Jonah

SIN runs rampant in society—daily headlines

and overflowing prisons bear dramatic wit-

ness to that fact. With child abuse, pornogra-

phy, serial killings, terrorism, anarchy, and

ruthless dictatorships, the world seems to be

filled to overflowing with violence, hatred, and

corruption. Reading and hearing about these

tragedies—and perhaps even experiencing

them—we begin to understand the necessity

of God’s judgment. We may even find ourselves wishing for vengeance by any means upon the violent perpetrators. Surely they are beyond redemption! But suppose that in the midst of such thoughts, God toid you to take the gospel to the worst of the offenders—how would you respond? Jonah was given such a task. Assyria—a great but evil empire—was \srael’s most dreaded enemy. The Assyrians flaunted their power before God and the world through numerous acts of heartless cruelty. So when Jonah heard God tell him to go to Assyria and call the people to repentance, he ran in the opposite direction. The book of Jonah tells the story of this prophet’s flight and how God stopped him and turned him around. But it is much more than a story of a man and a great fish. Jonah’s story is a profound illustration of God’s mercy and grace. No one deserved God's favor less than the people of Nineveh, Assyria’s capital. Jonah knew this. But he knew that God would forgive and bless them if they would turn from their sin and worship him. Jonah also knew the power of God’s message, that even through his own weak preaching, they would respond and be spared God’s judgment. But Jonah hated the Assyrians, and he wanted vengeance, not mercy. So he ran the other way. Eventually, Jonah obeyed and preached in the streets of Nineveh, and the people repented and were delivered from judgment. Then Jonah sulked and complained to God, “Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with untailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people” (4:2). In the end, God confronted Jonah about his self-centered values and lack of compassion, saying, “But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?” (4:11). As you read Jonah, see the full picture of God’s love and compassion and realize that no one is beyond redemption. The gospel is for all who will repent and believe. Begin to pray for those who seem to be farthest from the Kingdom, and look for ways to tell them about God. Learn from the story of this reluctant prophet and determine to obey God, doing whatever he asks and going wherever he leads.

🖼 Map, chart or picture (see the original page image) — text in this graphic: i

Jonah was a reluctant prophet given a mission he found distasteful. He chose to run away from God rather than obey him. Like Jonah, we may have to do things in life that we don’t want to do. Sometimes we find ourselves wanting to turn and run. But it is better to obey God than to defy him or run away. Often, in spite of our defiance, God in his mercy will give us another chance to serve him when we return to him.

🖼 Map, chart or picture (see the original page image) — text in this graphic: [cane el

🖼 Map, chart or picture (see the original page image) — text in this graphic: A I

1. Jonah forsakes his mission Jonah Runs from the LORD 1 The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2“Get up and go to the great city

of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

1:1, 2 Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, the king of Israel from 793 to 753 B.C. He may have been a member of the company of prophets mentioned in connection with Elisha’s ministry (2 Kings 2:3). God told Jonah to preach to Nineveh, the most important city in Assyria, the rising world power of Jonah’s day. Within 50 years, Nineveh would become the capital of the vast Assyrian Empire. Jonah doesn’t say much about Nineveh’s wickedness, but the prophet Nahum gives us more insight. Nahum says

that Nineveh was guilty of (1) evil plots against God (Nahum 1:9); (2) exploitation of the helpless (Nahum 2:12); (3) cruelty in war (Nahum 2:12, 13); (4) idolatry, prostitution, and witchcraft (Nahum 3:4). God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, about 500 miles northeast of Israel, to warn of judgment and to deciare that the people could receive mercy and forgiveness if they repented.