He Didn't Ask You
It is dangerous to look at our gifts rather than God's instructions
Background
Introduction to Jonah
Jonah is the only narrative included in the books of the Minor Prophets. It tells the story of God commanding the prophet Jonah to preach in Nineveh, but Jonah decides to run the other way by boarding a ship. After God orchestrates a storm and a great fish swallows Jonah, he obeys God’s command. But when Nineveh—a major city of the Assyrian Empire and Israel’s enemy—repents after listening to Jonah, he is infuriated. The book’s lesson becomes clear in the end: God’s care extends to all who call on Him—even those who previously stood against His people. His mercy is truly for all.
Background
The book of Jonah does not name its author. The title character is a prophet—Jonah, son of Amittai—who was active in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 786–746 BC; 2 Kgs 14:25).
The main question complicating the interpretation of Jonah is that of genre: whether the book should be read as a historical narrative or a satiric parable. Some ancient sources, including the New Testament, could be understood as interpreting the narrative as historical (e.g., Matt 12:39–42; 3 Macc 6:8; Josephus, Antiquities 9.208). However, the same question of genre affects how those references should be interpreted. The primary issue is not whether the events in the story could have happened. A God who performs miracles could certainly cause a great fish to swallow a human being (Jonah 1:17) or cause a vine to grow and wither in a matter of hours (Jonah 4:6–7). Instead, the issue is what the author intended. Those who argue that the book is a satirical parable interpret its exaggerated elements as comic devices used to lampoon the Israelites, who take pride in their privileged status but do not respond to God’s prophets. These exaggerations include the huge size of Nineveh, the short sermon Jonah gives, and that even the animals of Nineveh repent in sackcloth and ashes (Jonah 3:8). Whatever the story’s genre, the theological lesson remains the same: God’s love and mercy extend to all people who trust in Him.
Structure
The book of Jonah has four chapters, which correspond to its four sections. In ch. 1, God orders Jonah to preach to Nineveh, but Jonah flees aboard a boat to Tarshish. When a storm surrounds the ship at Yahweh’s command, the sailors choose to throw Jonah into the sea and a huge fish swallows him.
In ch. 2, Jonah recites a poetic prayer inside the fish, acknowledging that Yahweh heard his call and rescued him. Jonah promises to obey God’s command. God then orders the fish to vomit Jonah on dry land.
Chapter 3 takes Jonah to Nineveh, where he proclaims, without elegance or tact, that the city will be demolished after 40 days (Jonah 3:4). Surprisingly, the Ninevites’ response is repentance and belief in God—and Yahweh decides not to destroy the city (Jonah 3:10).
In ch. 4, Yahweh’s compassion incites anger in Jonah, who focuses on his own life difficulties, like his lack of shade in the heat of the day. In response, Yahweh makes a plant for shade grow and then die. Jonah complains, and Yahweh reminds him of the great irony of the situation. Jonah mourns a plant, for which he did not labor or make grow, but he does not care for the great city of Nineveh (Jonah 4:10–11).
Outline
• God calls and Jonah flees (Jonah 1:1–17)
• Jonah’s prayer in the fish (Jonah 2:1–10)
• Nineveh repents at Jonah’s preaching (Jonah 3:1–10)
• Jonah’s anger and God’s response (Jonah 4:1–11)
Themes
The main theme of Jonah is that God’s grace and love extends to outsiders and even oppressors. The Israelites, as God’s people, should regard the love of God not as something earned, but as something gifted by God.
Jonah also illustrates the narrowness of nationalistic pride and the wideness of God’s mercy. Jonah begrudges God’s grace to Nineveh; many of us have similar, despicable feelings, which must be dealt with and changed. Jonah complains to the God who saved him from the depths of the ocean—while ultimately being forced to recognize his own lowly place before the Maker of all. Being judgmental and the need to find humility often go hand in hand.
The book of Jonah reminds both Jonah and us: God’s love is for all people. Insiders like Jonah need to recognize that God’s grace is not theirs by right, nor anyone’s for that matter—we should gladly participate in the sharing of grace. The book of Jonah confronts us and asks whether we will embrace God’s mercy or run from it.
How Jonah Can Transform Your Life
Like many books of the Old Testament, the book of Jonah leaves us with a decision regarding how we will live our lives. Will we see outsiders as Jonah sees them or as God sees them? If God wants us to show his love and mercy to someone we don’t expect, how will we respond? Who is the person we fear? Would we accept them as a believer in Jesus, among our church?
Jonah is a harsher judge than God. In the boat, he is willing to use the services of non-Israelites but is unwilling to help or reveal the truth, even if it means saving lives (Jonah 1:4–10). Jonah refuses to preach to the people of Nineveh because he wants no part in their salvation. He knows God is merciful (Jonah 4:2), but he wants them to suffer disaster. When God’s plan does not match Jonah’s, Jonah vents his anger to the point of contempt. Jonah, a prophet of God, acts and speaks with a hatred for his fellow man that affects his life more deeply than does God’s mercy and love.
By the end of the book of Jonah, we are left wondering where Jonah really stands with God: We know where the repentant sinners of Nineveh now stand with God, but what about this self-righteous and hate-filled prophet? We are meant to see ourselves both in the Ninevites and in Jonah. We are meant to find our biases and relinquish them to God’s mercy. We are meant to become as quick to repent as the Ninevites—recognizing our failures before Yahweh.
The shocking thing about Jonah is that those whom Jonah condemns are moved by the mere idea of God. The men in the boat fear God and are saved, as are the Ninevites who “believed God” and acted accordingly (Jonah 3:4–10). Jonah’s insubordination and frustration stand in stark contrast to the love and mercy of God, which is more expansive and inclusive than Jonah could envision or accept. The extension of God’s love and compassion to non-Israelites is a thematic thread that runs through the Prophets and culminates in the gospel of the New Testament. We are not only to include others in the good news and work of Jesus, but also to seek out the forgotten ones in society—to welcome them into God’s incredible love.
Quote. Complain as little as possible of the wrongs done to you; for, commonly speaking, he who complains, sins, because self-love magnifies the injuries done us, and makes us believe them greater than they really are.
FRANCIS DE SALES
When God tells Jonah to preach to Nineveh, Jonah runs away. Do you ever avoid doing God’s will despite the good that can come of it? Do you ever act like you deserve God’s grace, mercy, and love more than someone else? How is God calling you to shift your orientation toward others?
The books of Jonah and Ruth are often paired as stories about God’s love and compassion for people outside of Israel and Judah. Jonah and Ruth can also be read as counter-voices to other biblical texts, such as Nahum, Ezra 9–10, and Nehemiah 13, which reflection harsher attitudes toward outsiders. How might you reconcile these two views within the biblical text? How does the message of Jonah relate to the message of the New Testament regarding non-Jewish people (e.g., Rom 9–11; Gal 3:23–29)?
At the end of the book, twice Jonah expresses that he is so angry he could die. Both times God responds, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4, 9). Further, God asks, “should I not be concerned about Nineveh?” (Jonah 4:11). How does holding onto negative feelings keep you from seeing people through God’s eyes? If Jonah could have forgiven Nineveh for the violence it did to Israel, how might his life have been different? Is there something or someone you need to forgive in order to see God’s way more clearly?