Jonah: God’s Missionary Heart

I. Introduction

Illustration:  Jim Elliot and the conversion of the Waodoni tribe (cf. Through Gates of Splendor).  “The story of the Waodani people is in many ways a powerful testimony of how Christians are called to love our enemies and to work and pray for the conversion of those who may not at first glance appear to be worthy of salvation.”

“In our time together this morning we’re going to consider another famous missionary story in the Bible.  Whereas the story of the Waodoni people provides a positive example that we should admire and seek to emulate the book of Jonah, which has already been read for us this morning, provides a negative example that we should seek to avoid.”

1. Uniqueness of Jonah as a canonical book
   1. Structurally different from other prophetic books in OT

                             i.      Jonah has lots of narrative and one very short prophetic oracle (4:3)

1. Frequently Criticized and attacked by people who reject Biblical authority

                             i.      Often treated as little more than a fairy-tale or children’s story

                            ii.      Jesus viewed Jonah as a historical book and so should we!

“If we can accept as historical fact the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead, I see no reason whatsoever to be ashamed about the book of Jonah or to treat it as a work of fiction. The Holy Spirit has inspired and preserved this short book in order to teach us some very important truths about ourselves and some equally important truths about the God who we serve.   If I had a few weeks with you, I would love to be able to unpack this remarkable book in greater detail, but today my goal is to give a general overview by focusing on three main points:  1) Israel’s Prophet; 2) Israel’s God; 3) Israel’s Failure.  

II. Israel’s Prophet

1. Biographical info
   1. “son of Amittai” (1:1)
   2. 2 Kings 14:25 – Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (8^th c. BC) in the Northern Kingdom;  came from a town called Gath-Hepher located 5 miles from Nazareth

1. Assyrian Empire
   1. Most powerful military and political force in the Ancient Near East
   2. Incredibly brutal – Assyrian stone reliefs in British Museum depict the Assyrians torturing their enemies to death

“Given this historical backdrop, it should come as no surprise that Jonah had some reservations about travelling to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire in order to proclaim a message of judgment on their own turf.  In our time, we are used to the idea of international missions, but in Jonah’s day, it was highly unusual for God to call one of his prophets to leave the borders of Israel for a mission.   If you’ve ever felt scared to share the gospel with someone in your neighbourhood or at work, multiply that feeling by 1000 and you might be able to begin to understand how Jonah probably felt when God commanded him in 1:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”  To put it in perspective, it would be a bit like God calling one of us to hop on the next plane for North Korea or Iran in order to tell Kim Jong Il or Mahmoud Aminajab to repent or face the wrath of God Almighty.”

1. Jonah’s Flight to Tarshish
   1. Motivated by fear and hatred
   2. Tarshish probably located in modern day Spain – Jonah tries to put as much geographical distance as possible between himself and Nineveh
   3. Jonah thought he could escape from an omnipotent God

                             i.      In the ancient world it was very common to believe that the gods were territorial – and so if you could get out of Baal’s or Yahweh’s jurisdiction, you might be able to escape their influence.   

                            ii.      Being a prophet from the Northern Kingdom which deviated theologically from the pure worship of Yahweh, Jonah may have graduated from a Liberal Seminary and imbibed some bad theology – he apparently believed that God would leave him alone if he got far enough away from the Promised Land. 

1. Jonah’s disobedience is emphasized by the three-fold repetition of “down” in the Hebrew text (twice in v. 3 and once in v.5)

“There is both a geographic and spiritual decline which lulls the man of God into a deep physical and spiritual slumber.”

1. Portrait of a Backslider
   1. Contrast between Jonah and the pagan sailors

“While the sailors are desperately trying to save their lives by throwing valuable cargo overboard and calling to false gods in their utter desperation, the prophet of Yahweh, the ambassador of the only true God who made the land and the sea is sleeping in the belly of the ship, completely oblivious to his own peril and the peril of his shipmates.  Like sin often does, Jonah’s rebellion against God has jeopardized the wellbeing of other people.  When we rebel against God, we almost always hurt innocent people in the process.”

