Jonah - Who are You?

Intro

We are starting a new sermon series today in the Old Testament book of Jonah. Its not a very big book, only four chapters, so our series will be a little shorter.

What the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Jonah? The big fish? He is just a very minor character, but he is used by God to change Jonah’s heart.

I called our series Running from God’s Grace and the theme of grace is woven throughout the book. Another pastor, Sinclair Ferguson, suggested a theme of evangelism and God’s providence. As we dive in to Jonah, we will definitely talk a lot about sharing our God with other people. And throughout the narrative we will be encouraged as we see how God sovereignly orchestrated events in Jonah’s life to show his amazing grace and mercy.

Several key questions to ask yourself as we begin:

Are you running from God’s grace and love?

Are you avoiding His commands and direction for your life?

Is compassion for your enemies missing in your heart, words, and actions?

Today’s message is going to be an introduction and overview of the book that will help us understand the message God has for us today.

Books of the Bible

Every once in a while I like to make sure we are all on the same page and understand how the Bible is laid out. While it starts with Genesis the book of beginnings and ends with Revelation - about the final new heaven and new earth, it is not entirely chronological. Turn to the Contents page at the beginning of your Bible.

Ask for answers:

There are two major divisions: Old Testament and New Testament. OT tells us the origins of our universe, the history of Israel, God’s chosen people and looks forward to the coming Messiah. The New Testament tells us that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, is the Messiah and Savior. It shares the Gospel and the early church history through the lives of the apostles. And it ends with Revelation - a vision of future things to come.

The OT has different sections based on the type of book.

Pentateuch - first five books written by Moses - also called “The Law”

History - next nine books telling the history of Israel

Wisdom & Poetry - next five books

Major Prophets - next five books

Minor Prophets - remaining twelve books

Most of the prophecies are warnings directed to God’s people Israel or the Judah in the divided kingdom. Some of the prophecies are about the nations around Israel, and some of the messages are for things that are still in the future.

The book of Jonah is in the minor prophet section because it is one of the shorter books - again only four chapters. It’s not minor because it is not important.

The author is most likely Jonah himself, because it tells us his thoughts, his words, and what happened to him. But unlike the other books of the prophets, it is mostly a narrative of his adventures and less of God’s message for his people. Almost every one of these books begins with the phrase “the word of the Lord came to...” Jonah is the only prophet in the Bible, who at first refused to take God’s message to the people. Many prophets struggled with fear and doubt, but they still carried out their missions.

Read Jonah 1:1 Page 726 in the black pew Bible. Page 920 in the red pew Bible. Jonah is nestled in between Obadiah and Micah near the end of the Old Testament.

Jonah - Who are you?

If you have a study Bible, there may be a small letter “a” next to Jonah’s name. What does yours say? 2 Kings 14:25. That is a cross reference to another passage with the same name or key word.

Let’s read 2 Kings 14:25

2 Kings 14:25 ESV

He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

If we back up to verse 23, we read that Jeroboam II was reigning in Israel for forty-one years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So that places Jonah’s writing somewhere around 760 BC.

v. 25 says God spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath-hepher. If you follow the cross reference to Joshua 19:13 we see where Gath-hepher was. So Jonah was a prophet from the tribe of Zebulon who lived near Nazareth and the sea of Galilee where Jesus later lived. He spoke God’s message to Israel - the northern tribes around the time of Amos and Hosea.

An old Jewish tradition, like folk-lore, said that Jonah was the son of the faithful widow from Zarephath who was brought back to life by the prophet Elijah. That is not verified in the Bible, but it would be pretty cool.

Jonah and Jesus: Compare & Contrast

While Jonah was a real man, we can also see him in comparison to another real man who was really God, Jesus.

Like Jesus, Jonah was a prophet from Galilee. Like Jesus, Jonah had a message of repentance. Unlike Jesus, Jonah sinned and disobeyed God’s command while Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. Like Jesus, Jonah was “buried” for three days in the fish and came back. Unlike Jesus, Jonah did not love his enemies or have compassion on them, while Jesus wept for the lost, shared the gospel with Gentiles, and even forgave his executioners. Watch for these comparisons and contrasts between Jesus and Jonah throughout the series. If I miss any, be sure to let me know or send me a text.

One of the proofs of authenticity of the book of Jonah, is Jesus referencing it and comparing himself to Jonah in Matthew 12 and Luke 11. Jesus said, the greatest sign I will do will be “the sign of Jonah” which referred to his burial and resurrection after three days. Dawn read this for us earlier.

Matthew 12:38–41 ESV

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Bible scholars noticed the similarities with Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Jonah’s angry self-righteous reaction to repentant sinners is a lot like the older brother’s lack of mercy and joy at his lost and found brother’s return.

Structure

Because Jonah’s prophecy to Nineveh, the Assyrian capitol, is so short, it is not really a book of prophecy. It is the story of God’s prophet, Jonah, wrestling with bringing them the message at all. And then wrestling with God’s response. Do you ever wrestle with God’s calling to you? Or struggle when it appears God is treating others better than you?

Instead of reading Jonah as prophecy or allegory, because it has real people and places and we read it as a historical narrative. That means it is true even if parts of it seem unbelievable. Just because it is a narrative or story, doesn’t mean there no applications to be found. In fact, the way the story is told in two mirrored episodes or scenes, we can find many principles for living and we learn more about the character of God. Like, how can he punish sin and still love and forgive?

Jonah & God’s Word

Chapter One

1:1 God's Word comes to Jonah

1:2 Message - “arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

1:3 Jonah's Response - fled in a ship in the opposite direction

Chapter Three

3:1 God's Word comes to Jonah a second time

3:2 Message - “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

3:3 Jonah's Response - Jonah went and called out a message of destruction.

Jonah & God’s World

Chapter One

1:4 Warning - God sent a great wind and mighty storm to break the ship

1:5 Pagans' Response - afraid and cried out to their gods

1:6 Pagan Leader's Response - Jonah why are you sleeping? Call out to your God. Maybe he will save us.

1:7 Better than Jonah's Response - Jonah was hiding in the ship’s hold and then wanted to die.

Chapter Three

3:4 Warning - Nineveh will be destroyed in forty days

3:5 Pagans' Response - people believed God and called for a fast and repentance from greatest to the least

3:6 Pagan Leader's Response - King of Nineveh called for national fasting and praying to God. Maybe he will save us.

3:7 Better than Jonah's Response - Jonah only shared the message of destruction. We have no call to repentance or prayer.

Jonah & God’s Grace

Chapter Two

Jonah cries out to God, recognizing his sovereignty, and realizing that salvation is in God alone.

2:1-10 God taught Jonah grace through his encounter with the giant fish

Chapter Four

Jonah prayed and told God how angry he was that the people of Nineveh repented and God save them from destruction.

4:1-10 God taught Jonah grace through his encounter with the giant plant

Major themes

The primary theme in Jonah is that God’s compassion is boundless, not limited just to “us” but also available for “them.”

God’s sovereign control over events on the earth

God’s determination to get his message to the nations

The need for repentance from sin in general

The need for repentance specifically from self-centeredness and hypocrisy

The full assurance that God will relent when people repent

Take Aways

Are you running from God’s love and grace? He offers you forgiveness and eternal life through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Stop running!

Are you running from God’s call to do something great? Or small? He calls us to obedience every day.

Do you have a hard time forgiving people and extending grace to them when they don’t deserve it? Jesus said forgive as I have forgiven you. Love, as I have unconditionally loved you.

Do you get angry when God forgives and shows grace to people you don’t like?

Benediction

Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from the God the Father and from Jesus Christ His Son. In His name I pray. Amen.