JONAH: THE REBELLIOUS PROPHET
A. If you hang around FISHERMEN for long, you will hear a lot of “FISH STORIES.”
1. You’ll notice how the FISH keeps getting BIGGER and BIGGER each time the STORY is TOLD.
2. Or you’ll hear some amazing story about “the one that got away.”
ILLUSTRATION:
I always liked the story about the two FISHERMEN who met on their VACATION. And as with
most FISHERMEN who get together, they started swapping “FISH STORIES”.
After talking a few minutes about the different places they had fished and the type of tackle and bait they use, one of the fishermen told of a VICIOUS BATTLE he had with a 300 pound SALMON just outside of Portland, Oregon.
The other fisherman listened attentively, and frankly admitted that he had never caught anything that even came close to being that BIG. However, he told about the time he snagged an ANTIQUE LANTERN from the depths of Lake Michigan. The lantern had a SHIPPING TAG still attached with the year 1912 written on it. But the strangest thing of all was the fact that it was a WATERPROOF
LANTERN and the LIGHT was still LIT.
After a long pause the first FISHERMAN said, “I tell you what I’ll do. . . . I’ll take 200 pounds off my FISH if you’ll put out the LIGHT on your LANTERN.”
B. No matter how great your FISH STORY might be, it couldn’t compare to the one told in the book of Jonah.
(AND THIS ONE IS TRUE)
1. Unlike Obadiah and Joel who were both prophets of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, Jonah was a
prophet of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
a. “He PROPHESIED during the days of King Jeroboam II”- 2 Kings 14:23-25.
b. The date of this prophecy is around 800-755 BC
c. Jonah or “Yonah” is the Hebrew word for “DOVE”.
d. Interestingly, Jonah is the only Minor Prophet that “Jesus mentions by name”- Matthew 12:39-41.
COMMENT:
Jonah was a great patriot of Israel. Being a narrow-minded patriot of Israel who loved his people and his land, Jonah found it difficult to understand and obey the call of God to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, to announce the DOOM of that city so that the people might REPENT and LIVE. Remember, Assyria within the next 35 to 80 years will ruthlessly conquer Israel and take the SURVIVORS captive to be their SLAVES.
2. Unlike the other MINOR PROPHETS, the book of Jonah is really not about the MESSAGE of Jonah, as
it is about the PROPHET himself and how God deals with him.
a. In fact, Jonah’s message to Nineveh is only 8 words long: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be
destroyed”- Jonah 3:4. –That’s his entire MESSAGE!
b. The book follows the EXPLOITS of the PROPHET trying to RUN AWAY because he did not want
to see Nineveh SAVED.
COMMENT:
Jonah knows of the BRUTALITY that the Assyrians have shown other NATIONS, and he knows as a prophet that this same SUFFERING will be imposed on his own people. And although Jonah was a faithful SPOKESMAN for God, he strongly feels that this is one COMMAND that he cannot OBEY.
MESSAGE:
I. JONAH FLEEING- chapter 1
A. Jonah receives his MISSION- vv. 1-2 (READ)
1. God commissioned Jonah to PREACH a MESSAGE of DOOM to the people of Nineveh in hopes
that they will REPENT.
a. Again, the ASSYRIANS were a RUTHLESS nation, but before God places His JUDGMENT
upon them, He wanted them to have a chance to REPENT of their WICKEDNESS.
COMMENT:
Although the ASSYRIANS were a GENTILE NATION and SERVED other gods, they were still under the SUPREME AUTHORITY of Almighty God and had to seek God’s FAVOR to be SPARED.
Whether one is a BELIEVER in God or not Yahweh is still LORD of ALL, and He demands REPENTANCE and OBEDIENCE of ALL PEOPLE.
b. So God, because of His MERCY, sent the Prophet Jonah to WARN the NINEVITES of their impending JUDGMENT unless they REPENT.
2. Jonah, being God’s PROPHET, had no CHOICE but to GO.
a. 2 Kings 14:25 paints the picture of “Jonah being a GOOD PROPHET who loved God and
CARRIES out his MISSION.”
b. However, this time Jonah felt that God was making a SERIOUS MISTAKE.
