Jonah (Overview)

February 2, 2025 FBC Baxley

Title: "Jonah: The Runaway Prophet and the Relentless Pursuit of God"

-Turn with me to the book of Jonah

Introduction:

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic—thought to be "unsinkable"—struck an iceberg and sank into the Atlantic. 

Among the passengers was John Harper, a Scottish preacher. 

As the ship sank, Harper swam from person to person, urging them to trust in Christ. 

His final words before succumbing to the freezing waters were, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!"

This story contrasts sharply with Jonah, who, when faced with his divine mission, ran away instead of running toward the lost. 

Jonah’s story reminds us that while we may resist, God relentlessly pursues both His servants and the lost.

I. The Call and the Flight (Jonah 1)

Jonah, a prophet in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25), was called by God to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria—an enemy of Israel. 

Instead, Jonah fled to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). 

3 “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.”

His rebellion led to a great storm, and he was cast into the sea, swallowed by a great fish (Jonah 1:17).

17 “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

A. God’s Call is Clear – God gave Jonah a specific command, but he resisted.

B. Running from God Has Consequences – Jonah’s rebellion brought a storm that endangered others.

C. God’s Discipline is Redemptive – Even in judgment, God prepared a way for Jonah’s restoration.

Application: Running from God’s call invites storms, but obedience leads to purpose and peace.

II. The Prayer and the Rescue (Jonah 2)

Inside the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed a desperate prayer (Jonah 2:1-9). 

1 “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

    and he answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

    and you heard my voice.

3 For you cast me into the deep,

    into the heart of the seas,

    and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and your billows

    passed over me.

4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away

    from your sight;

yet I shall again look

    upon your holy temple.’

5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;

    the deep surrounded me;

weeds were wrapped about my head

6     at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land

    whose bars closed upon me for ever;

yet you brought up my life from the pit,

    O Lord my God.

7 When my life was fainting away,

    I remembered the Lord,

and my prayer came to you,

    into your holy temple.

8 Those who pay regard to vain idols

    forsake their hope of steadfast love.

9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving

    will sacrifice to you;

what I have vowed I will pay.

    Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.”

He acknowledged God’s salvation (Jonah 2:9), and the fish released him onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).

A. Brokenness Leads to Prayer – Jonah cried out to God in his distress.

B. God Hears Even in Desperation – No matter how far we fall, God listens when we turn back.

C. God’s Mercy is Unfailing – Jonah was undeserving, but God rescued him anyway.

Application: No matter how deep our failure, God’s mercy reaches deeper.

III. The Preaching and the Awakening (Jonah 3)

Jonah finally obeyed and proclaimed God’s message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). 

Shockingly, the entire city repented (Jonah 3:5-9), and God showed mercy (Jonah 3:10).

5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 

7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 

8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 

9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

A. God Gives Second Chances – Jonah was given another opportunity to fulfill his mission.

B. God’s Word is Powerful – One simple message led to widespread repentance.

C. God’s Grace Extends to All – Even wicked Nineveh was not beyond God’s reach.

Application: When God speaks through us, even the hardest hearts can be transformed.

IV. The Complaint and the Compassion (Jonah 4)

Rather than rejoicing in Nineveh’s repentance, Jonah was angry (Jonah 4:1). 

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,and he was angry.”

God provided a plant to shade Jonah, then took it away, teaching him about divine compassion (Jonah 4:6-11).

6 “Now the Lord God appointed a plant[b] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 

7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 

8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 

9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 

10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labour, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 

11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

The book ends with God’s probing question: "Should I not pity Nineveh?" (Jonah 4:11).

A. Selfishness Can Blind Us – Jonah cared more about his own comfort than others’ salvation.

B. God’s Heart is for the Lost – He desires all people to come to repentance.

C. We Must Align with God’s Compassion – Our mission is to love as God loves.

Application: Do we share God’s love for all people, or do we let our prejudices get in the way?

Conclusion: 

The Greater Jonah/Jesus used Jonah’s story as a foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). 

Unlike Jonah, Jesus willingly embraced His mission to save humanity. 

Today, God still calls us to proclaim His message. Will we run, or will we obey?

Closing Challenge: Are you running from God’s call? 

Let us surrender to His will and share His relentless love with the world.

Three Life Applications:

-Obey God’s Call Promptly –

Delayed obedience is disobedience.

When God calls, respond in faith, not fear.

Avoid excuses that hinder fulfilling His purpose.

-Extend God’s Mercy to Others –

Don’t let prejudice or grudges stop you from sharing God’s love.

Recognize that no one is beyond redemption.

Show grace to those who don’t deserve it, just as God did for us.

-Trust God’s Sovereign Plan –

Even when we don’t understand, God’s ways are higher than ours.

Trust that His timing and purpose are always for our good.

Let go of personal expectations and surrender to His will.

-Pray

-Invitation