Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Today we will be studying the book of Jonah and seeing how God used him to reach a people group that he did not like or want to see blessed.

Jonah not only did not want to accept his calling from the Lord but he even tried to run from God to avoid doing it.

However, God’s will be done and despite Jonah’s resistance, the Lord still used Jonah to lead many people to the kingdom and to bring God glory.

And in the process, God showed Jonah that the hardness of his heart was wrong and that he should have compassion on other people groups whether they deserve it or not.

Brothers and sisters, in these last days the church will not be able to effectively fulfill the great commission until we get over our personal feelings or preferences and start sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible so that as many would be saved as can be saved.

We must remember that it is not up to us to judge who deserves a chance at God’s grace because as the Bible tells us we have sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard.

And furthermore that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

So since God shows us such grace and mercy and provided the opportunity for us to be saved who are we not to share the good news with all people regardless of their background.

Jonah’s Background

Jonah was one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament and also the son of Amittai the prophet from Gath Hepher (meaning “winepress of the pit”), a town in lower Galilee near Nazareth (2 Kgs 14:25).

The town has been identified with the modern village of el-Meshhed, where the tomb of Jonah is still shown.

Gath Hepher was within the tribal territory given to Zebulun (see Josh 19:10, 13), so it is likely Jonah belonged to that tribe.

Jonah ministered during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (793–753 BC; 2 Kgs 14:23–25)

Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord

Jonah 1:1-6

The Lord calls out to Jonah and tells him to go to Nineveh the great city and call out against it but instead Jonah flees from the presence of the Lord.

Not only does Jonah flee but he goes down to the Philistine port of Joppa looking for a ship to Tarshish which at that time was believed to be the edge of the world and if you went any further you would fall off the edge of the flat world.

So, Jonah is trying to run as far away from God’s presence and instructions as humanly possible.

Brothers and sisters not only should we not run from the Lord, but in fact it is His presence that we should seek.

Amen!

Also, it is our obedience which He requires.

In fact the word teaches us that obedience is greater than sacrifice.

So fleeing from God and avoiding doing what you know He has told you to do is the opposite of what He wants from us.

Yes there may be times when the Lord is growing you and the calling or work he sets before you may seem greater than you are capable of.

But remember that the Lord does not call the equipped but He equips the called.

Said simply trust God, obey His word and He will equip you to do whatever He calls you to do.

Have you ever experienced a time when the Lord was leading you to do something outside your comfort zone which required you to trust Him to equip you for the task?

Something else to consider is that Jonah was a prophet of the Lord in the Northern Kingdom during the reign of King Jeroboam II (793-753 BC) so surely, he knew the importance of hearing from and obeying the word of the Lord.

So why was Jonah so intent on not following the Lord’s instructions?

A chief reason was because Nineveh was a great city of the Assyrian Empire who were the enemies of the Israelites.

The Assyrians were a sinful, powerful and violent empire known for their highly developed and fierce army.

Some historians note that they were so brutal that they would even skin alive their captives and force family members to watch.

In other cases, they would hang the heads of their enemies on spears along the road as a warning to those who would rebel against them.

And as we know, just a few decades after Jonah in 721 BC, the Assyrian army captured the Israelite capital at Samaria and carried away the citizens of the northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity.

The virtual destruction of Israel left the southern kingdom, Judah, to fend for itself and in 597 BC the Babylonian Exile of the Jews began.

So here is Jonah a well to do prophet of God who is now being asked to travel from his homeland to one of the most powerful and most violent cities in the world to tell them that either they turn from their sinful ways or that the one true God is going to destroy their city in 40 days!

Furthermore, Jonah deeply hated the Assyrians and did not want them to get a warning because he knew that God may be merciful if they changed their ways and Jonah wanted them to be destroyed because in his eyes it would be justified due to the deaths they had caused.

So because of his hardness of heart Jonah flees from God to the edge of the known world instead of being obedient to the Lord’s calling.

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

Jonah 1:7-16

Verses 7-16 explain how the Lord caused a tempest storm to disrupt Jonah’s travel to Tarshish.

The other men on the boat were terrified and everyone prayed to their gods then Jonah explained that his God was the one true God and creator of the sea and that the storm was caused by his disobedience.

This left the men in a terrible dilemma because while they could easily throw Jonah back in the sea to calm the storm what if sending Jonah to his death in the sea would also displease God and then they would also perish.

So, after their own efforts failed finally the men hurled Jonah back into the sea.

They were so fearful of the Lord after this event the Bible says in verse 16 that the men offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

This scripture reminds us that sin and disobedience to the Lord does not just affect the individual but has far reaching consequences to others as well.

However, the Lord being merciful was able to take an event which disciplined His follower Jonah and used it to save and convert the other men on the ship.

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah

Jonah 1:17

A great fish appointed by the Lord, swallows Jonah and he must stay there for 3 days and 3 nights.

The Great Fish is symbolic of death because of Jonah’s rebellion against the Lord.