1. Jonah is rebuked by the ship’s captain (1:6)

“We know that we have come to a very low place spiritually when it takes a rebuke from world to shake God’s people out of their spiritual slumber.   What an indictment this is against Jonah, the true prophet of Yahweh, when the Holy Spirit chooses to use a pagan polytheist to wake him up and incite him to prayer!  Jonah should have been the first person on the ship to go to God in prayer, but tragically he is the last person on the ship to seek God’s face because his sin and disobedience has lulled him into a state of complete spiritual apathy.”

1. Jonah refuses to admit his guilt

“The backslidden state of Jonah continues in the following verses as he stubbornly refuses to admit his guilt while the sailors cast lots in a desperate attempt to figure out who among them had angered the gods.  The clear implication from the text is that Jonah, at this moment, was willing to hedge his bets and let someone else pay the penalty for his sin.  He would sooner allow the sailors to throw one of their own overboard rather than to confess his own failure!” 

1. The disobedient prophet repents and obeys

                             i.      He admits his guilt

                            ii.      He is miraculously rescued by God – the great fish is actually an agent of salvation!

                           iii.      He is given a second chance to obey

1. proclaims a message of judgment (4:3)
2. Hebrew word translated “overturned” is ambiguous – could indicate either destruction or a change of heart

Jonah, the disobedient prophet is certain now that he will die for his act of rebellion toward God.  He understands clearly that the “wages of sin is death” and is willing to accept the consequences of his actions.  But in a surprising turn of events, Jonah is miraculously rescued from a watery grave by a great fish which transports him back to Israel and vomits him up back on dry land.  Chapter 2 contains a great hymn of thanksgiving to God which Jonah composed and sang during his three day sojourn in the belly of the fish.  Chapter 3 brings us back to the beginning of the story again as the Word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time instructing him to go to the city of Nineveh to proclaim his message of judgment – only this time Jonah wisely decides to obey the Lord [3:3]: “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.”  Once in the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, Jonah proclaims his message which is only five words long in Hebrew: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” 

1. Revival in Nineveh (ch. 3)

Historical Aside:  The revival described in chapter 3, is so dramatic and vivid, that it has caused the majority of Liberal biblical scholars and skeptics to dismiss the historicity of Jonah altogether.  They argue that there is no historical evidence that would suggest that any King of Assyria ever humbled himself in sackcloth and ashes before the God of the Hebrews.  Although it is true to say that there is no historical record of a revival of this nature in the Assyrian capital, there are some historical factors that lead us to conclude that this event actually happened.  First, it is well known that the Assyrian Empire faced a brief period of military and political weakness which coincided with the reign of Jereboam II in Israel in the mid 8^th century.  The Assyrian empire, during the lifetime of Jonah, had lost territory in a series of unsuccessful military campaigns with the nation of Urartu to the north and was in a relatively vulnerable state.  In addition to this, we also know from historical records that there was a major earthquake in Nineveh, widespread famine in the land, and a solar eclipse which all occurred during the mid 8^th century.  In the ANE which was full of superstition, all of these naturally occurring phenomena would have been interpreted as bad omens, indicating the anger of the gods.  It is very likely that the King of Assyria would have been responsive to the preaching of Jonah given these military setbacks and natural disasters.  Although it is not likely that the King or the Assyrian people turned away from polytheism to the exclusive worship of Yahweh, their repentance was indeed genuine and led to a temporary delay in divine judgment on the Assyrian empire.  We know from the book of Nahum that Assyria quickly grew in power and wickedness and that the divine judgment did come about 150 years later in 611 BC when the Babylonians burned the city of Nineveh to the ground. The dramatic revival we read about in Jonah was short-lived, but it was genuine and historic event nevertheless.  

