Jonah - The Relentless Love of God

Text: Jonah 1-4 God's relentless love pursues both the reluctant servant and the rebellious city.

Introduction:

This is a story about two great escapes—and how neither one worked.

First, a prophet tries to escape God's calling. Second, a city tries to escape God's judgment. But this isn't really a story about escapes at all. It's a story about God's relentless, pursuing, overwhelming love that won't let go of either His servants or His enemies.

In just four short chapters, the book of Jonah reveals more about the heart of God than almost any other book in the Bible. Let's journey together through this incredible story.

Here is the Central Idea:

Central Idea: When we understand the depth of God's grace toward us, we become willing vessels of that grace to others.

Prayer

History of Jonah

Outline Studies in Jonah and Amos I. The History of Jonah

There are several good reasons to accept the historical view of Jonah.

(1) He is mentioned in

Chapter 1: Running From Love

Read Jonah 1:1-3

Jonah 1:1–3 NIV

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

The Impossible Assignment God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh—the New York City of the ancient world, except filled with people who torture for sport. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel's most brutal enemy.

Outline Studies in Jonah and Amos II. Running from God (1:1–3)

When God called Jonah to preach to Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria, he rebelled. He ran in the exact opposite direction by catching a ship to Spain. Why did he run? For Jonah, this wasn't just a difficult mission; it was a death sentence.

So Jonah runs. He boards a ship to Tarshish—as far in the opposite direction as possible. It's like God saying "Go to North Korea" and you booking a flight to Argentina.

The Storm That Reveals Truth 

Jonah 1:4–16 NIV

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

But you can't outrun God. A storm hits that's so fierce even experienced sailors panic. They discover Jonah is the cause, and in one of the Bible's great ironies, these pagan sailors show more spiritual sensitivity than God's prophet. They pray, they're reluctant to throw Jonah overboard, and they end up worshiping the true God while Jonah runs from Him.

Grace in the Deep

Jonah 1:17 NIV

Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Then comes the great fish. We often see this as punishment, but it's actually rescue. Jonah should have drowned, but God prepared a fish to save him. Even in judgment, God provides mercy.

Key Truth: God's love is relentless—it pursues us even when we run.

Chapter 2: Praying in the Darkness

Read

Jonah 2:1–2 NIV

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

Jonah 2:7–10 NIV

“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ” And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Prayer Born from Desperation For three days and nights, Jonah sits in darkness, surrounded by seaweed and stomach acid. Finally, he prays. Notice—he slept through the storm but prays in the fish. Sometimes God uses desperate circumstances to bring us to desperate prayer.

The Elements of Jonah's Prayer:

Honest acknowledgment

Jonah 2:1–2 NIV

From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

Desperate faith

Jonah 2:7–10 NIV

my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple

Grateful worship

Jonah 2:7–10 NIV

But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.

Clear declaration

Jonah 2:7–10 NIV

Salvation comes from the Lord

God's Immediate Response The moment Jonah's heart changes, God speaks to the fish. Jonah is vomited onto dry land—not exactly a five-star Uber ride, but effective transportation nonetheless.

Key Truth: God hears the prayers of desperate hearts and responds with deliverance.

Chapter 3: Second Chances and Amazing Grace

Read Jonah 3:1-3

Jonah 3:1–3 NIV

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.

The Second Call God doesn't say, "Well, Jonah blew it. I'll find someone else." He says the exact same thing: "Arise, go to Nineveh." God's calling doesn't change because of our failure. His plans don't depend on our perfection.

This time, Jonah obeys. He walks into enemy territory and delivers the simplest sermon in the Bible: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

The Greatest Revival in History 

Jonah 3:4–10 NIV

Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

What happens next is stunning. The entire city—from the king to the cattle—repents. They fast, pray, and turn from their evil ways. Even the animals wear sackcloth! This is revival on a scale never seen before or since.

God's Response to Repentance When God sees their genuine repentance, He relents from the disaster He had planned. The city that deserved judgment receives mercy instead.

The Gospel Preview This is the gospel in action:

Life off course due to sin ✓

Message of coming judgment ✓

Call to repentance ✓

God's mercy to those who turn ✓

Cause for celebration ✓

Key Truth: God's grace is available to anyone who genuinely repents, no matter how far they've fallen.

Chapter 4: The Heart of the Matter

Jonah 4:1–3 NIV

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah's Anger Here's the shock: Jonah is furious that God showed mercy! He's so angry he wants to die. Why? Because deep down, he knew this would happen. He says, "I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

Jonah ran because he was afraid God would be too loving, too merciful, too gracious to his enemies.

The lesson learned

Jonah 4:6–11 NASB 2020

So the Lord God designated a plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah was overjoyed about the plant. But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered. And when the sun came up God designated a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint, and he begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life!” But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to the point of death!” Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant, for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not also have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people, who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many animals?”

God provides a plant to shade Jonah, then allows it to wither. When Jonah mourns the plant, God delivers the punch line: "You pity the plant... 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?"

God's Final Question The book ends with God's question hanging in the air: "Should I not have compassion on this great city?" The question isn't really for Jonah—it's for us.

Key Truth: God's heart breaks for people who don't know Him, and He wants our hearts to break for them too.

The Central Message: Grace transforms.

Two Transformations in This Story:

Nineveh's transformation - from rebellion to repentance

Jonah's needed transformation - from selfishness to God's heart for others

The Challenge for Us:

Do we want God's grace for ourselves but justice for others?

Are we willing to go to our "Nineveh"—the people and places that make us uncomfortable?

What/where/who is your Ninevah?

Do we celebrate when God shows mercy to those we think don't deserve it?

Modern Application:

83% of Americans now live in urban areas

Cities are where the people are, and God's heart is for people

Our "Nineveh" might be:

The inner city we avoid

The political party we despise

The lifestyle we can't understand

The person who's hurt us deeply

Living the Message Today

Three Life-Changing Questions:

What is your Nineveh? 

What place or person is God calling you toward that you're running from?

What fish belly experience has God used to get your attention and drive you to prayer?

How do you respond when God shows grace to people you think don't deserve it?

The Promise: God's love is relentless. It pursued Jonah through storm and sea. It pursued Nineveh through a reluctant prophet. And it pursues you and me every single day.

The Call: Will you join God in His relentless love for the world? Will you go to your Nineveh / downtown Spokane? Will you celebrate when others receive the same grace you've been given?

Closing

Jonah's story is ultimately about God's heart for all people—the religious and the rebellious, the comfortable and the condemned, the willing and the resistant.

The fish didn't swallow Jonah to punish him—it swallowed him to save him. And God's calling in your life isn't meant to punish you—it's meant to save others through you.

God's love is relentless. The question is: will we join Him in that relentless love?