Jonah, the Rebellious Prophet (Jonah 1)
This sermon was preached on Sunday, 30/11/2009
Introduction
The book of Jonah has been ridiculed by many because of its account of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish. Such an attitude does not believe in a God who can perform miracles. Further, it questions the mentality of Jesus Christ because he believed that a great fish had swallowed Jonah.
Jonah is mentioned in one other place in the Old Testament (2 Kings 14:25). That reference informs us that he ministered during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 BC), a very prosperous time in Israel’s history when that king restored its captured territory and extended its control over the surrounding nations (it was the most prosperous time since the great days of Solomon). The prophecy of Amos describes the moral state of Israel during this time of national prosperity In Amos 2:6-8, for example, the prophet complains of injustice, immorality and idolatry.
Jonah was from Gath-hepher, a village three miles north of Nazareth in Galilee. This raises an interesting question concerning the comment of the Sanhedrin to Nicodemus: ‘Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee’ (John 7:52). Perhaps they did not regard Jonah as a prophet.
Lessons from the book of Jonah
The book of Jonah has a message at different levels. For example, it reminds us that every religion is not the same. The religion of Nineveh could not provide salvation for its inhabitants, they had to hear about the grace of the God of Israel. Therefore it speaks to the polytheism of today that argues that all religions lead to God.
A second way of considering the book is to note the power of God in salvation. Nineveh was totally opposed to the true God, yet in a very short time, through the preaching of an eccentric-looking prophet, the Lord brought salvation on a city-wide scale to a pagan community. What happened in Nineveh is not only an encouragement for us to believe in the power of the gospel, it is an example of a spiritual revival. There are many Ninevehs in Britain today, and God can change each of them.
A third way of looking at the book is as a character study of a perverse servant of the Lord. Jonah would have failed his pastoral theology examination in Bible College. He did everything he should not have done: disobedience to God’s mission, determination to hinder God’s mercy, and disapproval of God’s message are the features of his character. Yet God used him. If God is determined to use a preacher, not even the preacher’s flaws prevent him being used. This is not to condone Jonah’s response, but it is to say that human sinfulness does not hinder the power of God.
A fourth way of reading the book is to note the various ways it highlights the providence of God in the life of Jonah. Things seem to fall into place at exactly the right time. God over-rules Jonah’s disobedience several times.
These four features of polytheism, God’s saving power, Jonah’s perverse character and God’s over-ruling providence, as well as other features, will reappear throughout our study of this book.
1. The challenge revealed by God
The story opens with Jonah being commanded by God to go and preach to the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh (vv 1-2). In this call we can note several matters.
First, there is evidence of the sovereignty of God, which is revealed in more than one way. God’s sovereignty is seen in his response to the citizens of Nineveh who all deserved to be punished for their sinful lifestyle. God could have judged them by sending them immediately to hell, he could have decided to tolerate their sinful living, or he could send them a message of forgiveness. This is God’s sovereignty on the cosmic scale, revealing his governing the affairs of nations.
Second, the sovereignty of God is also revealed in his demands for his servant. Jonah has served as a prophet for several years and had been used by the Lord to bring a message to his backsliding people: ‘He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.’ This is God’s sovereignty on the personal scale, revealing his demands on each of his people.
Every believer is not called by God to function as a missionary in foreign land or as a preacher at home, but he or she is called to serve God. If any of us refuses to obey God on an issue, we are resisting his sovereignty. Jonah tried to do so, and we can read of the pain that was brought his way because of his sin.
Sometimes, God’s plan for us as individuals can be surprising, totally different from what we have been asked by him previously. Prior to now, Jonah had been a prophet to his own people Israel, but now he is given an additional, sudden and surprising activity to do. We observe another surprising call in what the Lord called Isaiah to be – a messenger of judgement rather than (Isa.6).
Third, there is evidence of God’s determination to fulfil the covenant he had made with Abraham, part of which was his intention to bless the world through his people: ‘in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice’ (Gen. 22:18). Israel had been called by God to be a light to the nations, but she had failed. Nevertheless God wanted to bring spiritual blessing to a sinful people. He is aware of his own promises regarding this matter and here is an example of their fulfilment.
Fourth, early in Israel’s history as a nation, the Lord had revealed than one method he would use to restore his people when they were backsliding would be to make them jealous of his blessing another nation. Israel was in such a condition at the time of Jonah and he should have been sensitive to this possibility.
2. The call rejected by Jonah
As we consider Jonah’s response, there are several suggested motives that can be discounted. First, his action was not based on religious scruples about living among Gentiles because his response was to go and do so (this also disproves the suggestion that he was apprehensive of living among them). Second, his refusal to obey God did not mean that he had given up his faith in God because he told the sailors, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land’ (1:9). Third, his refusal was not connected to telling Gentiles about God because he was willing to say something about him to the sailors. Jonah must have been aware of the provisions made in the Israelite religious system for Gentile converts.
