Jonah

One day, God told Jonah to go to Nineveh that God plans to destroy the city. God does not make this conditional or that God will retract it if Nineveh repents.

Nineveh is the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. At this time in history, the Assyrian Empire was very aggressive and brutal. Eventually, they will destroy the northern kingdom of Israel. Nineveh corresponds today with the city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

Jonah knows the reputation of the Assyrians. He might even have an inkling or a prophecy that it would be the Assyrians that destroy Israel unless Israel repents. For after all, Elisha foresaw Hazeal's future war atrocities against Israel before Hazeal was even king of Aram. Likewise, they are the major aggressive empire of the day so it would be an easy connection to make.

Jonah disobeys God and instead hops on a boat in the Mediterranean. We find out later that Jonah even tells the crew that he is running from God.

We do not know why Jonah jumped on the boat. To Jonah, God destroying Ninevah is good news. That might save Israel. The instruction did not include a possible retraction if they repent. If anything, it would be good news to go and watch Nineveh be destroyed. We don't know how God wanted to destroy it, perhaps by fire from heaven like Sodom and Gomorrah or even by war.

On the boat, a mighty storm tosses the boat and the sailers fear for their lives. Meanwhile, Jonah is found sleeping. The captain wakes him up and tells him to pray to his god that the storm might cease.

The storm does not abate, so they cast lots to see who is responsible for this. The lot falls on Jonah who explains that his god is God of the land and sea and he requests to be thrown overboard. The other crew do not immediately do this, but eventually they do. The storm immediately stops and the crew members become worshippers of God. A giant fish comes and swallows Jonah and keeps him in its belly for "three days and three nights". In the fish, Jonah makes a prayer in which he likes his situation to death and salvation before the fish spits him on dry land.

There are a number of parallels in the ministry of Christ just in the ocean scene alone. First, Christ was found sleeping below deck during a storm that scared everyone else on the boat. Second, Christ rebuke the storm and it ceased immediately, just as how this storm ceased. Third, Christ alludes to Jonah being in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights while discussing his death and resurrection. Taking death and deliverance further, Jonah's prayer in the fish speaks of death and how he was already redeemed from God. Finally, I think the story foreshadows a central New Testament theme of the Gospel to the Gentiles, as the crew members became worshippers of God.

At this point, Jonah is the disobedient prophet. We have seen two other similar situations thus far, both ended worse for the disobedient prophet. Moses was forbidden to see the promised land for striking the rock in disobedience to God, to say nothing about being almost killed because his kids were not circumcised. Likewise, the nameless prophet who was not allowed to eat or drink during his mission who was killed immediately by a lion because he was tricked into eating and drinking.

Here, Jonah's disobedience from God is even worse than those two incidents. It was premeditated, he went far out of his way, and involved other people. But yet, God not only saved his life, but used the occasion to bring the other crew members to God. Further, Christ redeems Jonah's story further by specifically referencing it with regard to the resurrection.

So, was Jonah actually in the belly of fish for three literal days and three literal nights, i.e., 72 hours? It might not be, for the events of the crucifixion of Christ happened on Friday but Christ first appeared to Mary on Sunday morning.

Back to the story, Jonah heads to Nineveh and tells them that God will destroy the city in 40 days. God did not actually state the 40 day deadline.

This spurns the people to repentance and God decides not to destroy the city. Jonah is very angry and now he wants to die. Jonah watches the city from outside and overnight a plant blooms next to him and gives Jonah shade. He becomes happy again. Overnight again, a worm kills the plant and Jonah is not only saddened by the loss of the plant, but must face a scorching sun without shade. He wants to die again.

God points out to Jonah that Jonah was more sad about the loss of the plant than the potential loss of 120,000 people that would have happened had God destroyed the city. That is where the text of the story ends.

Again, this foreshadows the Gospel to the Gentiles message of the New Testament as well. Here, God is specifically reaching out to the Gentiles. God might also be planning the seeds for his work to continue when these same people conquer northern kingdom. Or, God might be trying to get the Assyrian empire to partner with Israel as representatives of God on earth.

Also, just in terms of numbers and effectiveness, Jonah was an extremely effective evangelist. Just one trip to Nineveh spurned the capital city of a major Near East empire to repentance almost overnight.