JONAH 1:1, 2
PARTICULAR PROPHET
PROMISED PERSONAL PARISH
I. PANORAMA:
A. Parent.
B. Potentate.
C. Politics?
II. POSITIVES:
A. Person.
B. Publication.
C. Proof.
II. PERSONAL:
A. Privilege.
B. Positive.
C. Postscript.
Jonah is one of those Bible characters that seems to have gained international fame. He is referred to often by both spiritual and secular commentators. The story of him being swallowed by a large fish has caught the attention of so many people from different walks of life. His story has been debated for centuries and either believed or disregarded by those who have taken the time to study the book which bears his name. He is one of those Bible characters that simply cannot be ignored or overlooked. Atheists, good intended people, skeptics and a host of other people have railed at this story, the entire book and the character himself for centuries, yet he and the book which bears his name-lives still today.
While he has been degraded, disbelieved, denied and despised, others have accepted him, the book of Jonah and his plight as gospel truth. The sum and substance of this man, and all to that to which he alludes cannot simply be ignored. He demands a response with out asking for one. My sermon on this interesting character has turned out to be a series of sermons as I look closely at him: his times, his travels and his testimonies. Along the way, I have found some very interesting thoughts about him as spoken by others who have picked up his trail and have attempted to shed some light upon this most unusual person. Although dead, he still speaks to us from beyond and what he has to say is worth noting.
As I begin my first sermon in this series, I cannot but help to reflect on the title I have chosen: A PARTICULAR PROPHET PROMISED PERSONAL PARISH. Jonah was chosen by God, out of all of Israel to go to a particular city (his new parish) and to preach to a group of Gentiles. These were not the best people in the world to whom one was to preach, yet God chose Jonah for this mission, “Why?” The answers are complicated but as we move through this sermon, maybe we can get a glimpse of why God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and as a result, we can catch a better glimpse into the heart of our God.
As I look at this sermon I note three things about Jonah in the first two verses of this chapter. I note the PANORAMA of this prophet’s life and calling. I also note some things about this man’s life which are POSITIVES and which helped shape him even more in his maturing years. Finally, I note some PERSONAL aspects of this rebellious prophet which God tried to get Jonah to see a bigger and broader picture of Himself, His love and His care for everyone.
I. PANORAMA: In studying Jonah’s setting and his surroundings, one cannot but help to note certain facts about him, his past and surrounding influences which affected him in a most direct manner.
Everyone is a product of one’s past. Where one is born, the time frame of one’s early life, the parentage of one and a host of other variables, help shape a person throughout one’s life. No one can escape his earlier years and no one can disregard them as being of no consequence: the years, events and people of our formative days help to make us who we are today. Such was the case with our man of the hour: Jonah
The first thing I note about Jonah has to do with his Parent, Amittai. Little is known of this man; he is referred to twice in the Bible. The first reference to him is found in II Kings 14:25 and then here.
The first mention of his name according to the Bible says that he lived in Gath-Hepher. This was a town on the border of Zebulon and Naphtali, in the tribe of Zebulon. There is a grave located near this village which is now called Khirbet ez-Zurra. Archeological finds have confirmed that this was a vibrant town which was active in the time of Jonah.
Little else is known about Amittai, and it is dangerous to try and build much more out of this man’s existence. However, the listing of this man as being a father to Jonah is important because it shows that Jonah was a real person, who had a father, a family and who was alive during the time frame of the episode of him going to Nineveh. This prophet of God was a real person who was as much alive as we are today and was steeped in the culture of Israel as being a special nation unto God. These facts play a definite role in the life of the prophet as the book of Jonah unfolds.
Besides the naming of Jonah’s father, the Bible also gives an interesting insight into the Potentate of his time: Jeroboam II, King of Israel. The time frame of his life and reign are given by historians as being from 793 to 746 B. C. This king was not known for his godliness, but he is noted as one who extended the boundaries of Israel and afforded his nation some what a time of peace, political prestige and prosperity. In other words he was able to make the Hebrew nation a nation proud of its accomplishments and power in the Middle East. There was a revival of national self-worth and importance established during his time and while his warring neighbors were busy trying to subdue each other, Jeroboam II was able to enlarge the nation’s borders; improve its military might; and, to raise its feeling of self-importance. It is no wonder that Jonah felt that he was too good to go to Nineveh and preach about God. His PAST precluded any and all others from his mind that just maybe, his neighbors needed to hear about God and His ability to “save” them through their acceptance of Him as being the only God who was worthy to be worshipped. Jonah’s outlook on life was steeped in the fact that at long last his little nation of Israel was beginning to amass power and land at the expense of its neighbors.
Besides noting the king of Israel at the time of Jonah, it is also important to notice his views regarding the current Politics of his time. Some of these views of him have been noted, but it is necessary to remember that he lived in a time when the nation of Israel was now two nations instead of just one as it was under the reign of David and Solomon. At long last, Israel was going to amount to something under Jeroboam II’s rule and maybe, just maybe, the twelve tribes could be reunited into one nation-the hope of countless Hebrews in Jonah’s lifetime. He seems to be more interested in reviving the entire nation into one rather than trying to reach out to other nations with the news of God’s care and love. His political bent was what would be known as jingoistic in America’s time during the 1800’s.
While Jeroboam the II was improving the nation on so many fronts, his personal sins and godlessness proved to be his downfall. It was during this time of expansion and political revival, the monarch’s personal life was spiritually bankrupt and morally rotten. To try and save the nation from impending doom, God sent Amos and Hosea to warn the country and the king of consequences for ignoring God. One wonders if Jonah heard these prophets and thought it would be best to try and save his homeland rather than going off to Nineveh to try and convert them.
