As I studied the book of Jonah, I could not help being struck by the honest yet sinful feelings that Jonah experienced. Right, wrong or indifferent, Jonah’s feelings were real and, in his humanity, as raw as it gets. Jonah struggled to find compassion towards the Ninevites, whom he believed were undeserving of God’s compassion. Likewise, Jonah was resentful towards the LORD for His infinite compassion towards the Ninevites. Jonah was so triggered by the mercy of the LORD that he initially resisted carrying out his assignment. As I studied this book, if I’m honest, I thought to myself, “I can relate. Haven’t we all had similar feelings before?” Perhaps someone carries out an egregious act and in response, we not only banish all mercy but await the swift judgment of God. Like Jonah, frustration ensues as we wonder how God seemingly allows the person to get away with it. Like Jonah, we too may experience the tug-of-war that, at times, comes with walking in obedience to the LORD. While doing what God calls us to do is always the right thing to do, it doesn’t always make it easy.
Jonah’s assignment by God was very clear—go to Assyria and call the people of Nineveh to repentance. The Assyrian empire was powerful but not without rampant sin. God called Jonah to tell the people of Nineveh to repent. Resistant to God’s assignment, Jonah rebelled and fled from the LORD. In his stubbornness, Jonah boarded a ship and headed to Tarshish. The LORD sent a fierce storm that scared the sailors aboard the ship while Jonah slept below deck. As the sailors cast lots to determine the source of their hardship, they discovered that Jonah was the reason for their strife. Jonah was ultimately thrown into the sea as the storms intensified but not before the sailors made every effort to attempt to spare his life by rowing back to land.
Jonah ended up in the belly of a fish after being thrown overboard, where he remained for three days and three nights. From within the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD, offering prayers of gratitude and for deliverance. God delivered Jonah from the belly of the fish and told him, once again, to deliver His message to the people of Nineveh. Jonah ultimately obeyed God and delivered God’s message to a repentant people.
A relatively short book nestled towards the latter part of the Old Testament, the brevity of the book of Jonah does not lessen the powerful lessons that we can extract from its message.
The Love And Mercy Of God Are For All
Throughout the book of Jonah, we see the love and mercy of God on full display. Despite the rampant sin of the Ninevites, God wanted to offer them the opportunity to receive his mercy and compassion through repentance. When Jonah finally relented and obeyed God’s wish to deliver the message that God had given him, the Ninevites repented. They fasted and all, from the greatest to the least, including animals, put on sackcloth.
As a result of their actions, the mercy of God was upon them, as demonstrated through the following scripture:
“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.”
~ Jonah 3:10 NIV
God offered His compassion to Jonah as well. Despite Jonah’s initial disobedience and rebellion against God, God ultimately delivered Jonah from the belly of the fish after Jonah offered prayers of thanksgiving and for deliverance. God was merciful towards Jonah, delivering him from the belly of the fish and offering Jonah another opportunity to complete the assignment from which he had first run. God’s Word reveals His act of mercy towards Jonah:
“And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”
~ Jonah 2:10 NIV
God did all of this despite the fact that the compassion and mercy that God extended to Jonah was exactly what was missing from Jonah’s heart towards the Ninevites. Furthermore, it was Jonah’s resentment towards God for what he knew would be God’s compassion towards the Ninevites that sent Jonah running from his assignment in the first place, as evidenced through the following scripture verses:
“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became very angry. He prayed to the LORD, ‘Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? This 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 4:1-3 NIV
God continued to show compassion to Jonah in spite of Jonah’s anger towards the LORD. As Jonah waited to observe what would happen to the city, he made shelter for himself. In spite of Jonah’s sulky behavior, The LORD grew a leafy plant to provide shade to Jonah. The following day, as the LORD would have it, a worm came to eat up the leafy plant. As Jonah grew faint in the blazing heat, he became even angrier and wanted to die.
The LORD questioned Jonah about the anger he now felt due to the withering of the plant. The following scripture verses show the continued compassion of the LORD towards Jonah in spite of Jonah’s resentment towards God and lack of mercy for the Ninevites:
“God said, ‘What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of 120,000 childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals.’”
~ Jonah 4:10-11 (The Message)
Not only did the LORD want to extend His mercy towards the Ninevites but, in His infinite love, He wanted to meet Jonah in his frustration. The LORD listened to Jonah and offered Jonah insight into His loving, compassionate nature.