COMMENT:
Have you ever faced a difficult SITUATION and then were CONFRONTED with a directive from God’s Word that you didn’t want to do? ....And you’re like, “God, what are you thinking?”
B. Jonah doesn’t agree with God’s DIRECTIVE so he’s going to do the next best thing . . . RUN!!
1. So instead of going northeast to Nineveh, Jonah ran the OPPOSITE direction towards Tarshish.
a. “Jonah went down to Joppa to find a ship heading for Tarshish, all in an effort to FLEE
from God.”- v. 3 (BRING UP MAP)
b. Nineveh was located in what is now Northern Iraq on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and Tarshish is believed to be in Spain some 3,000 miles away as far WEST as you can go right on the BANKS of the Atlantic Ocean.
2. There are two reasons why Jonah doesn’t want to go to NINEVEH.
a. He knows the Assyrians are RUTHLESS people who show no MERCY.
COMMENT:
Jonah just doesn’t understand why God wants him to go PREACH to that CITY. He’s probably thinking, “God, don’t send me there to tell them you are going to JUDGE them. Just JUDGE them. Get it over with.”
b. He knows how MERCIFUL God is, and he’s AFRAID that God just might very well save them.
ILLUSTRATION:
Let’s be honest here, aren’t there some FOLKS in your life that you’d just rather GO AWAY? They ENJOY making your life MISERABLE, and deep down you’re thinking, “I just don’t want to deal with them in HEAVEN. Eternity is a LONG TIME with someone you don’t LIKE.” HAS ANYBODY THOUGHT THAT?
COMMENT:
Well, that’s what Jonah is thinking. In his MIND these people just don’t DESERVE being SAVED. So, to make sure that won’t HAPPEN, he’s HIGHTAILING it out of there.
C. Jonah learned the HARD WAY that you might can RUN from God, but you can’t HIDE- vv. 4-16.
ILLUSTRATION:
YOU KNOW THE STORY: Jonah got on the ship heading for Tarshish, but God was right behind him. God sent a GREAT WIND on the SEA that was so fierce that these seasoned MARINERS feared that it would DESTROY their SHIP. They did all they could to keep the BOAT afloat—throwing off the CARGO in hopes to lighten the LOAD, but that didn’t help. So they started calling on their gods (which, of course, were no gods at all).
Jonah all this time was BELOW deck sound ASLEEP (when you’re RUNNING from God, that takes a lot out of a person). Then the CAPTAIN of the ship went below to awaken Jonah saying, “How can you SLEEP at a time like this? Get up and CALL on your God! Maybe He can do something about this STORM!”
The Mariners then CAST LOTS to see who was RESPONSIBLE for the CALAMITY, and guess who the LOTS fell on—the one trying to RUN from God. Then they started giving Jonah the third degree, “Who’s responsible for this? What do you do? Where do you come from? Who are your people?”
Jonah didn’t try to DECEIVE them. He told them who he was and that he WORSHIPPED the God of heaven who made the LAND and SEA. Knowing how POWERFUL Jonah’s God was, terrified them even more. The SEA became more TREACHEROUS so they asked what should be done to CALM the SEA, and Jonah said, “Throw me OVERBOARD!”
They didn’t want to do that, so they tried STEERING the BOAT to SAFETY, but couldn’t. So they reluctantly threw Jonah OVERBOARD. The SEA became CALM once again.
God wasn’t FINISHED with Jonah—he still had a MISSION to complete. So God provided a GREAT FISH to SWALLOW Jonah until he was ready to go to NINEVEH.
II. JONAH REPENTING- chapter 2
A. As Jonah is thrown into the SEA to DROWN, he starts thinking about God again and begins to PRAY.
1. From inside the FISH Jonah describes his terrifying experience- vv. 2-6 (READ)
a. When Jonah said that he had been “banished from God’s sight” and would once again “look
towards God’s holy temple,” he realized that his DISOBEDIENT ACTIONS were WRONG.
b. He had SINNED against God and knew that his DEATH by DROWNING was exactly what he DESERVED.
2. But then God answered his PRAYER and DELIVERED Jonah- vv. 7-10 (READ)
a. Jonah- “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord.”
