Jonah: The Reluctant Prophet - 13

Introduction: We come now to Jonah chapter 3. This chapter covers Jonah’s preaching to the Ninevites and their repentance. We also see at the end of this chapter, the Lord’s assessment of what took place with the Assyrians.

As we continue to look at this small book of Jonah, we must now refocus our attention on the main thrust of this book.

Ever before us, we see God’s great purpose of providing every opportunity for man to repent and turn to Him.

Even this day all over this World God has His messengers preaching His Gospel.

God has throughout all of the pages of Scripture sent His preachers and His prophets to proclaim “Repentance toward God...” (Acts 20:21) and faith toward Him.

We really see our role in this current dispensation, this time, the Church Age:

As a local church:

(1) We are to walk in obedience to the Lord and

(2) We are to deliver God’s message to all people of the world.

The Bible tell us in Luke 11:30 that Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites.

The Lord Jesus Christ stated, “For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”

And so Jonah was, he was the living embodiment of God’s judgement but also Jonah was living proof of the mercy of God.

“Jonah was thus the fittest instrument for proclaiming judgment, and yet hope of mercy on repentance to Nineveh, being himself a living exemplification of both—judgment in his entombment in the fish, mercy on repentance in his deliverance.” Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 685.

Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites in this fashion, but also he served as a sign that foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ’s ministry, and His death, burial and resurrection.

The nation of Israel in similar fashion was presented with the choice to receive Jesus Christ. And yet, they rejected the sign of Jonas in the life of Christ, in His preaching, in His death, burial and resurrection.

I am reminded of the parable in which the Lord expressed the differences in reception and rejection of God’s message.

There were those that accepted the message of God. There were those that rejected the message of God.

The nation of Israel was privileged and received the oracles of God first.

Romans 3:1,2 “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”

They saw the unusual blessings of God and were presented with God’s only begotten Son.

John the Baptist had prepared the way for the Lord. He was His forerunner and yet, through all the signs and wonders that the Lord Jesus Christ did in their day; they rejected Him.

They said “yea” with their lips but their heart was far from the Lord.

During the Lord’s earthly time, who received His message?

Just like wicked people in Nineveh it was the chiefest sinners of the Jewish world.

In Matthew 21 in verses 28 - 32 we find these words, “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

One expositor had this to say, “The "second time" experience of grace by Jonah (in which he failed the first time but obeyed the second time) is especially applicable to the Jewish people. They are a people of the "second time." They are a nation which God has repeatedly given a second chance, a second opportunity. In fact, "The second chance is so uniform a feature of Israel's history that there can be no question of the propriety of calling Israel the people of the second chance"”

With that introduction let’s begin by reading through Jonah chapter 3.

Our Outline for Chapter 3:

III. Jonah’s Preaching: God’s Proclamation - Chapter 3

A. Jonah’s Obedience v1-4

1. The Repetition of the Command. v1,2

2. The Obedience to the Command. v3,4

B. The People’s Repentance v5-9

1. The summary of the situation. v5

2. The seriousness of the situation. v6-8

3. The statement of the situation. v9

C. God’s Grace and Mercy v10

1. God saw their works. v10

2. God dealt with them in mercy. v10

III. Jonah’s Preaching: God’s Proclamation - Chapter 3

A. Jonah’s Obedience v1-4

In verses 1-4 we see yet again the calling of God upon Jonah’s life. He is called again to go to the city of Nineveh.

This scene if you were to compare the two, from chapter 1 to chapter 3 in these first couple of verses is almost identical.

The difference between the first chapter and the third chapter is seen in Jonah’s careful obedience to the instructions given to him in chapter 3 versus the rebellion seen in chapter 1.

What is interesting is that you and I are really presented with two types of Christians from chapter 1 to chapter 3.

In chapter 1, we have the perfect illustration of a disobedient Christian.

He receives the commands of God, He is called to delivers God’s message to the wayward of this world and He rejects his responsibility and command.

In chapter 3, we have the perfect illustration of an obedient Christian.

He receives the instruction of God, He marches forth in obedience being submitted to God. He preaches to the people the message of God. And that message is empowered by the Spirit of God.

But in both chapter 1 and chapter 3, we see the stedfastness and immutability of the Lord our God.

We see the graciousness and methods of the Lord in dealing with the individual Christian and also the people of the World.

