THE POSTPONING PROPHET--JONAH 1:1-17--by Dean Robinson

THE POSTPONING PROPHET

JONAH 1:1-17

By Dean Robinson

Introduction:

Jonah is the fifth book of what is traditionally referred to as the Minor Prophets. The book is a record about a man of God that was chosen as God's instrument in proclaiming God's message to the Assyrians, particularly to the idolatrous pagans of Nineveh. This book is also a revelation of the amazing grace of God as He deals in mercy and patience with His servant who at first refused to carry out his divinely appointed task. Jonah is a unique book in the sense that it not only is a biography of a passionate prophet, but it also gives a prophetic preview of Christ's burial and resurrection (Matthew12:39-40, “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.) and a remarkable prophecy of the entire history of the people of Israel.

In chapter 1 we are shown a classic illustration of the folly of trying to run from God and His calling upon one's life. Whatever God's perfect will for our life is, we must submit to it and obey it without question, doubt, or hesitation.

I. GOD'S DIRECTIVE vs. 1-2

A. A Servant Is Selected, v.1.

1. God had a task to be done and chose from among His servants, Jonah, the son of Amittai.

2. Jonah was a tried and proven prophet of the Lord who served during the rule and reign of a wicked king named Jeroboam (II) whereby he predicted that this king would reclaim some territory for Israel which had been lost under previous administrations, 2 Kings 14:23-25, “In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. 24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.”

B. The Specifics Are Stated, v. 2.

1. God's word to Jonah was a clear and unmistakable command to go to heathen Nineveh and preach against it because of its grievous wickedness.

Note: God chooses to reveal His will always through His Word, Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

Psalms119:104-105, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

If we want to know our divine obligations and responsibilities, we must first know the Word of God.

2. Even though God's divine command was clear-cut and definite, it would not be easy because Nineveh was the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire which was known to be a cesspool of debauchery and immorality, wholly given over to idolatry, witchcraft, and barbaric cruelty. God referred to Nineveh as "that great city" and "exceeding great city" (3:3); it was great in its wickedness, Nahum 3:1-4, “Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. Nineveh was located on the Tigris River about 75 miles south of the border of our present day Turkey and about 200 miles north of Baghdad in Iraq.

3. The specifics of Jonah's duty are found in the words: arise, go, and cry against. That is, wake up, get up, and speak up against the sins of the people, Isaiah 58:1, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” The reason for God's divine directive was not just because of the wickedness of Nineveh but mainly because of the infinite holiness of God. Such a holy God cannot and will not tolerate such evil and iniquity.

II. JONAH'S DISOBEDIENCE, v. 3

A. His Planned Destination.

1. Jonah, in a daring and blatant way, disobeyed the divine commission given to him by fleeing to Tarshish. Jonah ran in the opposite direction than he was suppose to because Nineveh was east of where he lived and Tarshish was west. Jonah in his disobedience wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and God and going to Tarshish emphasized this separation.

2. Twice we're told that Jonah's intentions were to flee from God's presence. While he could never escape the omnipresence of God, he could flee and depart from the place of God's perfect will and blessing for his life. Fleeing the presence of the Lord is possible when one forsakes the place of worship, prayer, and service unto God, Genesis 4:16, “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Jeremiah 23:39, “Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:” Disobedience and rebellion will always produce a decline in our interest in spiritual things and a dislike for the presence of God.

B. His Perilous Direction.

1. Jonah's determination to run from God can be attributed to two things:

a. His spiritual deterioration -- The quickness and rapid pace with which Jonah disobeyed God revealed that his spiritual health was already on a downward spiral. One does not backslide accidentally or overnight; disobedience and rebellion against God does not occur unless there has been some groundwork laid for it: neglect of Bible study, prayer, church attendance, etc.

b. His spiritual discrimination -- In 4:2 Jonah explains why he fled: he was afraid the Ninevites might repent at his preaching and be spared God's judgment, thereby sealing the doom and downfall of his own people. Israel (ten northern tribes) had been repeatedly warned by God through His faithful prophets that they would be taken captive by the Assyrians for their persistent rebellion against God, Hosea 9:3, “They shall not dwell in the LORD’S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.” Jonah rejected the notion of God showing His mercy and grace to a heathen people and Israel's mortal enemies.

2. As soon as Jonah disobeyed God, his life began to plummet downward on a slippery slope:

a. He went down to Joppa,

b. He went down into the ship,

c. He went down into the sea,

d. And he went down into the belly of the fish. The path of disobedience is always down.

