

B. OBSERVATIONS IN READING THE TEXT...
1. The prayer is written like a psalm; its present form may have
been composed after the fact, looking back
2. Jonah realized that what happened was God’s doing - 1:3
3. It is interesting to note that his prayer is more of a
THANKSGIVING, than a petition

C. LESSONS FROM CHAPTER TWO...
1. "Someone has observed that there are times when we must be
made to go into the lowest depths that we may regain a living
faith" (Hailey)
2. Prayers in time of need should be made with an attitude of
thanksgiving as well as petition - cf. Php 4:6

[Having learned his lesson, Jonah is now ready to do God’s will;