He gives Jonah the same command to go and preach. His plan is fixed within the wonderful perfection of the counsel of His will.

His message is the message He determined the city of Nineveh needed.

And I say this, because of the temptation to give our message rather than the message of God.

Perhaps this is why the Lord added the clause, “the preaching that I bid thee...”

I am reminded of one of the most difficult circumstances described to us in all the Bible.

In Numbers chapter 20, we are given an example of this great temptation, to deliver our message rather than God’s message.

You will remember the passage immediately from our study of the life of Moses.

The Bible says in Numbers chapter 20 starting in verse 2, “And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. 7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

Moses did not deliver the message that God would have him to communicate, instead of pointing people to God’s ability to provide, Moses and Aaron spoke their message in anger, not sanctifying the Lord in the eyes of the people.

And so it is with you and I, that we must be careful to deliver God’s message and not our own.

We see the message of the Gospel that we are commissioned with is the same today as it was when the apostles preached it in the book of Acts.

There is no new plan or no new way.

It is the Gospel that works in the lives and hearts of men through the wonderful working of His Spirit.

The Bible tells us that God’s method is “by the foolishness of preaching...”

In I Corinthians 1:21 the Word of God states, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”

And this Gospel message begins with a message of Judgement, even as we will see here in Jonah chapter 3.

It brings it listeners to a place of decision.

What will they do with the message of God?

How will they respond?

When we come to the book of Romans in the New Testament, we find the message of Salvation begins first with the understanding of condemnation.

The message of continues in Romans and reveals the need of all mankind which is for God’s grace by placing our faith trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to notice in verses 1 and 2 in your notes that we have:

1. The Repetition of the Command. v1,2

Oftentimes, we find in our Bible reading a repetition of certain truth.

This is why at times you may feel as if the preacher is repeating himself.

These are truths that God wanted to communicate to you and I and emphasize.

When we discover what God has repeated over and over again, we ought to pay close attention.

Here, Jonah is given a repeat command, like unto the first concerning His mission.

The Bible say, “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”

In this, we are reminded of that blessed truth which we discovered in Jonah chapter 1 concerning God speaking to us through His Word.

Some may have thought after Jonah’s disobedience that He was done; finished.

God would never speak to him again.

We can thank the Lord that He does not act in the manner you and I would.

We can thank the Lord that He is merciful and forgiving of us.

Here we see the Lord speaking to Jonah a second time.

Matthew Henry in speaking of these introductory verses here in chapter said this, “See here the nature of repentance; it is the change of our mind and way, and a return to our work and duty.”Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Jon 3:1.

God graciously speaks to Jonah again. You and I can see this in our own lives as well. Oftentimes, we fail to heed to directing of the Holy Spirit and yet God speaks to us again.

Many times have I opened my Bible with a wrong heart attitude towards God and His Word and have found it to be empty to me. And yet, I bow my head and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness and help, and He speaks to me again. Once again, the Scriptures are lit up!

I would like for us to understand secondly, that Jonah needed the second call of God.

He would be found to be presumptuous without God’s clear direction for Him once again to go to Nineveh.

We can assuredly say that it was needed, for God gave it to Him.

The lesson is that we must be directed by the Lord in our service to the Lord.

The Lord through the prophet Jeremiah spoke concerning this when he stated, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.”(Jeremiah 23:21)

These were those that in Jeremiah’s day were presumptuous in their service.

These were those who refused to denounce evil and were promising the people security and peace, despite the fact that Jeremiah was prophesying to the contrary.

They ignored God’s message and presumed to speak on behalf of God.

We can see another example of this in the book of Numbers chapter 14.

You will remember at the beginning of that portion of Scripture starting in Numbers chapter 13 how that the Moses and the people of God had sent 12 spies in to spy out the land of Canaan. They had a two fold purpose they were to see what the land looked like and they were to see how powerful the people were that dwelt in it.

Upon returning from their mission, 10 of these spies brought an evil report. They validated God’s Word that this was a land flowing with milk and honey, but they spoke evilly about being able to go in and take the land.

In Numbers chapter 14, the Lord after Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua interceded for the people, renders the judgement that none of the people from 20 years old and upward save Caleb and Joshua would enter into the land.

But we find this matter of presumption in verses 39 and 40 of chapter 14 where the Bible says, “And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.”

