JONAH: Running FROM God

Jonah is a REAL historical story! The events we read of really did happen.

Biblical Evidence

Jesus Treated Jonah as Historical

Matthew 12:39–41 — Jesus refers to Jonah’s time in the fish as a real event and compares it to His own death, burial, and resurrection.

Matthew 16:4, Luke 11:29–32 — Jesus mentions “the sign of Jonah” and calls the people of Nineveh real individuals who repented. If Jonah is fictional, it undermines Jesus’ analogy and credibility.

Old Testament Historical Reference

2 Kings 14:25 — Jonah is listed as a real prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II. He is placed among real kings and prophets in Israel’s history, not in a parable.

Jonah is Counted Among the Prophets

Listed among the Minor Prophets—none of whom are treated as mythical. No linguistic or literary shift suggests it is to be read differently from books like Hosea or Amos.

2. Historical and Cultural Evidence

Nineveh Was a Real, Great City

Archaeologists have confirmed Nineveh as the capital of the Assyrian Empire, matching the biblical description (Jonah 3:3).

Descriptions such as “a three-day journey in breadth” match archaeological records of the city's vastness.

Assyrian Repentance Was Plausible

The Assyrians were known for cruelty and superstition. Sudden mass repentance could have followed unusual events (e.g., solar eclipse in 763 B.C., plagues, etc.). These events may have “primed” Nineveh for Jonah’s message.

3. Linguistic and Literary Evidence

The Book’s Style Matches Historical Narrative

Written in Hebrew prose, not poetry or parable form (unlike, say, the Psalms or Proverbs).

Uses clear historical markers: names, places, directional movements, and timelines. Suggests intent to record events, not to entertain or allegorize.

4.LOGIC

Why Invent a Prophet Who Runs from God?

If Jonah were fictional, why portray him in such a negative light? Invented heroes are rarely cowards or rebellious — but real people often are.

Miracles Don’t Mean Myth

The fish, the plant, the worm, the wind — all miraculous, but that doesn’t mean fictional. The Bible often reports miracles in historical books (e.g., Exodus, Daniel, Gospels).

Parables Have Different Markers

Parables typically begin with “a certain man…” or “a king…” — and never name specific people or places. Jonah includes names, places, and political context — not parable style.

Jonah isn’t a fable or fish tale — it’s fact. Jesus believed it. The Bible records it. History supports it. If we can believe in the resurrection, we can certainly believe Jonah was swallowed, spared, and sent again.

WHAT WE WILL LEARN FROM JONAH:

The Presence of God

The Mission of God

The Merciful Nature of God

The Divine Appointments of God

There is a message for us — but it’s not the message Jonah gives. This is about a prophet going to a different nation to speak, but the book is written for God’s people….why?

Jonah Chapter 1: Running FROM God

V.1

What a privilege to have the word entrusted to you.

God still entrusts His Word to His people today — not through prophecy, but through Scripture.

Ephesians 3:4 “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,”

Ephesians 3:10 “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

What are we doing with that privilege?

V.2

Nineveh is the capital of Assyria - capital of the ENEMY

The same enemy that will later take them into captivity

What makes a city or place “great” in the eyes of God? (Think about it for later…)

They’re EXTREMELY evil and wicked. And Jonah HATED them. He didn’t want to go there because he was afraid they’d accept the preaching! He only cared about His people, he didn’t want them to have the chance to repent.

Jonah only likes certain parts of God’s Character and Nature at this point...

Jonah LOVES justice. But he isn’t advocating for mercy yet.

Jonah doesn’t realize how much he wants God to be merciful though until its him on the chopping block.

V.3

Presence literally means “face”…

When do you not look someone in the face?

When you can’t look at your dad/mom when you’re in trouble out of shame.

When you can’t stand to even see someone out of anger or frustration.

He figured if he wasn’t at home then God wouldn’t be where He went either. And we say “well of course that ain’t true!”

BUT how often when we leave home do we forget to take God with us, or act the same or do the same things we normally do? Just because I go on vacation doesn’t mean I take a vacation from God…

He paid his own way, he put forth a lot of effort into doing something else.

Friend, just because you put in a lot of effort do do something else, that doesn’t mean that the godly and righteous thing you should have done has gone away or that you don’t have that responsibility anymore.

Just because you didn’t take the trash out doesn’t mean it stopped stinking, there still was a job to be done.

V.4

God appointed the Great Wind - a wind by design.

God is the ruler of the wind and storms.

Jonah has the most “miraculous” nature of the Minor Prophets.

V.5

To what “god” do you cry out to in a storm?

Said another way: WHERE DO YOU LOOK FOR ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS IN HARD TIMES?

Most people look somewhere — whether it's to money, relationships, distraction, or self-reliance. The sailors each cried out to their own god — they were desperate, but misdirected.