1. A tragic ending
   1. The revival provokes Jonah’s anger (opposite to what we might expect)
   2. Jonah is a hypocrite – willing to receive grace, but unwilling to see grace extended to other unworthy sinners
   3. Jonah is more concerned about a worthless plant than he is about a city full of people made in the image of God!
   4. No hint of repentance in the book – the abrupt ending reinforces the sense of tragedy

III. Israel’s God

So far we have focused our attention on the prophet Jonah, but now we must turn our attention to Yahweh, the most important character in this story.  At its core, the book of Jonah is not about revival in Nineveh however wonderful that event was.  It is not about the conversion of the pagan sailors.  It is not even about a man surviving in the belly of a whale.  The book of Jonah ultimately points us to consider and marvel at the compassion and grace of our sovereign God – that is the main point!  And the key verse to unlocking the meaning of Jonah is located in 4:2 – If you don’t catch this verse you’ve missed the point of the book altogether

What was it that made Jonah so angry that he was ready to die?  The answer to this question is intimately bound up with the compassion and grace of God.  Jonah knew that if he went to Nineveh and proclaimed a message of judgment, and if the people responded to that message by humbling themselves, that God would respond in mercy and grace and would ‘relent from disaster’.  This is exactly why he got on that ship for Tarshish in the first place!  Jonah knew deep in his soul that Yahweh was so gracious and compassionate that he would be willing to forgive those barbarous, wicked Assyrians.  In his heart of hearts, Jonah secretly hoped that his warning would be rejected so that the people of Nineveh would get what exactly what they had coming to them!  You see, Jonah loved his nation – he was a nationalist in the true sense of the word – and he knew that if the Assyrians escaped destruction, they would eventually oppress and enslave his own nation.  And so when he discovers that the Lord has chosen to extend mercy and forgiveness in response to the repentance of the Ninevites, he is angry enough to die!

1. Yahweh’s Character  – 4:2
   1. Gracious – does not treat our sins as they deserve
   2. Compassionate – does not delight in the death of the wicked (cf. Ez 33)
   3. Slow to Anger – delays his coming so that more people can respond to the gospel (cf. 2 Peter 3)
   4. Steadfast Love (‘hesed’) – speaks of God’s never-ending, never-failing loyalty to His covenant

The book of Jonah completely demolishes a popular misconception about God that pervades our churches and our culture – Have you ever heard people say that the God of the OT is an angry and unforgiving while the God of the NT is gracious and compassionate or have you been tempted to think this way yourself?  Have you ever heard people say that the Old Testament is all about Law and wrath, while the New Testament is all about love and grace?  If the book of Jonah teaches us anything about God it is this – God has always related to his creation in grace and compassion!  God has never changed, and if he relates to humanity in grace today, we can be sure that he has always related to his human creation in grace and mercy.  The Bible tells a story of a loving and merciful God who established His covenant of grace with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after they openly rebelled against Him.  He has reaffirmed that gracious covenant time and time again to Noah, to Abraham, to David, most recently and most fully in the New Covenant which was mediated by the blood of Christ, shed on the cross once and for all for sinners like you and me.  Anyone of us who doubts the gracious character of God needs to spend time meditating carefully and prayerfully upon the book of Jonah. 

IV. Israel’s Failure

In the short time that we have left, I would like to help us see how the book of Jonah fits in the big picture of the Bible.  I want to suggest to you that the book of Jonah points us both backward and forward in the ongoing story of God’s redemptive plan for the world

1. Jonah’s failure symbolizes the failure of Israel as a nation to fulfill her missionary mandate

1. Genesis 12:1-3 – three important promises to Abraham. 

                              i.      Many descendents – fulfilled in OT

                             ii.      A Great name- fulfilled in OT

                            iii.      A blessing to every family of the earth – not fulfilled in OT! 

God chose Israel to be a “missionary” nation that would be a light to the pagan Gentile nations, but instead of declaring the glory of Yahweh to the far corners of the earth, Israel turned in on herself and began to enjoy the benefits of her election without taking seriously the evangelistic responsibility that came with it.  One reason why the book of Jonah is included in the canon of Scripture is because it makes it clear that the Israelite nation ultimately failed to bless every family of the earth.  Just like the prophet Jonah, national Israel became mired in a prideful nationalism that ultimately hindered her mission in the world.