The sailors too experienced the mercy of God. They did not follow God but worshipped their own gods. Nevertheless, when the storm intensified and they cried out to God to spare them from death before throwing Jonah overboard, the LORD showed compassion towards the sailors. After Jonah was thrown overboard, the stormy sea became calm. The sailors knew that God had shown mercy towards them. This prompted them to repent, worship God, offer sacrifices and vow to serve God.
God Is Sovereign
Through the book of Jonah, we see the sovereignty of God at work. While we have free will, God is sovereign and ultimately in control. No amount of running could stop God’s plan for Jonah to fulfill the assignment to which God had tasked him. Jonah thought he had control over his life by refusing to carry out God’s wish and fleeing to Tarshish. But through circumstances involving stormy seas and a big fish, all orchestrated by God, God ultimately positioned Jonah to submit to the assignment that God had for him. Jonah quickly discovered that refusing to obey God is what brought forth hardship for him. Jonah realized that because of his disobedience the sailors too were being negatively impacted by his actions. When asked by the sailors what they should do with him in order to get the seas to calm down, Jonah replied with the following answer:
“’Throw me into the sea’, Jonah said, ‘and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.’”
~ Jonah 1:12 NLT
In God’s absolute sovereignty, God would even use Jonah’s disobedience as he ran from his assignment to minister to the hearts of the pagan sailors. It was when the seas calmed down after they cried out to the LORD, that the sailors came to know the LORD for themselves.
Repentance Makes It Right
When Jonah ultimately brought forth God’s message to the Ninevites, preaching against their wickedness, the people of Nineveh repented. The Ninevites were guilty of much, including plots against God, idolatry, witchcraft, prostitution, greed, exploits against the vulnerable and cruel acts during war. Nevertheless, Jonah’s message to them penetrated their hearts and caused them to turn to God. God didn’t have to extend grace and mercy upon them but He did. In His compassion, God recognized their actions and withheld the judgment that He had originally intended.
Repentance is the pathway to being made whole and in right standing with God. God forgives anyone who pivots from sin and seeks forgiveness. All throughout scripture, we are reminded of the importance of repentance and God calls us to repentance. The following scripture speaks to repentance:
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the LORD…”
~ Acts 3:19 NIV
Repentance involves turning away from sin to the direction of God. A repentant heart is not only sorrowful but committed to abandoning sinful behavior. Through repentance, we forsake sin in exchange for the mercy and forgiveness of God. As we receive the mercy and forgiveness of God, we are refreshed. When we repent, the burden of sin that has separated us from God is lifted. What a beautiful gift we are offered through repentance. We have the opportunity to be reconciled to God, restored in God’s sight, refreshed, renewed in mind and spirit, and transformed by the power of the Spirit of the LORD alive within us.
God Hears Our Prayers
At times we may wonder if our prayers matter or if God really hears our prayers. There may be times when, even with our best efforts in establishing a consistent prayer life, God seems distant or even silent. Perhaps prayers may seem to go unanswered. Or, in contrast, the hustle and bustle of life takes over and, as a result, our prayer life dwindles.
Throughout scripture, we are reminded of the importance of prayer. In addition, not only are we encouraged to pray but to pray often. God’s Word tells us:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
In its simplest form, prayer is time spent communicating with God, whether through thought, oral communication or in written form. When we pray, we invite God and all of heaven’s resources into our earthly circumstances. The heart posture of prayer is humility because through prayer, we acknowledge our need for the power and presence of God in our lives.
Jonah’s hardened heart gave way to a heart posture of humility as he offered prayers of thanksgiving and prayed to God for deliverance from the belly of the fish. Jonah recognized that it was God who would deliver him from his affliction. From within the belly of a fish, God heard Jonah’s prayers and, in His mercy, answered Jonah’s plea. No matter where we are, what we are facing or the time of day or night, God hears and welcomes our prayers. The following scriptures show us that God hears our prayers:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
~ 1 John 5:14 NIV
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
~ Jeremiah 29:12-13 ESV
What are your thoughts about the book of Jonah? Was there a specific lesson that resonated for you? Can you relate to how Jonah was feeling? Has there been a specific circumstance in your life through which you experienced the mercy and compassion of the LORD? If so, please share. I’d love to hear from you!