Jonah’s refusal was connected to the objects of God’s mercy, the citizens of Nineveh. Why was he so opposed to them? His opposition may have been based on national pride; Assyria was the power that could prevent the continued rise of Israel. Surely it would be better if God destroyed them rather than having mercy on them. Assyrian records contain details of tribute that several previous Israelite kings had paid to the rulers of Nineveh; perhaps Jonah thought that Jeroboam should be helped by the Lord to weaken Nineveh rather than bring blessing to it.
We also know that within a few decades, the Assyrian armies would invade Israel and lead her into captivity. Of course, this does not mean that Jonah knew that this would happen. Yet his response to God’s demands indicates that he strongly disapproved of what God was asking him to do. His disapproval was so strong that he was prepared to resign as God’s spokesman, not only to the Assyrians but even to the Israelites, which is why he was prepared to leave his home country.
Indeed, his sense of displeasure with God was so strong that he was prepared to die rather than complete it. I suspect that if he had told the captain to turn the boat round and sail for Joppa, the storm would have ceased. But Jonah did not want to go back to Joppa if it meant bringing God’s message to the people of Nineveh.
Have you ever disapproved in your heart, or even verbally, of God’s dealings with you? I’m sure most Christians have, particularly when things have not worked out as expected. God’s treatment of us can be very demanding and the thought can rise in our hearts that he has got it wrong. Jonah has a message for us if we are in such a confused state.
3. The circumstances ruled by God
In this providential activity of God, it is clear that God is in complete control of the situation. The details that show this are obvious: for example, the availability of the boat, the coming of the storm, the sudden demise of the wind, the appearance of the great fish. Although Jonah had been disobedient to God’s revealed will, all these details are included in God’s secret will for Jonah. This is an example of Romans 8:28: ‘we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ Under God’s control were Jonah’s disobedience, the plans of the sailors, and the aspects of nature both inanimate and animate.
There is comfort here for us as we consider the experience of Jonah. God was prepared to take whatever steps were required in order for his wayward servant to be restored. This is true for us as well. If we are beginning to backslide today, God is not ignoring it. Instead he will be already working through providence to bring you to restoration. God’s commitment to his people is not changed by their failures.
Yet there is also cause for concern as well because Jonah did not know what divine chastisement it would take for him to be restored. In his case, it would involve being cast into the sea and spending time in the belly of a great fish. We will think about his repentance next time. For the present, we should note that restoration seldom is an immediate recovery. David, in Psalm 32:3-4, describes some of the distress caused by his sin: ‘For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.’ David’s recovery period took a year; others had shorter periods such as Peter who waited for three days before he was restored by the risen Christ. When any of us backslides, we cannot imagine what God in his providence may use in chastising us. David in that psalm mentions bodily troubles; Peter had great sorrow. It is feasible that God may also bring financial difficulties, prevent progress in our plans, family troubles; in fact the list of possibilities is endless.
Further, the backsliding of believers will bring consternation into the lives of other people. In Jonah’s case, his rebellion brought trouble for the sailors. We see this phenomenon twice in the case of Abraham, in the two occasions when he told his wife to pretend she was his sister. The first occasion involved Pharaoh of Egypt. In that situation, the Egyptian leader gave great gifts to Abraham but that did not prevent the Lord afflicting Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarah (Gen. 12:17). The second occasion involved the Philistine king, Abimelech. In that situation, ‘the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah’ (Gen 20:18). Further, in a dream God warned the king that he would die if he persisted in retaining Sarah in his harem. In both those occasions, the leaders had acted in an innocent manner, yet God brought problems into their lives because of the sin of Abraham. Surely the possibility of others being affected adversely in providence because of our sins should keep us from backsliding.
Yet we should note that God’s response to Jonah’s backsliding led to the conversion of the sailors. They discovered through contact with Jonah that his God was the creator of the land and sea, that he was the controller of the elements, that he was in charge of their casting of lots. As they saw the severity of the way the Lord dealt with his erring servant, they ‘feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows’. God was working at different levels simultaneously. His path of restoration for his servant was also the crossroads in the lives of the sailors because they came in contact with the true God.
Perhaps we know a believer whom the Lord is chastening because of his or her backsliding. To have that knowledge is a great privilege because it means that God has drawn near to you. Don’t focus on the believer’s sin; instead focus on the God who is marked by mercy. Although that believer may go through distressing stages in his recovery, the pain is caused by the good physician who is healing his wounds. That same physician wants to heal your wounds. So do what the sailors did. Cry out to him for mercy, and he will hear your voice and give you forgiveness for your sins.