When God Changes His Mind (Jonah 3:1-10) Series

The book of Jonah began in a surprising way. Yahweh called Yonah to go to Ninevah, and Yonah disobeyed. This is not what prophets do. Prophets obey. But Yonah ran the wrong direction, to the end of the known world, at Tarshish. When that didn't work, he chose death over Yahweh. He refused to cry out to Yahweh. Wouldn't do it. He would rather die, than open his mouth, and ask Yahweh for help. He showed total resolve, and determination, in this.

But all of that changed in chapter 2. Yonah realized that Yahweh and Yonah now have a shared goal in life-- neither one of them wants anything to do with the other. Yahweh was driving Yonah away from his face, and he was doing a much better job of it than Yonah did. Yahweh threw Yonah off the side of the boat, and held him under water. At that point, Yonah had two choices-- he could embrace the death he desired, or he could cry out to Yahweh.

And it was then, as Yonah was dying, that he realized he'd made a mistake. And so Yonah opened his mouth, and called to Yahweh-- and Yahweh sent a great fish to save him.

So there Yonah sits in the great fish, for three days and nights, presumably thinking about what he'd done, and what Yahweh had done for him, and about whether or not he's happy to be alive. And it's only at the end of those three days and nights, that he decides he's truly grateful to Yahweh for saving him. He decides he's going to be Yahweh's faithful servant, and do what Yahweh wants him to do. And so, after three days and nights, he finally opens his mouth, and offers this prayer, starting in 2:3:

(3) and he said,

"I called from my distress to Yahweh,

and he answered me.

From the belly of Sheol I cried for help.

You heard my voice,

(4) and you threw me deep into the heart of the seas,

while the ocean currents were surrounding me.

All your breakers and your waves, over me they passed,

while I said,

"I have been driven away from before your eyes.

However, I shall again look on the temple of your holiness,"

Waters encircled up to the neck.

The premaeval sea was surrounding me.

Seaweed was wrapped around my head.

(7) To the base of the mountains I went down.

The earth/underworld-- it's bars were around me forever,

and you brought up from the pit of Sheol my life, Yahweh my Elohim/God.

(8) When my life/neck was growing faint, Yahweh I remembered,

and my prayer came to you, to the temple of your holiness.

(9) The ones revering worthless idols, their loyalty they are abandoning/forsaking,

(10) while I with a sound of thanksgiving shall sacrifice to you.

What I vowed, I shall fulfill.

Salvation [belongs to] Yahweh,

And it's only after Yonah has prayed this beautiful prayer of commitment to Yahweh, that Yahweh lets him out. Yonah is finally broken, finally committed to Yahweh, and so Yahweh does this, in verse 11:

(11) And Yahweh spoke to the fish,

and it vomited Jonah onto the dry land.

And the story then continues, chapter 3, verse 1:

(1) And the Word of Yahweh came to Yonah a second time, saying,

(2) "Rise!

Walk! to Ninevah the great city,

and call! to it the message that I am telling to you,"

(3) And Yonah rose,

and he walked to Ninevah according to the Word of Yahweh.

So at the beginning of chapter 3, we find ourselves right back where we started. Nothing in the first two chapters should've been necessary. Our story would work just fine without them being there, right? Which makes us wonder, why are they there? What is it that we are missing? And why did Yonah flee from the face of Yahweh?

Maybe now we will find our answer, and find out what made Yonah run from God's presence. Because now, Yonah is obeying Yahweh-- Yonah rises, and he walks to Ninevah in obedience to Yahweh. And there is something about all of this that we know Yonah doesn't like.

Our story continues:

Now, Ninevah was a great city to God, a three day walk,

(4) and Yonah began to go into the city, a one day walk,

and he called out,

and he said,

"Another forty days, and Ninevah shall be overturned/destroyed,"

When we flip back to the start of the book, the message the Word of Yahweh gave Yonah was this, in 1:1-2:

(1) And the word/Word of Yahweh came to Yonah the son of Amittai, saying,

(2) "Rise!

Walk! to Ninevah the great city,

and call! against it

that their evil has come up before my face,

The message Yonah gives to Ninevah is different than what Yahweh first told Yonah in chapter 1. In chapter 1, the focus is on what Ninevah did wrong. In chapter 3, the focus is on what is going to happen to Ninevah.