I am reminded though of the opposite of this in the life of Paul, where He obeyed the directing of the Holy Spirit. The Bible states, they “were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.” (Acts 16:6b-7)

And my friend, you and I must seek the Lord’s face concerning our service to Him.

There are many things that we are called to already by God’s Word, that are stedfast and that we can confidently stand upon.

For instance, you and I are called upon to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no presumption in witnessing to folks and telling them about Jesus. Why? Because we have already be called upon to do this in the Scriptures.

There is no presumption in studying the Word of God or in prayer. These are thoroughly commended in the Scriptures.

I do not have to guess whether or not the Lord wants me to be a part of a local New Testament church. This is clearly given in the Scriptures.

But if I were to wake up tomorrow and tell my wife we are selling everything we have and moving to Antartica to setup a Gospel mission, I have better have God’s clear calling upon my life to go in that direction.

“There is a vital principle here that applies to us all and it is this: the revealed will of God for our lives is not negotiable—everything the Lord asks of us requires a thoroughly faithful response. There is one standard of personal holiness to which we are all called and it is summed up in the injunction: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’ (1 Peter 1:16)” Gordon J. Keddie, Preacher on the Run: The Meaning of Jonah, Welwyn Commentary Series (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 1986), 79.

We can rest on the fact that:

(1) God’s calling will come through His Holy Word.

(2) God’s calling will come through the preaching of His Word.

And lastly,

(3) God’s calling will come through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.

Again notice, the Bible says, “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”

“We are not told what went through Jonah’s mind in these moments and hours after he found himself washed up on the shore. He had looked death in the face and lived. And he knew it had been the grace of God alone that had brought him through. People whose lives have been saved from otherwise certain death, perhaps by brilliant surgery or a rescuer’s heroism, have testified to a sense of having been given a second life and have seen their very existence in an entirely different light.” Gordon J. Keddie, Preacher on the Run: The Meaning of Jonah, Welwyn Commentary Series (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 1986), 78.”

And this is the undoubted effect that should be in the life of a soul that is rescued by God in Salvation.

This is the effect that should be in the life a soul that is restored by God. A second chance, a new beginning....

So we see now secondly in your notes:

2. The Obedience to the Command. v3,4

Notice what the Bible says, “So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.”

Before when we look back at chapter 1 we find these words, “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD...”

“Jonah thought himself free when he fled, but in fact his first real enjoyment of freedom came when he started to fulfil God’s command.” Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator: The Minor Prophets, vol. 5, The Biblical Illustrator (New York; Chicago; Toronto; London; Edinburgh: Fleming H. Revell Company, n.d.), 42.

You and I as God’s people have been freed to walk rightly before the Lord.

We are free to yield ourselves to God in faithful service to Him.

In fact today, on this Lord’s day, if you are a Christian you can choose to walk in the Lord’s Ways. This can be a new day of obedience for you.

You might be thinking, I’ve already failed in these past weeks or this past month.

As God has given to you breath in your lungs, another day of life on this earth, you have the opportunity to commit yourself to careful obedience to Him.

We see here right at the beginning that Jonah arose and went.

Not only did Jonah go, but more importantly we find the next words in verse 4, “according to the word of the LORD...”

This strikes at the heart of all obedience.

We might say, “Well I am serving the Lord. I do this or that...”

The question that tries our obedience is not are we doing… but are we obeying according to the Word of the Lord?

There are many that opt to serve God on their own terms and in their own way.

Many will say, “I will serve God in this way.”

But the question arises are we obedient according to the Word of the LORD?

I am afraid that much that goes on in the name of Christ may be some form of service, but it is not done according to His Ways.

The life of Paul before He met the Lord on the road to Damascus was predicated on the idea that He was doing God a service. Of course, we easily see that His persecutions of Christians was not according to the Word of the Lord.

The reminds us of the Lord’s instruction concerning this when He states in 15th chapter of John, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

What exactly is the Lord asking us to do in the 15th chapter of John?

What does He mean by the phrase, “keep my commandments”?

In I John 5:3 we find it put this way, “ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

Are we to come to understand that the Lord expects our obedience to Him and according to His Word?

The answer is of course, Yes.

The Lord does expect our careful obedience to His commands.

We find in this small portion the change in Jonah’s life, where he is carefully obeying the Word of the Lord.

We will begin again next week looking at the obedience of Jonah, and also the people’s repentance.