3. Jonah “paid the fare thereof” but little did he realize there would be a higher price to pay for his disobedience and rebellion against God, Proverbs 13:15, “Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.”

a. Choosing the way of man, Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

b. Choosing God’s way, Hebrews 11:25, “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”

III. THE STORM'S DISRUPTION vs.4-17

A. Agitation of the Sea, v. 4.

1. As a result of Jonah's disobedience, God sent a great wind and mighty tempest on the sea. This was no small storm because v.13 says the sea was "tempestuous" and v.15 says it was "raging." Jonah may have fled but God did not relinquish His sovereignty over nature or His creatures. He who created the elements is able to direct and control them: Psalm 107:23-25, “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; 24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. 25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.”

a. The rain and lightning, Psalm 135:7, “He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.”

b. The sun and the rain, Matthew 5:45, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

c. The sea and wind, Mark 4:39, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

2. The storm was so powerful that the ship was in danger of literally being torn apart. God was grieved over Jonah's sin; no one is immune from storms brought on by disobedience to God's commands, Isaiah 57:20-21, “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Many lives have been made a shipwreck because of their rebellion and running from God.

B. Alarm by the Sailors. vs.5-10

1. Recognizing this was no ordinary storm and realizing their imminent danger, these sailors did two things: they prayed to their false gods out of desperation and in their panic began to overthrow the cargo of the ship, v.5a.

Note: These seamen were no doubt experienced, skilled sailors that had been through many storms in their lifetime but this storm was so fierce and ferocious that they knew there was no chance to survive in the turbulent waves and stay afloat in the raging sea if the boat sank.

2. While the sailors were feverishly praying and working to save their lives, Jonah was below the deck fast asleep, for which he was sternly rebuked by the captain of the ship who requested that Jonah begin praying to his God for help, vs.5b-6.

Note: It is pathetically sad that a prophet of God was called upon by a pagan to pray. Sin is like a numbing narcotic, anesthetic drug that soothes people asleep to where they are unaware of their backslidden, rebellious condition.

3. With life and death in the balances, the sailors concluded someone on board was responsible for the storm and after casting lots, Jonah was found out to be the guilty individual, v.7.

4. After an intense interrogation by the sailors, Jonah finally confessed his sin of trying to run from the one true God who was the Sovereign Creator and Ruler of the entire universe, vs.8-10. At this point Jonah was made to realize that it was utterly impossible to hide and run from God. Jonah declared he feared the Lord: Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 12:28, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:”

C. Advice from the Guilty Prophet, vs.11-16.

1. Upon asking the question what should be done to him by the sailors who were now even more terrified (v.10a), Jonah humbly responded by advising them to throw him overboard into the sea, vs.11-12. Here we see evidence of Jonah's true repentance wherein he was willing to accept the just penalty for his sin. He who had at first tried to run from God's divine duty was now willing to give his life, if necessary, in order to save the sailors and do God's will.

2. Ignoring Jonah's advice, the sailors vainly attempted to bring the ship to land but as the storm grew worse, they decided to heed the prophet's suggestion, acknowledging Jehovah to be the true God, vs.13-16. As soon as Jonah hit the water, the raging of the storm ceased. These once pagan sailors were made to respect and submit to the power and authority of Almighty God. They realized that the lot and the word of the prophet, as well as the storm were indications of the sovereign will of God in the matter. God had done as it pleased Him.

D. Appointment of a Gigantic Fish. v.17

1. The Lord prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah as soon as he plunged beneath the sea. The word "prepared" means: to appoint, order, assign. God arranged it that the fish should be there when Jonah was cast into the sea.

2. Jonah's preservation in the belly of the fish for 3 days and nights can only be explained as a supernatural miracle. The skeptic's problem with Jonah and the whale is not a lack of explanation but a lack of faith. We are not required to explain Bible miracles; we are only required to believe them by faith.

Conclusion

God had a job to be done. Jonah was still to be the messenger. The Lord graciously intervened and His prophet was miraculously spared. This chapter clearly reveals not only the patience and longsuffering of God towards His disobedient servant but also the futility of running from God. God, in His love, will chasten every one of His rebellious children and when He does, the Bible declares it will be "grievous" (Hebrews 12:11, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.). Such was the case with the life of Jonah.

by Dean Robinson