Jonah – By Bob Barnhill

Outline

Introduction

1. The book of Jonah has greater significance than the “whale story.”
2. The background of the book is significant.
3. The theme of the book is significant to the theme of the Bible.

Discussion

1. “God is the God of all the nations” is the message of the book! This theme is shown in several ways that follow:
2. Through His call of all to His service (1:1-2).
   a. He called Jonah (1:1); Moses (Ex. 4); Paul (Gal. 1:16).
   b. He calls all men (Rom. 10:15; Eph. 5:14).
3. Through His chastisement of all His servants (1:15, 17).
   a. Jonah was disciplined (1:15), and Nineveh too (3:3).
   b. All men who love God will receive proper guidance (Rom. 8:28).
4. Through His plea to all nations (3:3).
   a. God was a God of Nineveh, just like other nations.
   b. His plea was short; yet, it was to save (3:4).
   c. He is a God of all today (Acts 17:30; Matt. 12:41).
5. Through His grace in sparing all those that repent (3:10).
   a. Jonah and the Jews felt God was merciful only to them.
   b. God loves all and will save all who repent (2 Pt. 3:9; Lk. 11:52).
6. Through His long-suffering to all His selfish children (4:10-11).
   a. Jonah is shown that souls of all are more valuable than his pride.
   b. Millions lost today could be reached if we were more Godlike in our concern for all.

Conclusion

1. The message of Jonah is very vital.
2. It complements the theme of the whole Bible–”The glory of God and the salvation of man through Christ.”
3. It shows us that our responsibility is to all the world.

Introduction

“The whale did swallow Jonah up” is the refrain of a song we have all heard children sing. Such a song does aid our children in learning a basic story told in this book. Yet, the music also cries out a sad melody when one considers that, too many the book of Jonah will always be nothing more than “a story about a whale.” Rather than going into a discussion of whether a “whale” swallowed Jonah, our concept of the book should go deeper. Upon closer examination it can be seen that the book of Jonah stands out among Old Testament books. It is a high water mark of the Old Covenant in spiritual value.

The book is not a book of prophecy which Jonah uttered. It is rather a book about Jonah as a preacher. Jonah, the son of Amittai, lived in Gath-hepher in the territory of Zebulon during the reign of Jeroboam II (790 B.C.; 2 Kings 14:25). The Jews of this period were very prosperous. They looked down on other nations. They felt that God was exclusively theirs. Jonah’s attitude in the book could be said to be typical of the average Jew of his day, but not only of his day. Also it would seem that many Christians would feel at home with Jonah. Prosperity and a general apathy toward other nations is too true of us as well.

Of course, many may assert that there are three ways to look at the book:

1. as a myth (the idea that Jonah is fiction);
2. as an allegory (the view that Jonah is a parable made up to express a great truth(1); or
3. as historical fact (the belief that the events are true as stated(2).

The liberal view is parallel to that which was expressed by Driver when he said, “The book of Jonah was taken from some prior source”(3). The purpose of this lesson is not to discuss the “pros and cons” concerning the date and authorship of the book. Ample evidence could be cited to show that the book is true as it is recorded in God’s Word.

The scope of our lesson is to consider the meaning and message of the book of Jonah as it applies to the theme of the entire Bible. The “glory of God and the salvation of man through Jesus Christ” is the theme of the Bible. Jonah deals with one very vital contribution to this theme. Jonah’s contribution to this central theme is – God is the God of All Nations! “The first and broadest teaching of the book of Jonah regards the character of God as the God of all nations”(4). The chief lesson which it was meant to teach was “the capacity of the Gentiles for salvation . . .”(5). By realizing that God is a God of all, the salvation of all men through Christ is seen more clearly. God is glorified.

Discussion

God is a God of all men through His call of all men to His service. “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah” (1:1). Later in the book, God’s word came to Nineveh (3:4). “Arise” was the first word Jonah received! Arise! All men, in one way or another, have been told to arise to serve the Creator. When Moses was called, he hesitated (Exodus 4). Paul, when told to arise, “conferred not with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:16). Just like Paul, you and I are called to God’s service (Ephesians 5:14; Acts 22:16). The call is not just to obey Him personally. The call is more than that. It, like Jonah’s, is to go to Nineveh. What a wonderful call – to save souls! The greatest responsibility that all men face is to carry the word, as God’s agents, to men. “. . . How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). To all men everywhere there are but “two cities on [their] map: the Nineveh of obedience and the Tarshish of disobedience”(6). Jonah left for Tarshish. Instead of arising to cry, he arose to fly.

God is a God of all through His chastisements of all his servants. Jonah thought God was small. He felt he could run away from the Omnipresence. He failed to remember God is a God of all. “Whether shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold you are there” (Psalms 139:7-8). The voyage to Tarshish wasn’t far enough away. Before Jonah got there, he was cast into the sea (1:15). Yes, brethren, even God’s discipline of His servants shows us God is the God of all. “As many as I love I rebuke and chasten” (Revelation 3:19). Each and everyone who will serve the Lord will be under His discipline and guidance (Romans 8:28). Jonah seems to realize this finally. In the belly of the fish he did not think that he was completely beyond God. He says to the Lord, “My prayer came to You” (2:7). The discipline on Jonah, as on all of Jehovah’s servants, was working out for his good. He was released on dry ground.