COMMENT:
It’s sad, but true, that sometimes it takes a LIFE THREATENING experience to cause one to REMEMBER the Lord, to REPENT and TURN BACK to Him. Remember, the Lord “disciplines those that He loves.”
b. But as Jonah is SINKING deeper and deeper into the SEA, holding whatever little BREATH he has left in his LUNGS and struggling with the SEAWEED that is wrapping around his head and throat—God SAVES him by sending a BIG FISH to SWALLOW him.
B. Although Jonah DISOBEYED a DIRECT COMMAND from God and DESERVED to DIE, God
showed MERCY on him and let him LIVE.
1. In the BELLY of the BIG FISH that God had PREPARED for Jonah, allowed him to BREATH.
a. Some believe that Jonah was SWALLOWED by a WHALE, but the Scripture doesn’t say.
b. In fact, the Hebrew word used for “BIG FISH” actually means “SEA CREATURE (monster).”
2. “God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land”- v. 10
a. Whatever this CREATURE was, it became the means by which Jonah was SAVED so that he
would have another chance to OBEY God and complete his MISSION.
b. This is who our God is! Even in our REBELLION, God gives us another CHANCE to do
what’s RIGHT.
COMMENT:
There is a valuable LESSON here for Jonah if he doesn’t miss it. God is bestowing His MERCY on Jonah so that he, in turn, can PREACH God’s MERCY to the Ninevites. This is God’s LOVE in ACTION shown to His PROPHET and to His ENEMIES.
III. JONAH PREACHING- chapter 3
A. God commands Jonah once again to “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim His message”- v. 2
1. Jonah, without further ARGUMENT, went and did what God commanded. (God didn’t have to tell him a third time. He got the MESSAGE the first time around when he thought he had seen his LAST MEAL . . . . . and he was the MAIN COURSE.)
2. So Jonah goes to Nineveh, and it was so large that it took three days for Jonah to TRAVEL through
the city proclaiming God’s message, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed”- v. 3.
a. We do not know if Jonah PROCLAIMED anything further.
b. The Ninevites may have been aware of Jonah’s experience with the Great Fish. Jesus said,
“Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh…”- Luke 11:30.
COMMENT:
This indicates that the people may very well have heard about how POWERFUL Jonah’s God is—how He ORDERS the WIND and the SEA and the CREATURES therein. This would certainly put IMPACT behind Jonah’s MESSAGE.
B. After hearing the MESSAGE, the people of Nineveh REPENTED- vv. 5-9.
1. In fact, v. 5 says, “The Ninevites believed in God.” They didn’t believe in the MESSENGER, they believed in the One who sent him.
2. The news got back to the KING, and he declared a NATIONAL FAST to show God that they had
REPENTED of their WICKEDNESS-vv. 6-9
a. The entire city REPENTED.
b. God had given them 40 days to REPENT or else be DESTROYED, but when Jonah’s SERMON
was PREACHED and the INVITATION was SUNG the entire CITY came forward.
COMMENT:
I don’t understand how some people can HEAR God’s WORD preached over and over and never OBEY. It’s almost as if they believe that God really isn’t going to PUNISH them—He’s really not going to send them to HELL if they don’t REPENT and TURN to HIM.
The people of Nineveh weren’t going to wait to see if on day 41 that God was really going to do what He said. They BELIEVED God’s WORD and REPENTED.
C. “God did not carry out His DESTRUCTION, but instead showed COMPASSION on them”- v. 10
COMMENT:
Even as God gave Jonah a SECOND CHANCE despite his DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION, so did He give the Ninevites a SECOND CHANCE despite their WICKED ways.
IV. JONAH GRUMBLING- chapter 4
COMMENT:
Too bad the book doesn’t end with chapter 3 on a high note with Jonah having the most successful REVIVAL in history—the CONVERSION of an entire CITY. But you see, God’s Word always presents the TRUTH even when its HEROES don’t come off very FLATTERING.
A. Jonah’s ANGER gets the best of him- Jonah 4:1-4
1. He is UPSET with God- vv. 1-3 (READ)
a. Any PREACHER would be thrilled to have a 100% RESPONSE from his sermon with TENS of
THOUSANDS of people REPENTING and TURNING to God, but not Jonah.
b. Jonah angrily says, “God, I knew this was going to HAPPEN! . . . Just KILL ME!”