Jonah, however, didn't cry out to anyone — he was asleep. And many of us do the same thing: we numb ourselves to reality instead of facing it spiritually. We scroll, sleep, isolate, or overwork....

But storms are meant to wake us up, not shut us down.

Jonah’s conscience wasn’t bothered. A conscience with no good education is no good guide at all. Educated how? With Bible!

A bad conscience is a good thing, because that means you know what God expects! If you go through life never thinking you’ve made a mistake you can at least add that to start your list.

Jonah knew what God wanted. But his conscience wasn’t bothered it seems.

ALTERNATIVELY: his was bothered so much he was in a depression where he couldn’t do anything without being pushed hard.

Jonah’s disobedience didn’t just affect him—it endangered everyone around him. Sin is never private. We think because we do it secretley it has no affect on others and even ourselves, but that’s us running from God.

Jonah is lacking something in his knowledge - we will see what that is over the course of this study. He doesn’t yet understand the full scope of God’s mission and teachings - and this is a prophet!

V.6

Why didn’t Jonah boldly say “He will hear! He’s a good God! He’s the one true God!”???

V.7

Casting Lots

They did this a lot in the Bible when they couldn’t figure out the answer.

Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Acts 1 they had 2 great candidates to replace Judas as an Apostle and they cast lots to decide.

It’s used a lot in scripture. Can we use it?...

Sure! But first, exercise every thought and prayer and effort you can. God gave us a brain to think. You think it through, you pray it thorugh. And if you get to where you need to make a decision, and you can’t tell of this way is 49% or 50% and one outweighs another, trust God and flip a coin or something. At a certain point, they did it not because it’s lazy, but they had enough respect for God to do something with it.

Jonah is found out…Have you ever been “found out”? Or worried about being found out for something you did or said?

ILLUSTRATION: Me taking my brothers candy bars he was supposed to be selling. Dad had to pay for them.

V.8-9

Really? Why didn’t you do what God said?

Jonah claims to fear the Lord, but his actions deny it. A good question to ask ourselves: Does my confession match my conduct?

The way Jonah says this is not an admirable way. If anything, its Jonah saying “y’all got it way wrong, I’m the one that’s right” — yet he doesn’t invite them to know about his God…

He’s guilty of wearing the “Christian T Shirt” or necklace. He’s got it on that says “I follow God.” But there are plenty people who have that or a bumper sticker that says that, yet rage and cuss in traffic at people. It’s just an appearance. The shirt doesn’t make the life. The heart and action does.

V.10-12

You can’t get away from God!

So will you spend energy and effort to be with Him? Or are you running from Him?

Jonah made his God too small in his mind. AND Things with God are one way, when we try our own way it may arouse a storm - God loved Nineveh and Jonah enough to send a storm. Sometimes storms just happen, but sometimes it’s Gods pursuit of you. How do you know? You don’t. But when one comes you take an honest evaluation of your faithfulness to God.

Jonah is running from God, so he’s running from responsibilities. And those responsibilities ALWAYS include the spiritual benefit of others. A life running with God is a life that is used as a means to get others on the path to heaven and to help others stay there.

Weak hearted and weak minded men and women RUN from godly responsibility. We are weak when we are weakened by sin and hardened hearts. Jonah had a hard heart that needed to be broken down and rebuilt.

V.13-14

Have you ever seen a storm so bad that it strips paint of a house or car? It happened to mine! STORMS CAN REVEAL WHATS UNDERNEATH!

This storm had peeled back the terrible paint job Jonah had!

The same storm showed a desire for good underneath the sailors....it revealed an unexpectedly ready foundation, it was ready to be built on.

The sailors had a greater regard for life than Jonah. They understood that someone’s life is valuable — and they’re not even worshipers of God! (No thanks to Jonah…)

V.15-16

Our God is Ruler of SEA and LAND.

The Sailors now worship God. (Again, no thanks to Jonah…)

The storm worked for the other sailors too, God can reach multiple people with one good or one hard circumstance… so will you let it go to waste or take advantage of it?

Sometimes we encounter a storm we caused and sometimes we didn’t - but what will you do with it? Will you let it call you back to God if you need to be? If you’ve been faithful, will you take advantage of it as a time to show faith for other’s benefit?

What was the full purpose of the storm God appointed?

Jonah repenting, Nineveh being taught, and the Sailors knowing the True God.

There is NO wisdom in running from God. Wisdom understands not only that God is the God of the whole world, but then that I ought to exhort all my energy in getting on His side and running to Him instead of away from Him.

GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (5-10 Minutes, Then Share):

How do people “run from God” today?

Why was the “running”, or the other thing tempting to do instead of what God wanted, why does it seem more appealing to run from God?

What makes a city or place “great” in the eyes of God?

Why do you think Jonah would rather die than obey God at this point? Have you ever felt spiritually stuck like that?

FINAL QUESTION:

So far, what do you think God’s broader goal is in sending a prophet to a Foreign nation and having this book recorded for the Israelites?