Jonah Introduction

The big question that surrounds the book of Jonah is “Is the story factual?”

Some view the book as a parable

Some view the book as an allegory

I want to begin by showing you that the book of Jonah is an account of historical events. Let me give you some reasons we know this:

1) Jonah was a real person.

He is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25-28.

He was a prophet during the reign of King Jeroboam II. He reigned from 793 BC-7533 BC.

His father is Amittai. He is from a region later known as Galilee called Gath-Hepher.

He prophesied to King Jeroboam II. The message to the King was that the kingdom of Israel would have land restored that had been taken by its enemies. This prophecy came true. Israel experienced prosperity under Jeroboam II.

Jonah is not a mythical figure. He is a prophet who was well known in the history of Israel.

2) Jesus regarded Jonah as a real person.

Listen to this from Matthew 12:38-41:

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 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. 40 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. 41 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. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Jesus mentions three historical figures in that section:

The Queen of Sheba- no one doubts she was a historical person.

King Solomon- no one doubts he is a historical person.

Jonah- Jesus regarded him in the same way he did Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

Not only does Jesus confirm the historic reliability of the person of Jonah. He also confirms the historical reliability of the story of Jonah.

If we are to believe that Jesus is:

Reliable

Filled with the Spirit

Discerning

Truthful

We must believe Jonah is a historical figure.

Outside of the book of Jonah both the Old and New Testaments confirm Jonah was an actual prophet who lived and ministered.

When the events in this book occurred are important.

There was a period when Assyria was weak. They were fighting against the Arameans and Urartians. There was internal revolt. Famine was in the land. While we don’t read about these things in Scripture, historical records show it. This period stretched about 36 years, and it coincided with Israel strengthening itself and expanding its territory under the reign of Jeroboam II.

This would also explain why the Assyrian King was called “The King of Nineveh” (3:6). At that point Nineveh was virtually the extent of their power.

Why is this important?

It explains the desperation of the Ninevites. They were in a great position to hear from the Lord. They were being humbled and were more receptive to the message from the prophet.

What is the purpose of the book?

The primary purpose of this book is to show the compassion of God.

Compassion towards Jonah- an angry rebellious Hebrew.

Compassion towards pagans- Those on the ship with Jonah who are spared (1:6).

Compassion towards Israel’s enemies- The Ninevites.

This book is unique among other Old Testament books in that it’s a story about the grace of God extending to an entire nation of Gentiles. It shows us that God has always been concerned about the salvation of all peoples.

We might even see Jonah as symbolic of the Jewish nation itself. Here is two ways Jonah is like the Jewish nation.

1) The Jewish nation was called to be a witness to the other nations for the glory of God, yet they refused.

Listen to Isaiah 43:8-12:

Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! 9 All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. 10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. 12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.

Deut 4:6 says of the Jewish people keeping the Law of God:

Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

Just as Jonah refused to be a witness to the Ninevites, Israel had failed to be a witness of the One True God to the rest of the world.

2) The Jewish nation has been preserved by God even though they have rebelled against His commands. It is a miracle that the Jewish nation even exists. They have been the target of war and persecution throughout the ages. God has promised to preserve them. Jonah’s preservation in the fish symbolizes the preservation of the Jewish nation.

There are other lessons to be learned from the book as well:

1) The Jewish nation could learn from the repentance of the Ninevites. It’s important to remember Jonah is an old book. It is one of the twelve books contained in the minor prophets. When Old Testament Jews read the story they would be faced with an ungodly nation who took a Jewish prophet at his word.

The Jews had often treated their prophets badly. They did not take their words seriously all the time. They even killed some of their own prophets. Here is a pagan nation that treated a Jewish prophet better than some Jewish people had treated their own prophets.

2) The Jewish people could be reminded of God’s grace. The salvation of an entire nation should have encouraged them to:

Be more compassionate towards outsiders themselves.

Seek the salvation of outsiders.

3) The religious leaders in the New Testament could learn some lessons as well.

The Pharisees and religious leaders resembled Jonah.

They were representatives of God to the Jewish people.

They had no compassion for the salvation of others.

They blatantly disregarded the commands of God.

The Gentiles, tax collectors, prostitutes, etc resembled the Ninevites. God was saving these people and it was angering the establishment.

Listen to these words from Jesus (Luke 11:29-32):

“This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 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.

Jesus marveled that the men of Nineveh repented at the pitiful preaching of Jonah. Yet the religious leaders would not repent when hearing His message.

Jesus is saying the religious leaders are more hard hearted than even the Ninevites.

3) Jonah is a shadow of Jesus. Hard for us to imagine that because there are such great differences between the two:

Jesus always obeyed the Father.

Jesus was content with suffering. Jonah pouted because his plant died (4:8).

Jesus loved His enemies. Jonah did not want his enemies to be saved (4:2).

How is Jonah a shadow of Jesus then?

One might argue that Jonah was willing to be a sacrifice so that others could be saved and that would be a similarity. We see this in 1:12. While this is technically true, one can’t help but notice Jonah doesn’t seem too eager to be the sacrifice.

Jonah is a shadow of Christ in his death and resurrection. Jonah was in his grave (the fish) for three days. He was resurrected and came out of the fish healthy and appearing to people. In that regard he is like Christ.

We can see that there are many layers to this story. The book is written in narrative form. That makes it:

Easy to read.

Easy to understand.

Easy to preach.

Don’t let the simplicity of the book fool you. This book can be understood by a child, but it also has lessons for the most mature of Christians. It’s only 48 verses long. There is, however, a lot of meat here we will chew on.

Who wrote the book?

We don’t know. It’s anonymous. It appears the person who wrote it had firsthand knowledge of the whole story.

Was it Jonah himself?

Was it someone whom Jonah told the story to?

We don’t know. We do know the Jewish people accepted the book as Scripture and Jesus confirmed it is indeed the Word of God.

While Jonah is considered one of the books among the Minor Prophets one can quickly see a difference in this book and the other eleven. There is only one prophecy in the book. “Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The book isn’t so much about the prophet’s message as it is about his attitude. While the book is different than other prophetic writings it is very helpful.

While his writing is not very prophetic he is chosen to be a prophecy himself. His death and resurrection speak prophetically of the Savior Israel had been waiting on. That is a great privilege Jonah did not deserve but God granted to him by grace.