BY Argie Simonis
Jonah is the author of the book of the same name and describes the events that took place in his life with humility and honesty. Today we will go through his story and see what happened. Why did Jonah try to avoid the command the Lord gave him to prophesy against Nineveh and what are the lessons learned from this story to apply in our own lives?
"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD." Jonas 1:1-3
The prevailing view is that the reason Jonah tried to avoid obeying to the Lord's command is that he became cowardly, perhaps because he did not consider himself capable of doing such a thing, and in his fear tried to flee from the face of the Lord with a ship. Of course, this was impossible:
"Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10
But was it cowardice that drove him to flee? Through the words of the prophet himself, I will show you that something else happened. Let's take it from the start.
The Lord commands Jonah to preach repentance in Nineveh. Jonah, instead of obeying, flees in the other direction. Next we see the Lord causing a great storm, Jonah reveals to the sailors that he and his disobedience are the cause of this storm and asks them to throw him into the sea so that the storm will stop and they will be saved. Once Jonah is thrown into the sea, the Lord orders a big fish to swallow him for 3 days and 3 nights, and after Jonah repents, the Lord orders the big fish to wash him ashore.
"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
And he prayed to the LORD, and said, I pray you, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before to Tarshish: for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repent you of the evil." Jonas 4:1-2
Here lies the answer. And I will explain it. With a quick internet search we can find a lot of useful information. Nineveh was one of the largest cities of that time:
"So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey." Jonas 3:3
"... Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more then six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand..." Jonas 4:11
It was the capital of Assyria, a great nation that was becoming a world power. They were threatening to invade the nation of Israel where Jonah lived. The prophet therefore considered it a gain for his people if Nineveh and the Assyrian empire were destroyed. So his reluctance to go and preach repentance to the people of Nineveh had to do with just that. He wanted Nineveh destroyed so that his nation could survive.
Assyria did invade Israel in 721 BC. and captured it. This was about forty years after Jonah's ministry in Nineveh.
When Jonah preached repentance in Nineveh, in a city dominated by idolatry, sin and injustice, where they
"cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand" (Jonas. 4:11), what happened;
The fear of God fell upon them and
"So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
For word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God: yes, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands." Jonas 3:5-8
So the Lord repented and did not destroy the city, something that was not done with the unrepentant Sodom and Gomorrah. (Because even there the Lord gave them a chance to repent). Nineveh was finally destroyed much later not by the Lord, but after its fall from the invading Babylonians who overran and burned it.
How does this story relate to us, what lessons do we learn and how can we apply them today?
We may wish destruction on our enemies, but God loves all people and does not want anyone to perish:
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2Pet. 3:9
We should faithfully represent His message of salvation to all people, whether friends or foes.
Are you wondering where in the Bible the Lord instructs us to bless our enemies and those who wrong us? Actually, He says it in several places and I will mention a few:
"You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you;
That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? do not even the publicans the same?
And if you salute your brothers only, what do you more than others? do not even the publicans so?" Μatt. 5:43-47
Can we apply this to our neighbors who are plotting against our country?
Let's see what Paul writes to Timothy:
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1Τim. 2:1-4
Peter in his letter confirms the words of Paul:
"Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the fraudulent." 1Peter 2:17-18
Can we do this for the politicians and any form of authority that we consider corrupt, liars, thieves and unjust?
Is the Lord able, through us, to bring the fear of God into the hearts of these people that will lead them to repentance, as He did with the pagan Assyrians?
"Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not so to be.
Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" James 3:9-11
With the power of life and death given to us in our word can we rebuke the dark forces that hold all these people captive and lead them to lies, theft and injustice, so that the fear of God will come into their hearts that will lead them to repentance?
Can we work together with the Lord to overcome evil with good and be patient until we see our prayers comong to pass?
"Or despise you the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" Rom. 2:4
And all this not with our own power, but with the power of God, through His Spirit who dwells in us (Zechariah 4:6)
Amen!
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