2. But then God asks a question of Jonah that probably should be asked of us during one of our
TIRADES, “Jonah, do you have a right to be ANGRY?”- v. 4.
COMMENT:
Sometimes we like to tell God WHO IS and WHO IS NOT worthy to be SAVED. (ILL: “Okay, God I like him, don’t like her. She’s okay. Oh, and that guy, please don’t let him into heaven.”)
Our Father in Heaven is a GOD of LOVE and COMPASSION, and One who the Minor Prophet Micah says, “delights in showing mercy”- Micah 7:18.
B. God is PLEASED with the OUTCOME of Jonah’s MISSION, but the PROPHET just walks away
POUTING- vv. 5-10
1. “Jonah goes to the East side of the CITY and just SITS and WAITS to see if God is going to
CHANGE His mind”- v. 5
ILLUSTRATION:
Jonah is not a HAPPY CAMPER. So he leaves the NINEVITE CONGREGATION and does what many disgruntled church members do when they’re UNHAPPY with a particular church . . . he set up an EASTSIDE CONGREGATION.
Unfortunately Jonah was the ONLY MEMBER. So he made himself a SHELTER and just sat there to see if the other CONGREGATION would FOLD.
2. Now, if you don’t think God has a sense of humor, just look at the next few verses:
a. First of all, “God provided a VINE for Jonah that grows and gives him a nice SHADE”- v. 6.
COMMENT:
This greatly PLEASED Jonah. A small thing like a PROTECTIVE PLANT brought JOY to the PROPHET, whereas SPARING the LIVES of an entire CITY brought ANGER.
b. Secondly, “God decided to send a WORM that ate the VINE and took the SHADE away”- v. 7.
COMMENT:
There goes the SHADE. The OBJECT of Jonah’s JOY is now GONE! …But just wait, God’s not through.
c. Thirdly, “God sends a SCORCHING WIND to make Jonah even more UNCOMFORTABLE”
-v. 8.
3. Listen to God’s response to Jonah’s UNGODLY ATTITUDE- vv. 9-11 (READ & COMMENT)
a. Jonah had more regard for a DEAD VINE than he did for the LOST SOULS of Nineveh.
COMMENT:
I believe God is saying, “Jonah, as long as I come through for you, you’re pretty happy. When you were DROWNING and I sent that FISH to SAVE you, you were THRILLED.
“When I sent a VINE to provide a COMFORTABLE SHADE for you, you were DELIGHTED. But when I sent a WORM to KILL the VINE and the SUN started beading down on your HEAD again, you became ANGRY.
“Jonah, as long as I’m taking care of you, you’re PLEASED with Me. As long as I show you COMPASSION you’re HAPPY. But as soon as I show COMPASSION to the people of Nineveh, including 120,000 children who don’t know their RIGHT HAND form their LEFT, you are ANGRY with me. . . . . . . Jonah, all you care about is YOU.”
b. No! Jonah had NO RIGHT to be ANGRY at the COMPASSION of our God.
CONCLUSION:
ILLUSTRATION:
Dr. Royce Money, past president of Abilene Christian University of Abilene, Texas, said that one time he visited with a graduate student whose FAITH was once very STRONG but now was diluted by CYNICISM and DISTRUST of others.
While trying to help her RECLAIM her FAITH, the young woman began to cry and said, “As a graduate student in SOCIAL WORK, I live daily with the PROBLEMS and ANXIETIES that PLAGUE so many people. I see every day people whose lives are SHATTERED by DIVORCE, ALCOHOL, DISEASE and SIN of every kind. I feel so keenly the need for Christians and churches to address those NEEDS, but my home CONGREGATION is still DEBATING about whether or not women can WEAR PANTS to church!”
COMMENT:
That may sound silly, but over the years I have seen church members get UPSET and some have even LEFT the church over the most PETTY THINGS—CARPET COLORS, BIBLE TRANSLATIONS, CLAPPING DURING WORSHIP, SONG SELECTIONS, PRAISE TEAMS, FUND RAISERS, and, yes, even WOMEN WEARING PANTS TO CHURCH.
Just think where the church would be if all that PASSION and FERVOR could be channeled in REACHING the LOST for Christ?
A. Next week we will be studying the prophecy of AMOS: THE SHEPHERD PROPHET.