1. God’s great promise to Abraham to bless “every family of the earth” was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah
   1. Jesus claimed to be a prophet greater than Jonah (cf. Matt 12; Luke 11)
   2. Jesus is the true Israelite who succeeded where Jonah and the nation of Israel had failed

                            i.      Illustration:  Jesus and the Samaritan woman (John 4)

In first century Palestine there was so much ethnic and religious hostility between the orthodox Jews and the heterodox Samaritans that pious Jews would sooner cross over the Jordan and take a lengthy detour than even pass through Samaritan territory on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee.  When Jesus intentionally passed through Samaria with his disciples to preach the gospel to this outcast and despised Samaritan woman, the contrast with Jonah could not be more evident.  In a very real way, Jesus fulfilled the missionary mandate, where Jonah and the nation of Israel had failed.   Jesus understood something that Jonah and the nation of Israel did not – He understood very clearly that God’s heart is for the nations and that God’s compassion and grace extends to include every family of the earth.  This is one reason why Jesus has entrusted the church with the task of world evangelization – Matt 28:18-20 :  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations!” 

As people who have been entrusted by our Lord with a missionary mandate to “make disciples of all nations”, the book of Jonah contains a very important warning for the church.  You see there is a very real danger that we will make the same mistake as Jonah and Israel both individually and corporately if we accept the blessings of salvation without taking very seriously the responsibility that goes with it.   If you are a Christian here today – if Jesus has become your sin substitute by dying on the cross of calvary just as Jonah became the substitute for the pagan sailors by being cast into the raging sea – you are a missionary!  You are as much a missionary here in Welland as Jim Elliot was in Equador. God’s call on your life is to take the gospel message to the “Ninevites” he has placed in your life so that they might repent of their sin and experience the forgiveness and love of God through Jesus Christ.

V. Conclusion/ Application

As we close today I have three application questions for us to prayerfully consider:

1) Who are the Ninevites that God has placed in your life?  God may not be calling you to go overseas, or to become a full time missionary but I am quite certain that He may be calling many of you to go across the street, or across the office, or across the lunch table to tell lost sinners in this community that God has provided a way for them to be forgiven and brought back into relationship with Him.  Evangelism, friends, is not for the faint of heart – but then again neither is the Christian life.  The Christian life brothers and sisters is a life of discipleship and obedience that often calls us to step out of our comfort zone so that God will be glorified.  If the fear of man or anger or apathy or self-righteousness is hindering your witness for Christ in any way, God’s call for you today is to repent and to respond in obedience and faith.  As we’ve discovered through the book of Jonah, it is never too late to stop running from God and to become an effective missionary to the Ninevites in your world.  God honours obedience and will use you in ways you never dreamed possible if you will trust Him and step out in faith.

2) Have you personally experienced the grace and compassion of God or are you still under his wrath?  The Bible says that there are two kinds of people in this world – those who repent, place their faith in Jesus alone for salvation and experience forgiveness a personal relationship and peace with God, and those who refuse to repent and come under God’s righteous judgment.  If you have never responded to God’s offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, follow the example of the Ninevites by acknowledging your sin and leaning fully on the mercy of God which has been made available to you through the sacrifice of Jesus. 

3) Is Rosedale Baptist Church a missional community?  I’m afraid that far too many churches here in North America have become little more than social clubs that exist only for the comfort of their membership – this is one reason why the church has such little influence on the pagan culture around us.  The church can very easily make the same mistake as Israel did, viz. to enjoy the benefits of God’s election without taking seriously the responsibility that goes with it.  A church that ceases to be a missional community, ardently committed to the fulfillment of the Great Commission in this generation, is no longer the church.  My prayer for you Rosedale Baptist church is that you will continue to be a beacon of truth to the city Welland.   I love the heart of C.T. Studd, the great English missionary to China who once said:  “Some like to live within sound of church or chapel bell.  I’d rather run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”