What ever the reason was for the call of Jonah, we have to stop and think about the PANORAMA and what happened to him as he lived in his cherished national homeland of Israel.
II. POSITIVES: Besides studying some events and personalities of Jonah as he was maturing, there are some things to consider about this prophet as a true historical person. He did have a real father and he lived in Israel under a king which sought to expand the boundaries of the chosen people. Yet there are some other things one needs to review about Jonah which might help a person understand more about this most unusual prophet.
The one thing I wish to emphasize one more time, is that Jonah was a real Person. The critics would like to paint our man of the hour as someone who was not real, who was a character in a fascinating study, but he is not to be viewed as one who was a real man.
However, a careful study of this man’s book and one finds that he rebelled against God; he made conscious decisions; he prayed: he preached; he pouted; and, all through the book, he portrayed himself in a bad light. This is not the characteristic of someone who is to be portrayed as a make-believed person. No writer desires to make his character as being bad, being seen in a negative light, nor ending his story abruptly with no improvement to the individual’s make-up. Yet, that is exactly what Jonah did in his writing which should help the critic to see that Jonah had to be real to expose his bad side all through the book and then end it with a discouraged and pouting person. His negative writing speaks to the core of the matter that he had to be a real person and was not afraid to reveal himself as he truly was.
Again, another affirmative marking of this man comes from his own writing, his Publication which bears his own name. His discourse which he composed has more to do with himself rather than the message he tried to bring. He is concerned about himself and his actions more than with his commission to go and preach. He pays quaint details to intricate parts of his writing concerning himself in his open disobedience to God: i.e. seeking a ship to go to Tarsus; buying a ticket out of his own pocket; his refusal to view others as his equal, etc. His autobiography certainly marks him as one who was real and alive at a certain time in Israel’s history.
Lastly, I note one of the greatest POSITIVES about this man is found in the New Testament, Matthew 12:39-41 where Jesus referred to him and stated His acknowledgement that Jonah was a real person. If our Lord and Saviour declares His belief that Jonah was a real person, that is good enough for me.
These helpful insights into a real man named Jonah are convincing enough for me to believe that he was a real prophet who lived centuries ago and who had a rendezvous with God about a mission he was to complete.
III. PERSONAL: I have looked at the prophet’s settings regarding his parent, Amittai; the time of his living under the reign of Jeroboam the II; and, a brief introduction of his political beliefs. Now, I want to touch briefly upon his PERSONAL life as is stated in the Bible.
The first thing I note regarding his inner and most opportune aspects of his life is the Privilege he had of being visited by God. The text says in verse one that, “The Word of the Lord came unto him.” We are then told just what the “Word” was that came unto the messenger of God. The message, verse two, was to go and preach to lost people about the only true God. We do not know if Jonah was a prophet of any kind before he received this urgent admonition by God, but we do know that now he was commissioned to go and preach about the wickedness of Nineveh. What a blessed thing for any one to have when one is marked by God for a special task. Yet, Jonah refused to go to preach to the people in Nineveh; the question is, “Why?’
We do not know all the reasons as to why he said no, we do not know of all the reasons some people today refuse to go and speak for God, what we do know is that Jonah was commissioned to go to a specific place and to a specific people and he refused, “Why?” He was very Privileged to be given this awesome task yet he said no.
The first thing I see about the description of this city was what God called it, “A great City.” This was the Positive part of the message of God to Jonah. Archeology has verified this ample description of Nineveh. The findings which have been uncovered by students who study old and forgotten civilizations have uncovered canals which have crisscrossed the city, bringing in fresh water for the people to drink. The findings have also uncovered fine dwellings with ample rooms which were used by individual families. The city had a library, a town square, an open market, high walls which were protecting the city and there have been found proofs that animals lived inside the city which were used for meat and often served as sacrificial offerings for the gods of old Nineveh.
The description was accurate as is given by the text and if that would have been all there was to old Nineveh, maybe Jonah would have been willing to go and go very quickly to preach in this cosmopolitan place of yester year. But there was another side to this metropolis and that was why Jonah refused to obey God. The other side was what God said about the people’s evilness: the Postscript.
Maybe it would help to look at the people to whom he was commissioned to go to preach about their wicked ways. When God said to Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh about their wickedness, He was telling the truth. History has found that in the time of Jonah the people of Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria and this nation was the personification of evilness and idolatry. These people were barbaric, brutal and exceedingly wicked. They were known for their brutality and savagery. Assurbanipal, the grandson of Sennacherib was known to cut off the lips of captured enemies along with cutting off of hands and feet of his conquered foes. Tiglath-pilser flayed men alive and let piles of heads in the wake of his army. These were the people to whom the prophet was sent to go to preach about their wickedness.
In spite of the evilness of the city from its leaders to its common people, God loved the inhabitants of Nineveh. He was just as concerned for them as He was for the Israelites. God wanted to teach Jonah and the Jewish people that God’s graces extended to all mankind and He wanted His man to go and tell the people of Nineveh that God loved them-a true start to world evangelism.
Yet, He never gave up and He called on Jonah to rise to the occasion which He wanted all of His people to do and Nineveh was to be the test. What would Jonah do? Would there be hope that Israel would see its opportunity through the obedience of this chosen prophet or would Israel continue to grow inward-not outward? Time will tell.
