Jonah: Beyond the Great Fish
By Shaun Shuler
Many accounts in the Bible start with a problem, a journey, and end with a satisfying conclusion. The story of Joseph is one that comes to my mind. A young man betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave, wrongly thrown into prison, but eventually elevated to the second highest position in all of Egypt. Then reunited with his brothers (whom he forgave) and father, and his family was saved from the severe famine going on in the region. (Genesis 37-50)
Then there was Ruth. A young foreign widow, moved to Israel with her bitter mother-in-law, was eventually remarried to a prominent Jewish man, and ended up being in the family line of JESUS. (Ruth 1-4 and Matthew 1:5)
There was also Job, a wealthy man of GOD, who loses all of his wealth and children, has a negative wife who tells him to just die, afflicted with horrible skin sores, and friends who accuse him of doing evil, but in the end, GOD restored everything and he was given twice as much as before. (Job 1-42)
Then we come to the one who most will know as the one swallowed by a giant fish, Jonah. It is a narrative with drama as the other individuals mentioned above. However, it ends abruptly and in an odd way.
There are many questions we can look into as we dive into this interesting prophet of GOD. As with most Bible characters, it is easy to point the finger at Jonah for all his mistakes and flaws.
But if we are honest with ourselves, does our lives today reflect some of the same struggles we will see that Jonah had?
Do you know any Jonahs in your life?
Do you think there are many Jonahs in our world and especially within the Church as a whole?
If we or anyone else have the same flaws as Jonah, what can been done to address it?
Jonah: Beyond the Great Fish.
Disobedient to GOD
Right from the very beginning, we see a prophet of GOD, get a call to action from GOD, but then chose his own way instead of choosing obedience.
Perhaps we have never been called to preach to a foreign city, but has GOD ever put it in your mind and heart to go pray with someone? Have you ever been led to go encourage the unpopular outcast at work or at school? Have you ever felt the urging to share your testimony to someone individually or in a group? Have you ever saw a need in a person’s life and had the ability to be a blessing to them?
As Christians, the answer to these questions should be yes. The more difficult question to answer is how many times did we run in the opposite direction?
I remember many times in my past where GOD was nudging me to interact with someone. The times I was obedient, I saw the lost accept JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR and I witnessed the countenance of the depressed brighten up with hope. The sad confession, however, is my obedience in these moments has only been a handful of times. More times than not, I would come up with excuses as to why I should not talk to them at that moment, “I’ll talk to them another day”, “What if they get mad and lash out at me?”, “What will others think?”, “I have my own struggles; I cannot help someone else.” I am sure most of us have said or thought these phrases one way or another.
By not obeying that call to fellowship with someone, I will never know what would have happened, especially knowing the few times I did resulted in amazing moments.
Back to Jonah, most of us know the next part of the story. He gets on a boat to run from GOD, a terrible storm arises, Jonah is eventually thrown overboard by the other shipmates, and a giant fish swallows him up.
So, what was Jonah’s motivation to run from GOD in the first place?
Heart of Hatred
In chapter 2, we see Jonah inside the great fish, praying to GOD, repenting, and being spit out on to the beach. In chapter 3, we see Jonah called again to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and this time he obeys. We have to fast forward to the beginning of chapter 4 to find the reason that Jonah initially ran from GOD. He hated the people of Nineveh and he wanted them to be destroyed. But why?
As John MacArthur writes:
“Israel’s political distaste for Assyria, coupled with a sense of spiritual superiority as the recipient of GOD’s covenant blessing, produced a recalcitrant attitude in Jonah towards GOD’s request for missionary service.”
To put it bluntly, Jonah did not think these foreigners deserved the right to salvation through repentance. He knew how merciful GOD was and if Nineveh was given the chance and chose to repent, that GOD would forgive and not destroy them.
How often has hatred or prejudice for others crept into the Church over the centuries? In our own lives, have we refused to witness or do an act of kindness to someone because we judged them to not be worthy?
JESUS said,
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
Luke 6:37 NKJV
We should not make the erroneous decision to choose who deserves salvation or even simpler who deserves a blessing from GOD.
