(NIV), Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. SPEAKING generally, the prophet Jonah lived about midway between the revolt of the ten tribes under Jeroboam and their fatal and final captivity by Assyria. Most people have heard the story of Jonah and the whale—but did you know that the Bible doesn’t specifically say Jonah was swallowed by a whale? The passage in 2 Kings xiv.25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, ⦠5. The parable ends with a question from the father to the Pharisaical son, just as the book of Jonah ends with a question to the Pharisaical prophet. Jonah had spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish; Jesus would spend three days and three nights in the grave (“the heart of the earth”). (Sadly, it seems these prophecies will have an end-time fulfillment as well.). Unlike other Old Testament prophetic books, Jonah is not a collection of the prophetâs oracles but primarily a narrative about⦠T he book of Jonah is an Old Testament story which tells about how the prophet Jonah refused to follow the Lord. Prophet Jonah was both foolish and selfish. Such an incident would certainly grab their attention and may explain their willingness to listen to Jonah’s warning message! If the God who made the heavens and the earth wants to keep someone safe in the belly of a whale or a giant fish for 72 hours, He’s perfectly able to make that happen, regardless of how we think things should work. The Bible mentions imperfections in other renowned individuals, such as Noah, Abraham, Jacob, David, the apostle Peter and so on. Today we also are blessed to have the Holy Scriptures, including the book of Jonah, which God has faithfully preserved for our instruction and learning. The sailors cast lots and by a miracle the lot identified Jonah (1:7). God was telling Jonah to take a message of repentance to an empire destined to destroy his own nation and people. (Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible). A “vehement east wind” was “prepared” by God (4:8). Jonah tried to run away from God, learned a terrifying lesson, did his duty, then still had the nerve to complain to the Creator of the Universe. 4. Josephus(Ant. The parallel between the two stories, which Jesus himself may have had in mind, is the reason why I titled my new book, The Prodigal Prophet . Jonah, after receiving ⦠(Read 2 Kings 14:25.) Andre van Belkum currently serves as the pastor of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in New Zealand and the Pacific region. He had the twisted idea that if judgment was stayed, it would somehow discredit his prophetic reputation. The narrative presents a noticeable contrast between God’s mercy and forgiveness and the shortcomings of His servant. According to the Septuagint text of the Book of Tobias (xiv, 4), the words of Jonah in regard to the destruction of Ninive are accepted as facts; the same reading is found in the Aramaic text and one Hebrew manuscript. Stephen R. Wilson. Unbelievably, they responded positively and the king proclaimed a fast for both man and beast! A worm was “prepared” to wither the plant (4:7). Some critics have questioned whether a whale’s throat would be large enough for a human being to pass through. But Jonah feared that the wicked city of Nineveh might heed the warning and repent. By acknowledging the sign of Jonah, Jesus was also acknowledging the authenticity of the book of Jonah. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). 4 The Bible reveals a little about Jonahâs background. God definitely accepts repentance when it is from a contrite (repenting) heart. Instead of obeying God, Jonah ran away, boarding a vessel headed for Tarshish. He entered the city and proclaimed the message to the inhabitants. The Bible … was inspired by God’s Spirit, with doctrinal, spiritual and moral intent. Jesus said that this sign of Jonah would be the proof of His identity as the Messiah. God did spare the city from destruction, but in time, the Assyrian people returned to ignoring God’s laws. Renowned Islamic scholar, ibn Kathir calls it Nineveh. God gave Jonah this prediction, which was fulfilled in some manner of time when Jeroboam became King. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/prophet-jonah-reluctant-mouthpiece-for-god-701174. That fear would have been a well-founded one. God gave His commission to Jonah a second time—and this time, Jonah was ready to obey. Through some supernatural events, God convinced him to obey and carry out the Lordâs plan. From the moment Jonah went his own way, things started to go wrong. Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter? He ignored God's desires and indulged his own prejudice against the people of Nineveh, Israel's fiercest enemies. However, when the Assyrians failed to acknowledge God’s role in their victories, God punished “the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks” (Isaiah 10:12). Out of patriotic zeal for his nation Israel, he fled in the opposite direction. Why did Nineveh believe Jonah and repent? "Prophet Jonah - Reluctant Mouthpiece for God." For a quick link to all the other books of the Bible, see “Books of the Bible” on the Learning Center. In this image, Jonahâs descent into the belly of the whale is a sign of the Lordâs descent to Sheol. Around 740 B.C., just a matter of decades after Jonah delivered his warning to Nineveh, God used Assyria to begin the process of punishing Israel for its sins (1 Chronicles 5:26). Used by permission. 2. * Jonah served as a prophet during the reign of King Jeroboam II of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel. Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of God during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (2 Kings 14:24-25)âbetween 792 and 753 B.C. This tradition can be found in the King James Version translation of Matthew 12:40, which says Jonah was in “the whale’s belly.” Again, however, the word it is translated from is broader in meaning than whale. He mistakenly thought he could run away from God. God sets the agenda and timetable. When Jonah fled from God’s assignment, the Bible says that “the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. Lesson: The Story of the Prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:38-40). It merely begins with an instruction from God to go to Nineveh and prophesy to its inhabitants. God is the only righteous judge, favoring whom he pleases. The Sistine Chapel is in Vatican Palace, in the Vatican City. (Was Jesus actually in the grave for 72 hours? The Prophet Jonah was a convincing preacher. In this book Keller does well to focus on Jonah's foremost theme: the depth and breadth of God's immeasurable grace. The Bible does not tell us, but it’s possible that people from the city witnessed the fish spewing Jonah onto dry land. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” (verses 10-11). Even though he resented it, he did his duty. God used the nation of Assyria as the “rod of [His] anger” (Isaiah 10:5) to take most of the nation of Israel into captivity (as punishment for Israel’s own sins). Jonah the human considered it not fair for god to accept the repentance of these heathen, no god people! God’s willingness to forgive upon heartfelt repentance is striking and an encouragement to those who seek to please their Creator but at times succumb to human weaknesses. Nineveh was founded by Nimrod shortly after the Flood (Genesis 10:11-12); and as capital of the Assyrian empire, it rose to power about 900 B.C. The sign of the Prophet Jonah would be repeated in the Person of Christ by the resurrection on the third day. Never miss a post! the Assyrian army had destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel. The prophet at first refuses to go to Nineveh, the godless Assyrian city, because, he says, âI knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disasterâ . Despite human weaknesses in those God selects, He is still able to use them in His service. In 40 days, the city would have been destroyed (verse 4). One of the greatest prophets during the time of Jeroboam II was Jonah the son of Amitai, who, as a prophet disciple, had anointed Jehu and who, therefore, enjoyed the king's benevolence. If they did, the cruel and merciless nation of Assyria would remain an existential threat to the people of Israel. Jonah is portrayed as a recalcitrant prophet who flees from Godâs summons to prophesy against the wickedness of the city of Nineveh.According to the opening verse, Jonah is the son of Amittai. Soon, Jonah found himself in the belly of a “great fish” for three days and three nights. "Prophet Jonah - Reluctant Mouthpiece for God." Maybe God sent a whale to swallow Jonah. His home town was Gath-hepher, an obscure village about 3 miles north-east of Nazareth, where Jesus was brought up. Jonah was a contemporary of Jeroboam II of Israel. The name Jonah means “dove.” His commission, as recorded in the book of Jonah (the fifth of the Minor Prophets), was to convey a message from God to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. The Lord then sent a severe storm that caused the crew of the ship to fear for their lives. This inspired document reveals the international interest of God, even ⦠(Nelsonâs NKJV Study Bible). As is the case with all the Prophets of God Jonah came to Nineveh to call the people to worship One God. Watch our overview video on the book of Jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. But God used that anger as a teachable moment: “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. He is punished and swallowed by a great fish, but repents and prays, and receives God's abundant mercy, and carries out his mission to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. With great economy of words, Jonah conveys powerful truths about God, human beings, and the spiritual life. (NIV), But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. First Sign: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invokes Jonah in a twofold way: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt 12:40). The Book of Jonah has four chapters: ⢠Chapter 1 - Jonah is running FROM God. He delivered God's message to Nineveh with skill and accuracy. The Prophet Jonah The story of Jonah is one of great theological meaning. One of the major themes is the relationship between God and Jonah. While it may appear that we can run or hide from God, we're only fooling ourselves. Jonah was the son of Amittai, who came from Gath-hepher in Zebulun (called Gittah-hepher in Joshua 19:10-13). 2 Kings 14:25, The book of Jonah, Matthew 12:38-41, 16:4; Luke 11:29-32, The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." Zavada, Jack. Get the latest blog posts from Life, Hope & Truth straight to your inbox. While modern skeptics may consider the account of Jonah an allegory or symbolic story only, Jesus compared himself to the Prophet Jonah, showing that he existed and that the story was historically accurate. Much later in the Bible, Jesus told His skeptics, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. The crew reluctantly threw Jonah overboard, and the sea was calmed. Sign up to receive the week's latest articles, blog posts and updates. â¦Jonah, also spelled Jonas, the fifth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, embraced in a single book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon. May you be richly blessed as you determine to study and apply the teachings found in the pages of your Bible. While Jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing Jonah as ⦠Godâs extraordinary capacity to forgive upon true repentance is also fundamental to our understanding.Jonah is not just a prophetic book, as there is only one prophecy recorded (3:4). The change of heart on the part of the people of Nineveh displeased Jonah. He mistakenly thought he could run away from God. Our job is to follow his instructions. The fish was guided (“so the LORD spoke to the fish”) to a place where Jonah was spewed out on dry land (2:10). âCharles R. Swindoll. The exact details of the prophecy and it⦠Jud., IX, 2) clearly deems the story of Jonah to be historical. Jonah lived, according to Bible chronology, in the early half of the eighth century before Christ, and prophesied in the time of Jeroboam II of Israel. Prophet Jonah [1] was sent to a community in Iraq. (NIV), "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple." The young evangelist Timothy was admonished by the apostle Paul: “And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Jonah is the only Old Testament prophet whose ministry is entirely on foreign soil. (782-753 B.C.) Learn Religions, Aug. 25, 2020, learnreligions.com/prophet-jonah-reluctant-mouthpiece-for-god-701174. The Assyrians were extremely brutal and cruel, even skinning their captives alive. He ignored God's desires and indulged his own prejudice against the people of Nineveh, Israel's fiercest enemies. Jonah was a disobedient prophet, who ran away rather than perform God's mission. God commissioned Jonah to take a message of judgment to Nineveh. The Prophet Jonah is one of the seven Old Testament prophets painted by the Italian High Renaissance master Michelangelo (c. 1542â1545) on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. When is the last time you read this little book, the second shortest in the Bible after the single chapter of Obadiah? When Jesus Christ walked the earth, He came to die for the sins of all of humanity, not just a chosen few (John 3:16-17). “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me” (1:2). Godâs Interest in All People. This quote from authors William LaSor, David Hubbard and Frederic Bush is important in our understanding of the book of Jonah: “A firm principle in biblical study is that, even in a clearly historical passage, the theological message is more important than historical details. Others have countered that it depends on the species of whale, or have argued it could have been a great fish like a whale shark. If the dead One rose, then undoubtedly that dead One must have been the Son of God ( 1 Corinthians 15:14 ). Meet Zechariah: John the Baptist's Father, Jephthah Was a Warrior and Judge, But a Tragic Figure, M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University, B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University. If they listened to God’s warning—if they repented—then God might spare them, and they would remain a looming threat. One of the major themes is the relationship between God and Jonah. Print subscriptions available in U.S., Canada and Europe, Article URL: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/holy-bible/old-testament/the-prophets/minor-prophets/jonah/. Zavada, Jack. The brief account of his ministry (see 2 Kings 14:25-27) implies that when Israel was in dire extremity, Jonah arose with a message of encouragement, stimulating the people with the promise of help from God. He thought he knew better than God when it came to the fate of the Ninevites. Jonahâs name means âdoveâ; and his commission, as recorded in the book of Jonah, was to convey a message from God to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh.The book of Jonah gives no indication of his prophetic activity in the land of Israel. By 721 B.C. Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of God during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (2 Kings 14:24-25)—between 792 and 753 B.C. In the traditional Roman Rite, the Epistle for today recounts the preaching of the prophet Jonah to the Ninivites, and their subsequent repentence (chapter 3); it is repeated as the tenth prophecy of the Easter vigil. As part of the biblical canon, Jonah must be studied with primary attention to the theological message” (Old Testament Survey, p. 386). In response, “God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (3:10). Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Prophet Jonah - Reluctant Mouthpiece for God. Prophet Jonah was both foolish and selfish. He was from Gath-hepher, just two and a half miles (4 km) from Nazareth, the town where Jesus Christ would grow up some eight centuries later. Jonah was alive after three days and nights in the fish (1:17). He even referred to Himself as One “greater than Jonah” (verse 41)—an odd comparison to make if Jonah had never existed at all. He realized that, unless God intervened, he would certainly die. Zavada, Jack. The prophet Nahum describes them as lions, tearing and feeding on the nations (Nahum 2:11-13). The prophecy was no idle threat. ⢠Chapter 3 - Jonah ⦠The record states: âHe (Jero⦠All along, he feared that Nineveh would heed the warning and repent (4:2). Our role may not be as dramatic as Jonah's, but we have a duty to God to carry it out to the best of our ability. Jonah disobediently ran from the Lord and headed for the city of Tarshish by boat. From the belly of the fish, Jonah cried out to God for deliverance. He thought he knew better than God when it came to the fate of the Ninevites. But God was forgiving, both of the Prophet Jonah and the sinful people Jonah preached to. How Should a Christian Deal With the Coronavirus Pandemic? Jonahâs role in Godâs global intent. Jonah seemed to have far more respect to his own credibility as a prophet of the divine judgment to Nineveh than he had either to the good of Nineveh or to the glory of God.
Fulton County Jail Mugshots, General Commander Meaning, North American Arms 22 Short Grips, Frank Bifulco Taxes, Roane County Health Department Vaccine, Baten Kaitos Origins Iso, House By The Railroad, Blue Spanish Sky, Coca-cola Recommended Retail Price,