Helpful Background On The Book Of Jonah

BACKGROUND:

*Today we will study the story of the Prophet Jonah. And it may surprise you but Jonah's story has some crucial lessons for Christians today. Almost everybody who has been to church knows the story of Jonah. It's one of the first Bible stories we learn as kids. They even made a VeggieTales Movie about Jonah in 2002.

*Modern-day skeptics think this story is a myth or a fairytale. But we must understand that this Bible story is absolutely true. The giant fish could have easily been a shark. History books tell of other sailors who were swallowed whole and rescued. By God's grace, in the mid-1,700's one sailor was swallowed whole, and rescued by his shipmates The rescued sailor then toured Europe with the dried body of that shark. It was 20 feet long and weighed 3,000 pounds! (1)

*On top of that, all things are possible with the LORD God. He is in control of every planet and every particle in this universe. God could make a giant turtle to swallow you if He wanted to! Also know that Jesus affirmed the truth of this Old Testament story. So, if we reject what the Bible says about Jonah, we will also be rejecting what the Bible says about Jesus. This Old Testament story is as real as we are.

*John Phillips gave some helpful background information about Nineveh and Jonah. Phillips said, "We cannot understand the book of Jonah without some knowledge of its historical setting. In the background was the imperial, cruel, guilty city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria in the days of its glory. This metropolis was beautiful with terraces and historic palaces, arsenals and barracks, libraries and temples. (It was founded by King Ninus who supposedly was a son of the demonic god Ba'al.)

*Nineveh had massive embankments, extensive irrigation canals, and mighty gates facing the Tigris river. Its high wall was so wide that several chariots could drive side by side along the top. The circumference of the city was about sixty miles, a three-day journey on foot. Beyond the walls, sprawling suburbs grew along the east bank of the Tigris river, and other towns ran one into another for mile after mile. Dwellings set closely together on the plain seemed to form one giant complex of buildings.

*Jonah could have walked past the temples and palaces in an hour, but he would have had to hike for days through the endless, tangled poverty-stricken slums to cover the whole city with his message of doom." Jonah was to go to Nineveh, "that great city." God is interested in great cities! As we read through the Bible, we often find ourselves in man’s great cities: Babylon, Damascus, Athens, Rome, Jerusalem, Nineveh, Tyre. Nineveh’s population was estimated to be over 1,000,000. And Jonah 4:11 says over 120,000 of them were too young to know their right hand from their left."

*Phillips also explained that "as a Hebrew and a successful prophet, Jonah thought he knew God, and Jonah was already an old man when called God called him to preach to Nineveh. It was about 750 years before the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And the name 'Jonah' means 'dove.' Through him the LORD wanted to send revival, not ruin, to the lost city of Nineveh. But Jonah was a zealous patriot, more like a hawk than a dove. He was fierce, sullen, proud, angry, rebellious, and brave.

*But the heart of Jonah’s story reveals God’s grace, mercy, and desire for 'all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth' (1 Timothy 2:4) It is a perfect foreshadowing of the very Gospel of Jesus Christ and salvation offered to 'anyone who believes in him... for there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -- the same Lord is Lord of all, and richly blesses all who call on Him for 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:11-13).

*Jonah thought he knew God. But Jonah did not know the LORD nearly as well as he thought he did. He did not know God well enough to grieve over sin the way God grieves. He did not know God well enough to rejoice over the salvation of sinners the way God rejoices. It was hard for Jonah to accept the fact that God loved Gentiles just as much as He loved the Jews. And it was very hard for Jonah to accept that the LORD loved the cruel and oppressive Assyrians just as much as He loved Jonah!"

*That's why Jonah refused to make the 530-mile trip northeast to Nineveh. Instead, he fled southwest to Joppa where he boarded a ship for Tarshish, on today's Spanish coast, more than 3,000 miles east across the Mediterranean Sea. Jonah was headed as far away from Nineveh as the rebellious prophet could get! Soon Jonah was sound asleep in the lowest deck of the ship. But mostly he was asleep to his call and commission, asleep to his duty, asleep to the dangers that surrounded him.

*Jonah might not have slept so soundly if he had been able to see through a few inches of wood -- if he had seen what was swimming quietly along beneath the boat and keeping pace with its progress. But remember that Jonah's story has some crucial lessons for Christians today With this background in mind, please listen to Jonah 1:1-17. (2)

(1) Taken from: http://www.adam.com.au/bstett/BJonahDebate.htm - Source: http://www.evcforum.net/cgi-bin/dm.cgi?action=msg&f=1&t=202&m=1)

(2) Sources:

-Adapted from EXPLORING JONAH - Jonah 1:1-17 by John Phillips - "The Word of God" - Jonah 1:1-16 - John Phillips Commentary, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.

-Wikipedia - Ninus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninus

-Koinonia House - Prophets to the Gentiles - Jonah, Nahum, & Obadiah - Author Chuck Missler - https://www.khouse.org/personal_update/articles/2011/prophets-gentiles

-BIBLE STUDY TOOLS - "Jonah and the Whale - Bible Story Meaning" - by Joel Ryan, Contributing Writer - Updated August 04, 2025 - https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/jonah-and-the-whale.html