I have never held any prejudice against someone due to race, national origin, or even lifestyle choices. I have had animosity towards some people who have harmed me or harmed someone I love. I cannot recall a time I felt led to talk to them, but I have been nudged to pray for them, just as JESUS said,
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”
Matthew 5:44 NKJV
If you are anything like me, I think you would agree this is harder than it looks.
Jonah needed to understand and what we need to be reminded of is that GOD’s love and mercy extends to all His creation. JESUS died on the cross for my sins and He also died for the sins of everyone else.
We absolutely cannot let hatred or prejudice in our hearts reign over our lives.
But there was another aspect to Jonah that is very destructive and quite contagious.
Angry Complainer
Jonah was full of anger and wished to die because he knew GOD was not going to destroy Nineveh since they repented. Then he goes out and sits down to watch if perhaps something would still happen to the city. GOD allowed a plant to grow in one night so Jonah would have cover from the heat to which Jonah was grateful, but the next day the plant died, and full of anger, Jonah complained again about wanting to die because of the heat.
Are you a complainer? Have you been around people who complain?
It is surprisingly a very contagious thing to do. It takes just one person to enter a room to complain about something that gets others to start complaining. Complaining is very poisonous not only to the one complaining, but it is also damaging to others that are constantly in the line of fire of those complaints.
We complain because we do not have the things we think we deserve, we complain because of unanswered prayers, we complain because we see those we deem “nonspiritual” or “anti-GOD” and yet they seem to have “success”.
Complaining is not a direct result of bad circumstances, it is a heart issue that reveals a lack of gratefulness.
The world offers us enough things to complain about every single day, but is that what GOD has called us to do? Are we called to complain and pout because we do not get our way?
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as GOD in CHRIST forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:29-32 NKJV
“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
As I mentioned in the beginning, Jonah’s story concludes abruptly with more questions than answers.
“Then the LORD said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Jonah 4:10-11 NLT
This is how Jonah’s story in the Bible ends. We are left to wonder what became of Jonah after this? Did he continue to live in anger and bitterness or did he repent again and allowed GOD to transform his heart and mind?
Overall, in this account we see that Jonah knew GOD, he became a reluctant, disrespectful prophet for GOD, who had a hateful prejudice towards a group of people, was angry, and full of complaining. Not the best role model as a man of GOD.
You may say that at least, he eventually did obey GOD and a large city turned from their wickedness and averted destruction. However, I believe this is more of the exception than the rule.
Yes, though Jonah did eventually preach to Nineveh and they did repent, I think GOD’s greater plan here was to show Israel that foreigners not only heard GOD’s message to turn from their wickedness and they repented, but why was Israel not listening to His prophets and doing the same. This event was meant to be a wakeup call for Israel, but they never followed through. A few decades later, Assyria attacked Israel and took many of the people captive. Approximately 150 years later, Nineveh turned back to their wicked ways and was eventually destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians.
JESUS commissioned us to:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the FATHER and of the SON and of the HOLY SPIRIT, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV
How many of us are just like Jonah? If we are disobedient to GOD, full of any kind of hatred prejudice towards a person or people, and riddled with anger and a complaining tongue, how effective will we ultimately be for GOD?
How do we correct any of these heart issues that are rooted deep inside us?
Repent
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 NKJV
Repentance is key to staying in a right relationship with GOD. If we as Christians do not continually turn from our sins, we end up stuck in a spiritual desert.
Continually guard your thoughts
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Philippians 4:8 NLT
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of GOD.”
Romans 12:2 NKJV
What we spend most of our time thinking about is usually what we end up doing. Thoughts of disdain towards someone eventually lead to acts of hatred or prejudice. Dwelling on GOD, His attributes, commands and promises, usually leads us to act and live in a way that is honoring and pleasing to Him.
In this world of division and polarizing rhetoric, we as Christians must put away all traits rooted in selfish pride and show the world just how great GOD’s love is for everybody.
Thank you for visiting and please leave any comments, questions, prayer requests, or ideas for new topics you’d like for me to discuss in the comment box below.
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