The Message of Jonah
Judging Nineveh part 1
01/11/09 AM
Text: Jonah 1:1-4:11
Introduction
This morning we are going to begin a two part message that is essentially a case study of the righteous judgment of God. 1 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all scripture in profitable to us and there are many lessons to be learned in the thousands of years of history that our God has provided us through His inspired word. In looking back at how God dealt with the city of Nineveh, we can gain insight into how His judgment may come to us.
Nineveh is first mentioned in Genesis 10 in the genealogy of Ham, the son of Noah where we learned that the city was founded by Nimrod. Nineveh does not garner much attention until It is noticed in the days of Jonah, when it is described (Jonah 3:3; 4:11) as a great and populous city, the flourishing capital of the Assyrian empire (2 Kings 19:36; Isa. 37:37). The book of the prophet Nahum is almost exclusively taken up with prophetic denunciations against this city. Its ruin and utter desolation are foretold (Nahum1:14; 3:19, etc.). The city is a major focus for these two prophets of God. Jonah will be our focus on in this lesson and in part two we will focus on Nahum.
We don’t know a great deal about Jonah, we first learn about him in 2Kings 14:23-25:
He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 793-753 B.C.)
He was from Gath Hepher (4 miles NE of what was later Nazareth in Galilee)
But lets now turn to the book which bears his name and see what lessons we may learn from his story.
I.Jonah Protesting (1:1-17)
A.Overview Chapter One...
1.God commissions Jonah to preach in Nineveh - 1:1-2
a.Nineveh was the capital of Assyria
b.It was located about 220 NNW of the present city of Baghdad
c.The Assyrians were noted for their cruelty, especially to prisoners
2.Jonah rebels against God's plan - 1:3
3.God has a plan for Jonah - 1:4-17
a.He sends "a great wind on the sea" - 1:4-16
b.He prepares "a great fish" - 1:17
B.Comments from the text...
1.The city of Tarshish
a.A Phoenician outpost in SW Spain
b.On the edge of the Mediterranean world, Jonah was running in the opposite direction of Nineveh
C.Lessons from chapter one...
1.Wickedness is an affront to God regardless of where it occurs (such as the case of Nineveh, a nation of non-believers) - 1:2
2.One cannot run away from God!
Psalms 139:7 (NASB) Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
3.What happens in the lives of His servants can bring glory to Him and have major impact on others - 1:5 with 1:14-16
[With the end of chapter one; Jonah is now in the belly of the great fish. Having attempted to run away from God, we now find him...]
II.Jonah Praying (2:1-10)
A.Overview Chapter Two...
1.Jonah's prayer - 2:1-9
2.Jonah's deliverance - 2:10
B.Comments from the text...
1.Jonah realized that what happened was God's doing - 2:3
2.The prayer is written like a psalm, more of a thanksgiving than a petition
C.Lessons from chapter two...
1."Someone has observed that there are times when we must be made to go into the lowest depths that we may regain a living faith" (Hailey)
2.Prayers in time of need should be made with an attitude of thanksgiving as well as petition
Philippians 4:6 (NASB) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
[Having learned his lesson, Jonah is now ready to do God's will; so we next see him...]
III.Jonah Preaching (3:1-10)
A.Overview Chapter Three...
1.The Lord again commissions Jonah to preach in Nineveh - 3:1-2
2.Jonah obeys and proclaims God's message - 3:3-4
3.The people of Nineveh are moved to repent, including the king - 3:5-9
4.The Lord takes notice, and relents of the disaster He had intended to bring - 3:10
B.Comments from the text...
1.Jonah's message was brief, yet clear - 3:4
2.An unusual fast is proclaimed - 3:5-7
a.Three days without food AND water
b.For both man AND beast
3.With sackcloth for both man and beast, the king calls for a true change of behavior - 3:8-9
4.The king of Assyria reasons like the prophet Joel - cf. 3:9 with the prophet Joel
Joel 2:13 (NASB) And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God?
5.Nineveh's example of repentance is a rebuke of Israel...
a.Israel in Jonah's own day - cf. 2 Kings 17:13-14,18; 2 Chronicles 36:15-16
b.Israel in the days of Jesus
Matthew 12:41 (NASB) “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
C.Lessons from chapter three...
1.God judges (and blesses) our actions according to His will - cf. Jeremiah 18:7-10
2.The least likely prospects might be the ones who will convert - e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB) Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
[The message was heeded, a city headed for destruction was saved but in the final chapter we find the prophet...]
IV.Jonah Protesting (again) (4:1-11)
A.Overview Chapter Four...
1.Jonah vents his anger - 4:1-4
a.Angry because he knew God would relent - 4:1-2
b.So angry that he desires to die - 4:3-4
2.God uses a plant, a worm, and a hot east wind to teach a lesson to Jonah - 4:5-18
a.A plant to provide shade for Jonah - 4:5-6
b.A worm to destroy the plant - 4:7
c.A vehement east wind that with the sun exhausts Jonah - 4:8
3.God uses the plant to teach Jonah an object lesson - 4:9-11
a.Jonah is angry about the plant - 4:9
b.Shouldn't he have similar pity on Nineveh? - 4:10-11
B.Comments from the text...
1.We find Jonah manifesting a petty, narrow-minded spirit (sectarian.)
a.Perhaps there was an underlying hatred in Jonah's heart
b.This may explain why he fled to Tarshish in the beginning
2.He possessed the same spirit as:
a.The older brother of the prodigal- Luke 15:11-32
Luke 15:27 - 29 (NASB) “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. “But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;
b.The Pharisee praying in the temple – Luke 18:10-14
Luke 18:13 - 14 (NASB) “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
c.The Pharisees toward Jesus eating with sinners
Matthew 9:12 - 13 (NASB) But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
3.Jonah is shown to have more compassion for a plant, than for innocent children!
C.Lessons from chapter four...
1.We learn the danger of a sectarian spirit
a.It makes us to be petty
b.It blinds us to matters of greater importance
2.We see God's nature
a.He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger
b.Abundant in lovingkindness, He is willing to relent when there is repentance
Conclusion
Jonah has lessons for saved and those still lost alike.
For the saved:
Don't try to avoid the responsibility God has placed on you
Never prejudge an audience
Don't have a selfish, narrow-minded, sectarian spirit
Be concerned for all the wicked, whoever and wherever they are
For the lost
God loves you
Destruction is coming...
But He sent Christ and the apostles to reveal His will and save you
Today He has His preachers and teachers to warn you
Salvation is available wherever there is true repentance and obedience!
Finally, may the example of Nineveh's repentance remind us of what Jesus said: Matthew 12:41 (NASB) “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah; have we repented at the preaching of One (Jesus) who is much greater?
Invitation
