Jonah, a prophet of the Lord, is a compelling figure in the Old Testament whose ministry is marked by both reluctance and remarkable success. His account is primarily found in the Book of Jonah, which is part of the Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Jonah's narrative is unique among the prophetic books, as it focuses more on the prophet's personal journey and less on his oracles.

Background and Calling

Jonah, son of Amittai, is introduced in 2 Kings 14:25, where he is noted as a prophet from Gath-hepher during the reign of Jeroboam II, king of Israel. His prophetic ministry is set against the backdrop of a time when Israel was experiencing both political expansion and spiritual decline.

The Book of Jonah begins with God's command to Jonah: "Arise, go to the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me" (Jonah 1:2). Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was known for its violence and idolatry, making it a daunting mission field for any prophet of Israel.

Reluctance and Flight

Instead of obeying God's command, Jonah attempts to flee from the presence of the Lord by boarding a ship bound for Tarshish. This act of disobedience highlights Jonah's initial reluctance and fear, possibly due to the notorious reputation of the Assyrians or a desire to see God's judgment rather than mercy upon them.

The Lord, however, intervenes by sending a great storm, threatening the ship and its crew. Recognizing the divine nature of the storm, Jonah instructs the sailors to throw him overboard to calm the sea. In an act of divine provision, God appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah, where he remains for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17).

Repentance and Deliverance

Inside the belly of the fish, Jonah prays to the Lord, acknowledging His sovereignty and expressing repentance. Jonah's prayer, recorded in Jonah 2, is a profound expression of faith and submission. In response, God commands the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land, giving him a second chance to fulfill his prophetic mission.

Preaching and Success in Nineveh

Jonah obeys the Lord's command and goes to Nineveh, proclaiming, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!" (Jonah 3:4). The response of the Ninevites is extraordinary; from the greatest to the least, they believe God, declare a fast, and put on sackcloth as a sign of repentance. Even the king of Nineveh rises from his throne, covers himself with sackcloth, and issues a decree for the entire city to turn from their evil ways and violence.

The success of Jonah's ministry in Nineveh is unparalleled. The city's collective repentance leads God to relent from the disaster He had threatened, demonstrating His mercy and compassion (Jonah 3:10).

Jonah's Reaction and God's Lesson

Despite the success of his mission, Jonah is displeased and angry with God's mercy towards Nineveh. He confesses to the Lord, "I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster" (Jonah 4:2). Jonah's reaction reveals his struggle with understanding God's grace and the breadth of His compassion.

God uses a plant, a worm, and a scorching east wind to teach Jonah a lesson about His concern for all creation, including the people of Nineveh. The narrative ends with God's rhetorical question, emphasizing His desire for repentance and salvation over judgment.

Theological Significance

Jonah's account is rich with theological themes, including God's sovereignty, mercy, and the universal scope of His salvation. It challenges believers to consider their own attitudes towards God's grace and the call to share His message with all nations, regardless of personal biases or fears. Jonah's reluctant yet successful ministry serves as a powerful reminder of God's ability to use imperfect vessels to accomplish His divine purposes.Jonah 1:5,6,9,14,16
Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man to his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
Nave's Topical Index

Jonah 3:4-9
And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Nave's Topical Index

Directions to Awakened Sinners.
... oracle of eternal truth; always attending the reading ... with such: and every truly
Christian minister will be ... threefold encouragement, from the success of those ...
/.../practical discourses on regeneration/discourse ix directions to awakened.htm

Woman's Position in the Army
... I was, as usual, in the minister's pew with my ... these women were used with remarkable
success in the ... was placed in charge of the small Christian Mission Society ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/iii womans position in the.htm

What Use Heavenly Contemplation Makes of Consideration, the ...
... duties is seldom attended with much success as the ... in his preaching to others, every
Christian should endeavor ... of the most heart-affecting minister; let him be ...
/.../baxter/the saints everlasting rest/chapter xiv what use heavenly.htm

Introductory Notice Respecting Tauler's Life and Times
... the Dominican Order in Saxony, where he laboured with such success in the ... scenes
amidst which Tauler was called to labour as a Christian minister and Dominican ...
/.../introductory notice respecting taulers life.htm

Of the Necessity of Divine Influences to Produce Regeneration in ...
... in piety, and to promote Christian edification; yet I ... as he has generally chosen
to honor with success. ... detail of circumstances, than the minister who attended ...
/.../practical discourses on regeneration/discourse vii of the necessity.htm

General Index.
... Amnon, Universalist minister on fate of, 537-539. Ananias and Sapphira, 44. ... errors
of, in Christian church, 58. ... future success of, 566, 572. ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /general index.htm

part iii.
... and all that shrewdness so essential to success in the ... with the foes of God,"a minister
or missionary ... would be adequate, and when the christian heart would ...
//christianbookshelf.org/clark/the faithful steward/part iii.htm

They Shall be Called the Children of God
... A minister without zeal is like 'salt that has lost its savour ... Duty is our work;
success is God's. ... boast of his parentage and noble blood; so a Christian who is ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/19 they shall be called.htm

Footnotes
... "The same daye the minister declaired yt yr ... It would be "a holy Antiperistasis in
a Christian," it is ... upon us,' painted on the door, watchmen attending day and ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/footnotes.htm

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
... fruit of all his labour, diligence, and success, in his ... to relish his reviving cordials,
that he might minister to them ... of hell cried I' (Psalm 130:1; Jonah 2:2 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the acceptable sacrifice.htm

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