Jonah 1 - Chicken of the Sea
by Lance Ponder(94)http://fkiprofessor.xanga.com
JONAH
Jonah is mentioned in 2 Ki 14:25 as a prophet in the period of about 793-753 BC. He prophesied several decades before the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria (722 BC). In fact, Jonah was sent by God specifically to its capitol city of Nineveh to preach repentance.
At that point in history Israel and Judah were loosely associated, sometimes working together and sometimes fighting each other. The close association of all the tribes of Jacob’s descendants had long since ceased. Judah claimed Jerusalem as its holy capitol city, retaining the Temple built by Solomon as the center of YHWH worship. Meanwhile most of the tribes broke away and set up Samaria as their capitol constructing their own temple and establishing their own worship practices. Throughout the period of the Prophets, God makes it clear He recognizes Jerusalem, but does not accept Samaria. The Northern Kingdom was also mixed with local Gentile peoples. Galilee, for example, was regarded as a Gentile dominated region even though it contained Israelite settlements such as Nazareth.
The Assyrians were regarded as intensely evil and dangerous. There was a general attitude in Hebrew society that the Assyrians were scum. Based on documents showing barbaric practices found in recently unearthed Nineveh (near Mosul, Iraq), the opinion was warranted. They worshipped an assortment of gods and goddesses. Their worship included ritual murder, mutilations, assorted sexual practices, sacrifices, and so forth. As with most of the Gentile temples where idol worship took place, their temples were attended by priestesses who were ritual prostitutes.
YHWH required sexual purity for several reasons. For symbolic reasons, purity in the male-female relationship represented purity of worship and communion with the Lord God. For practical reasons, orgies lead to destruction of families, disease, unwanted pregnancies (resulting in infanticide), and served as a powerfully attractive gateway into all sorts of other sin. The Hebrews believed their standards were higher and thus above the scum of Assyria.
Jonah was obviously as much a victim of his society and its stereotypes as anyone. He believed the Assyrians were unworthy of God’s mercy. He felt they only deserved wrath. When God sent him to Nineveh to prophesy, Jonah tried to run away. He wasn’t afraid of the Assyrians as some suppose. Instead he was angry at God for giving them a chance to repent. He understood the depth of God’s mercy and resented it. He felt the Assyrians did not deserve the God’s grace as previously shown to Israel and Judah. Jonah had an ongoing problem with pride. God had to deal with Jonah even as He dealt with the Assyrians. In the story of Jonah we see the character of God revealed in spite of the human shortcomings in both the messenger and the recipients of the message.
The book of Jonah is unique among the Minor Prophets in several ways. From a literary standpoint, it is told in narrative form rather than as oracles of pronouncements and poetic verse. It also contains some fantastic elements, particularly the fish swallowing Jonah and spitting him up after 3 days. This and other things are regarded by many as literary devices rather than literal events. It isn’t that other prophetic books don’t contain descriptions of astounding events, but the fish story just seems so odd in the minds of many that they relegate it to fable. However, Jesus himself spoke of Jonah as a real person and referred to the fish story as real when he prophesied his own three days and nights in the tomb (Mt 12:39-41). While several other prophets had messages for those outside Israel or Judah, this is the only one documenting the travel of the prophet to give the prophecy. This book is also the only one indicating the heathen listened and repented.
There are a host of object lessons to be taken from the book of Jonah. As we go through the text itself we will examine these. In the end the Assyrians, although they repented and stayed God’s wrath at the time, soon fell back into their evil warring ways. By the late 8 th century they laid siege to the Northern Kingdom, decimating all its towns, carrying away much of the population into slavery, and finally conquering the capitol city Samaria in 722. The Assyrians continued to rage against the children of Jacob reaching all the way into Judah and nearly capturing Jerusalem in about 701. Later God’s wrath would be manifest against Assyria, fulfilling Jonah’s prophecy. Babylon conquered Nineveh in 612 BC.
Chicken of the Sea
Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. God told Jonah to go preach to Nineveh, but Jonah ran away. God’s instructions were clear. The obvious question is why would one of God’s prophets run from his calling? Another good question is why would God call someone who would run away like that? When we search scripture for perfect examples of people who obeyed God, we are always going to be disappointed, except of course for Jesus. Jonah was as fallible as any other human. It is certainly easy to find fault with Jonah’s response, but before pointing fingers at him we should be ready to examine ourselves. Jonah’s response, whatever the justification, is entirely human. Instead of seeing the fault of Jonah, we should instead seek to learn from his experience. As for why he would run from the calling, the answer becomes clear in later verses. The biblical city of Joppa is part of the modern city of Tel Aviv on the coast of northern Israel. The location of Tarshish is subject to some scholarly debate, although the location was probably on the southern coast of Spain. Regardless of the precise location, we know Jonah was booking passage on a ship bound for a long voyage from the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Jonah was trying to put as much distance between himself and Nineveh and, he hoped, from the presence of the Lord.
God’s Response
Jonah 1:4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Jonah decided to run. Jonah may have known God’s mercy, but he failed to realize God’s reach. Maybe he thought that God would choose someone else if he ran away. Either way God was not about to let Jonah get away with disobeying. The practical lesson for us today is simple. When God gives us instructions, we will face God’s wrath if we fail to obey. The storm affected more than Jonah. It placed the whole ship and its crew in peril. Like Jonah, if we run from obeying God’s will the consequences will affect others. They may suffer as collateral damage or they may be the one’s harmed who would have been helped had you obeyed. Either way, disobedience hurts more than the one who disobeys.
