Jonah's Word From The Lord

INTRODUCTION Please turn to Jonah 1

Some consider the book of Jonah to be an allegory or, perhaps, a parable.

However, II Kings 14:25 identifies Jonah as a real person,

a Jewish prophet from Gath Hepher in Zebulun (near Nazareth),

who ministered in the Northern Kingdom of Israel

during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753bc)

We should also consider that Jesus considered Jonah

to be a historic person and pointed to him

as a type of His own death, burial, and resurrection

(Matthew 12:42, Luke 11:32)

The reign of Jeroboam II was a time of great prosperity in Israel;

the nation regained lost territory

and expanded both its boundaries and influence.

But it was also a time of moral and spiritual decay

as the nation rapidly moved away from God and into idolatry.

Jonah’s contemporaries, Hosea and Amos,

both courageously denounced the wickedness

of the rulers, priests and people.

It’s worth noting that Hosea and Amos

also showed God’s concern for other nations,

which is one of the major themes of Jonah.

While Jonah had a ministry to Nineveh,

a leading city in Assyria,

he also had a ministry to Israel through this little book.

He discovered that God had compassion for those outside Israel,

even those who were Israel’s enemies.

God had called His people to be a blessing to the Gentiles,

but, like Jonah, the Jews refused to obey.

and, like Jonah, they had to be disciplined;

for Assyria would conquer Israel

and Babylon would take Judah into captivity.

Jonah’s book magnifies the sovereignty of God

as well as the love and mercy of God.

This is the only book of the prophets that actually

tells more about what happened to the Prophet (Jonah)

than the nation he was to prophecy against.

Jehovah is the “God of the second chance,” even for rebellious prophets.

Jonah 1:1-3

“Now the word of the Lord came unto 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 unto Tarashish 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 unto Tarshish from the presence pf the Lord.”

Most people are so familiar with the story of Jonah

that nothing in it surprises them anymore,

including the fact that it begins with the word “and”.

Our King James version says, “Now the word of the Lord came ….”

The original is literally, “And the word of the Lord came….”

It may seem a bit silly, a very minor thing to focus on,

but how and why do you begin a book with the word “And.”

Jonah is one of fourteen Old Testament books

that open with the little word “and”.

These books remind us of God’s “continuing story” of grace and mercy.

Though the Bible is comprised of sixty-six different books,

it tells only one story; and God keeps communicating

that message to us,

even though we don’t always listen too attentively.

How long-suffering He is toward us.

What is the book of Jonah about?

Well, it’s not simply about a great fish,

or a great city, or even a disobedient prophet.

It’s about God!

God is mentioned 38 times in these four short chapters,

and if you eliminated Him from the book,

the story wouldn’t make sense.

The Book of Jonah is about the will of God and how we respond to it.

It’s also about the love of God and how we share it with others.

FIRST – WHO WAS ASSYRIA?

Assyria was located in the “fertile crescent”.

We now see Assyria as Syria and Iraq.

Its capital was a city called Nineveh (now known as Mosel, Iraq)

During this time of history, Assyria was a fierce and mighty kingdom.

They ruthlessly attacked the nations around them.

Enslaving all they could.

Mercilessly killing their enemies.

Impaled some, flayed others, gutted others.

They neither cared for old, young, male or female.

Soldier, civilian – human, or animal.

They were fearsome, evil beyond measure.

The trade routes from the Fertile Cresent into Egypt (and Africa)

would pass through the area surrounding the Jordan river.

So control of this area was (and is) of importance.

A nation could be powerful and rich simply by ownership

of what we call the Promised Land.

Assyria would stop at nothing to claim this ownership.

SECOND – WHAT ABOUT JUDAH & ISRAEL?

It’s probably enough just to mention their names. (DIVIDED)

Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and

Israel (the Northern Kingdom).

12 independent tribes had come together

Under Saul and David and Solomon

to form the nation of Israel.

After Solomon’s death, 10 of the tribes rebelled