Also, those who say that this is a myth and could never happen were proven wrong in approximately 1896 when James Bartley spent 36 hours inside the belly of a sperm whale.

The story as reported is that during a whaling expedition off the Falkland Islands, Bartley's boat was attacked by the whale and he landed inside the whale's mouth.

He survived the ordeal and was carved out of the stomach by his peers when they, not knowing he was inside, caught and began skinning the whale because of the hot weather which would have rotted the whale meat.

It was said that he was in the whale for 36 hours and it was also said that his skin had been bleached by the gastric juices, and that he was blind the rest of his life.

He was, however, supposed to have returned to work within three weeks in some accounts.

He died 18 years later and his tombstone in Gloucester says "James Bartley- a modern day Jonah."

So if someone tells you that the story of Jonah is impossible remember that it not only happened to Jonah as the Bible stated but has happened to others as well.

Another interesting point about Jonah being swallowed by the fish is that the Assyrians worshipped the false idol dagon who was a fertility god and resembled a merman or half man half fish creature.

So if you can imagine Jonah coming from a fish with most likely some physical damage from the digestive juices of the whale it must have made quite an impact on them.

Chapter 2: Jonah’s Prayer

Jonah 2:1-10

Jonah cries out to the Lord in prayer.

He declares he is distressed and was in the belly of Sheol when the Lord saved him.

Think about a time when things may have seemed hopeless but you cried out to Jesus and He saved you or moved in the situation.

In the older parts of the Old Testament the Hebrews believed that all living things people and animals went to a place called Sheol when they died which was a dark hopeless place, devoid of any sound, emotions or pleasure.

It wasn’t until later in the Old Testament in the books of Isaiah and Daniel that the Lord revealed to the Hebrews and they realized there is an eternal place of paradise for the righteous and an eternal place of judgement for the wicked.

Jonah goes on to state in his prayer that those with false idols have no hope but those who trust in the true God, the God of Israel will be saved.

In verse 9 stating that “Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

Many bible scholars and even Jesus himself drew symbolic similarities from Jonah being in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights and the Father saving him from death and how Jesus would defeat death hell and the grave by dying on the cross and three days later by the power of the Holy Spirit be resurrected from the dead to ascend to the right hand of the Father for eternity.

Said simply Jonah disobeyed God and was headed for certain death but God caused the fish to spit him out on the sea and save him.

Then God used Jonah to warn the lost people of Nineveh so that they could be saved from the judgement of their sins.

We were all lost in our sins and rebellion and headed for a certain death but Christ showed us mercy by taking our place on the cross so that we are saved.

Now He wants us to fulfill the Great Commission and warn the world of the wrath to come so that they can be saved as well.

Chapter 3: Jonah Goes to Nineveh

Jonah 3:1-5

Chapter 3 begins with the Lord calling Jonah once again to go to Nineveh the great city and to deliver the message that the Lord tells him.

This time Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh.

Nineveh was a great city that took three days journey to tour.

Most historians would say that its size was approximately 1,800 acres with 15 gates and perimeter walls that were wide enough for three chariots to travel side by side and several watchtowers with armed guards.

It is important to understand the deeper meaning of the word journey used in this section of Scripture because while we read the word journey the original word used was mahalak and that word was only used four times in the entire Old Testament.

Twice in Jonah, once in Nehemiah and once in Ezekiel so it is not quite the same meaning as a typical journey.

Jonah didn’t begin preaching his first day in the city but conducted his mahalak which constituted a structured diplomatic mission in accordance with the rules of ancient oriental hospitality.

Day 1 wasn't for preaching -- it was for being received as an emissary, and as was customary, presenting gifts to the folks in charge.

A mahalak isn't merely a walk in the park; it is an itinerary.

Day 2 is when the preaching began, and the message of the Lord was delivered that in 40 days Nineveh would be overthrown.

We can see that Jonah as an affluent prophet of God who was familiar with the proper customs of the time, was the perfect person to deliver the Lord’s message in a way that the Ninevites would receive, take seriously, and even deliver the message to the king.

This only added to Jonah’s frustration because he hated the Assyrians and the fact that he had to play nice, be political and give them a warning and chance to repent before God’s judgement took place was not what he thought they deserved at all.

Have you ever been in a situation where your flesh says give them a piece of your mind, but the Holy Spirit says love them like Jesus?

Of course, we all have been in that situation or will be, but Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us.

To serve and love others and treat them how we want to be treated.

Just like Jonah many times we serve others out of obedience but not always out of genuine love for the people we are serving.

This is spiritual immaturity and we need to pray and ask the Lord to help us love all people even those who seem unlovable.

The People of Nineveh Repent

Jonah 3:6-10

You see Jonah was effective in doing what the Lord had commanded and the message got the whole way to the King of Nineveh.

The King fearing the Lord and His wrath to come, mourned and issued a proclamation for the entire city and livestock to fast from food and water.

Everyone had to mourn and repent and pray to the Lord for His mercies.

Even these people who did not know God had a hope that He would change His mind once the fear of His wrath was realized.