God is a God of all is shown through his plea to all nations. “So Jonah arose and went on to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord” (3:1). Jehovah was God of Nineveh as He was of all other nations. He viewed the people of Nineveh as “undisciplined and overgrown children, yet also the work of God’s hand”(7). This great city with its teeming multitudes was given a chance to repent like all other peoples. The sermon Jonah preached was short, yet Jesus refers to the sermon as being a great one (Matthew 12:41). “Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (3:4). The message God gave to Nineveh was to save them. It was not “a wishy-washy message of telling sinners that God was a God of love and He will not punish the wicked”(8). It was a message of dire judgment – but it would save them.

Today, as in all other ages, it is still the same. In the new dispensation we too are told to repent. “God now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). But there is a difference that makes New Testament repentance more important. Repentance is to all, and “a greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41).

God is a God of all is shown through His sparing all that repent. This approach is the heart of the message of the book. “God repented of the evil that He had said He would do unto them; and He did it not” (3:10). To the ordinary Jew, this statement was out of setting. They felt God was their exclusive possession. They believed the prosperity and present success they enjoyed as a nation demonstrated a “Jewish Jehovah.” But God is a God of all! “The compassionate heart of God is acutely sensitive to smitten and wretched souls that cry out for mercy”(9). Nineveh was spared. Christ condemned the Jews for being so narrow that they hindered those who would come to the Lord (Luke 11:52). The Master shows that the men of Nineveh, though “outcasts,” will be the standard by which many more godly people will be judged (Matthew 12:41). Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes. God spared them. He is “. . . not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). All men everywhere must recognize that it is never too late to be forgiven by God – no matter who you are.

God is a God of all is shown through his long-suffering to all His selfish children (4:10-11). Jonah selfishly portrays the attitude of Jews and Christians alike. He was angry that his prophecy hadn’t materialized. Jonah would have had Nineveh destroyed. “Truly it is better to fall into the hands of God, than even into the hands of many of His prophets”(10). Jonah wasn’t concerned with people. His only concern was with self and personal success. The same narrow view persists today among many Christians who argue against supporting missionaries on a large scale in other countries. They insist that charity begins at home. Of course, the “charity” is just charity on self.

Conclusion

What did God tell Jonah? God said, “Should I not have pity on Nineveh?” (Jonah 4:11). “Here,” as G. Campbell Morgan has put it, “touches the fundamental truth of the whole book”(11). Brethren, until we develop the pity that God has for all men, we’ll never save the world! The people of Nineveh are everywhere, and “a greater than Jonah” tells us to “Go . . . preach” (Mark 16:15). Jonah was more concerned with the gourd vine that shaded him than he was with the souls of Nineveh. Our choice is “gourds or souls” too. We have over 6% of the world’s population and produce over 40% of the world’s goods, yet only one or two million people out of two billion [now eight billion] have been reached with the gospel. As God asks, so we should ask, “Shall not we have pity on Nineveh?” “The aim of all prophecy is the Messiah”(12). The Book of Jonah as a part of the inspired Word helps to present the glory of God and the salvation of man through Christ Jesus. In the book of Jonah we can learn a great message – God is the God of all – “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some in count slackness but as long suffering to us word, not willing to any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Footnotes

• 1. The Interpreter’s Bible, Abingdon Press, 1956, Vol. 6, p. 871.
• 2. Yates, Kyle, Preaching from the Prophets, Harper and Brothers, New York, 1942, p. 186.
• 3. Driver, S. R., Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament, The Meridian Library, New York, 1957, p. 325.
• 4. Redford R. A., Studies in the Book of Jonah, Hodder Company, London, 1888, p. 240.
• 5. The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 14, p. ii.
• 6. Chappell, Clovis, Sermons on Biblical Characters, Harper and Brothers, New York, 1950, p. 25.
• 7. Martin, A. D., The Prophet Jonah, Longmans-Green, London, 1921, p. 87.
• 8. DeHaan, M. R., Jonah, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids,1957, p. 22.
• 9. Kennedy, James, Studies in the Book of Jonah, Broadman Press, Nashville, 1956, p. 56.
• 10. Excel, Joseph, Practical Readings in the Book of Jonah, The Stratford Company, Boston, 1924, p. 90.

Questions for Class Discussion

1. What is the main lesson learned from the book of Jonah?
2. What are the three methods of interpreting the book?
3. Discuss the teaching of Psalm 139:7-9 relative to the omnipresence of God.
4. Locate and discuss the positions and background of Nineveh and Tarshish.
5. Compare the story of Jonah and the account of Jonah in 2 Kings 14:25.
6. Discuss Christ’s use of the book of Jonah and Matthew 12:39-41 and Luke 1:29-30.
7. Discuss fully the meaning of “a greater than Jonah is here” as cited in Matthew 12:41.
8. List some examples of others who looked down on other nations in the Bible.
9. Discuss with scriptural examples the willingness of God to forgive those who repent.
10. List some ways that people today react to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16), much like Jonah did to his commission.
11. How does the message of the book of Jonah relate to the overall theme of the Bible?