Sailors’ Response
Jonah 1:5-6 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” Almost anyone in a position to fear for their life will call out to whatever divinity they believe in. The captain and crew of Jonah’s ship were no different. When the storm came, they called out to whatever divinity they believed in. They did what they could do by throwing cargo overboard, but ultimately they knew the power of the storm was beyond their control. In desperation they sought out everyone aboard to join them in calling out to any god who would listen. One can only imagine the frustration of the captain upon finding that lazy passenger Jonah below deck sleeping when their lives were all in peril. It is interesting to note that the pagan crew knew to be hard at the task of prayer when the one who believed in the true God was fast asleep. All too often Christians are asleep to the perils about them. We sometimes feel a false sense of invulnerability and security in the world, but our security is not in this world. Even when we know we are disobedient to God, we sleep as if nothing in the world could go wrong. Sin – rebellion against God – often causes us to become numb to the truth. Like Jonah, we need to wake up to the reality around us. We need to be sensitive to our own sin, vigilant to repent and seek forgiveness. When we are aware of the world around and we are sensitive to our own weaknesses, we can empathize with others who suffer, have compassion for the hurting, and love those who need love most.
You Can Run, But…
Jonah 1:7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. First the sailors called to whatever gods they thought might help them. Then they cast cargo overboard to help themselves. Next they woke up Jonah and forced him to participate. As they say, misery loves company. Next they played the blame game. After all, if a god could be appeased to calm the tempest, that god must be angry with someone on the ship. Assignment of blame is self-satisfying, but in most cases blame has little practical value. In this case the blame game was literal. They held a lottery to decide who to blame. Deciding blame by lottery is both superstitious and fooling. In this case, however, God intervened to reveal Jonah. In this case Jonah really was to blame. God brought the storm because Jonah was on the ship. Even when we know who to blame, there is little satisfaction in that knowledge. Instead of blame, the goal should be discernment that leads to repentance. Jonah tried to run. That was his rebellion and sin. Jonah must discern his sin and repent or the whole point of revelation is lost.
Jonah’s Confession
Jonah 1:8-10 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Jonah won the blame lottery. His prize is the opportunity to confess. His confession included his own sin, but it also included his testimony of God. He explained who he was and what he believed. His faith was in the Creator. His God alone created everything, thus his God has power over all creation. After telling them of the awesome power of his God, he then told them he was called by God to do a task and that he had run from it. This is a perfect example of evangelism at its best. Jonah was invited to share his faith. His audience could grasp both the power of the Creator who controls the seas and the righteousness of a just God who punishes disobedience. Even though the men were from other cultures, they would have at least heard of the Hebrew people and their monotheism. They would have probably heard stories about Moses, David, and Solomon. The storm and its connection to Jonah’s God would have made sense. Exposure to truth with strong supporting evidence and sound reasoning are always a convincing combination. The men obviously came quickly to believe in the reality of God.
Jonah Goes Overboard
Jonah 1:11-16 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. As soon as they believed, the men asked the obvious question – what do we do now? Jonah provided the answer. Evangelism requires follow through. Jonah’s follow through was a call to obey God. In this case the men’s obedience to God meant his own demise. Obedience sounds easy, but as is so often the case, obedience to God often requires us to do difficult things. The men were reluctant to throw Jonah overboard. They had several good reasons to fear such an action. For one, harming a man who knew this Creator personally seemed dangerous. For another, it is the nature of man to realize that murder is wrong. For another, while they started out behaving like judges looking to assign blame, they were humbled in the face of the Judge of the universe. All in all, it seemed like throwing him over the side was counter-intuitive. When they examined the alternative and initially refused to do it, the storm became worse. Finally, convinced fully of the truth of Jonah’s words and the necessity to obey, they did as he directed and threw him overboard. They took a step of faith when they obeyed. God rewarded their faith by honoring Jonah’s words that the sea would calm if they obeyed. One of the most dominant themes of scripture is simply that God rewards faithful obedience and punishes disbelief. Another theme, demonstrated in the stories of the lives of those who did believe and obey, is a cycle of faithful obedience, reward, and thanksgiving. Faith and its rewards increase with each cycle. The sailors experienced God. They obeyed and were rewarded. They then gave thanks. We do not know what the sailors did after this, but there is more to Jonah’s story and we know he goes on to experience a series of demonstrations of God’s miraculous power as he repented and obeyed.
A Great Fish Swallows Jonah
Jonah 1:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. The “big fish story” is one of the least believed in all of scripture. Because of the fantastic miraculous nature of survival inside the fish, many Christians choose to see it as purely allegory rather than a historical miracle. Either way the book of Jonah illustrates the merciful character of God. The same people who fight about the historicity of Jonah also tend to fight over whether it was a fish or a whale. The word translated as “great fish” in Jonah literally means great sea creature or sea monster and could certainly refer to either a huge fish or a whale. If you tend to doubt that Jonah is historical, there are a few things you should consider. First, Jonah was referred to as a historical figure in the book of Kings (2 Ki 14:25). More importantly, Jesus spoke of Jonah and specifically his miraculous survival in the sea creature as a literal historical event (Mt 12:40). Jesus also referred to Jonah’s visit to Nineveh as a historical event (Lk 11:30). Either Jesus lied or the book of Jonah is a historical document describing actual miraculous events. If God created the heavens and the earth, parted the sea, turned water to wine and raised Jesus after three days, it should not seem impossible with God to keep a man alive inside a sea beast (whale, fish, or whatever) for three days.
Majoring in the Minors
Jonah Chapters:
1 2 3 4
Article submitted Tuesday, May 04, 2010 & read 109 times.
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