One of the most fascinating historical accounts in the Old Testament is the story of Jonah. Almost everyone has known this story from childhood, how Jonah was swallowed by a whale (assuming that’s what the term ‘great fish’ means) and lived to tell about it. But that’s only part of the story.
The story begins in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, and everything about it, from start to finish, is incredible; how God called the prophet Jonah to go to the capital of the pagan Assyrian Empire (Nineveh) and proclaim to them that the God of Israel was about to destroy them because of their wickedness.
But Jonah, as we all know, refused to obey God’s command. Instead, he went down to Joppa to board a ship and get as far away from Nineveh as possible. Our Bible says, in Jonah 1:3, that Jonah, ‘paid the fare’, but the more accurate translation would have been that he ‘paid its fare.’ In other words, he was renting the ship and the crew in an effort to avoid doing what God had demanded of him.
Not long after leaving port, the Lord sent a violent storm and the ship was in danger of sinking. After those on the ship became aware that the storm was due to Jonah’s disobedience, he, at his own request, was tossed overboard and swallowed by a great fish, ‘which God had prepared.’ After spending 3 days inside the fish’s belly, Jonah repented and prayed to God, and the fish vomited him up on dry land.
Once back on land, God again commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh and deliver His message of judgment against them. This time Jonah obeyed, proclaiming to them that in 40 days, God’s judgment would fall and Nineveh would be destroyed. Amazingly, all of Nineveh, from the king down, responded to Jonah’s message, humbling themselves before God in sackcloth and ashes, confessing and repenting of their sins; and He spared the city.
As I said, almost everything that happened in this story is incredible. But probably the thing that is most incredible of all is the display of God’s amazing grace in sparing this city and its people by sending them a prophet to warn them. The Assyrians were a pagan, idolatrous people that could not be expected to heed the words of an Israelite prophet. But they did. Also, according to Nelson’s Bible dictionary, they were a merciless, cruel and warlike people, certainly deserving of God’s judgment. Their army was notorious for burning cities and children, beheading, impaling victims on stakes, and chopping off the hands of many that they conquered. Yes, God was offering ‘this nation’ forgiveness and, to Jonah’s dismay, they received it. And there is actually a very real possibility that God even used Jonah’s own appearance to get this heathen people’s attention; as his skin was probably bleached and hair all gone from contact with the great fish’s digestive juices.
Unbelievers may scoff at this story as fictional, but Jesus certainly believed it (MATTHEW 12:41). The grace of God truly is amazing. He can and has saved the most depraved and the most undeserving. Doubt it not. O how much we need God to raise up a Jonah for us in America today.
For God’s glory and His alone,
Pastor Terry.
