I want to share my thoughts and pose a question from the book of Jonah. 

1. Who are your Assyrians?

It’s not something we broadcast, but in truth we are all like Jonah, not wanting to bring the message of repentance to our enemies, those who have wronged us or those we don’t want to have a second chance. 

See Jonah knew that God relents from his plan of wrath, punishment and destruction when genuine repentance and humility takes shape in a person’s life. 

Like Jonah, we don’t get to choose who, our job is to obey and go. 

2. God’s will have his way

Jonah so badly resisted the message of repentance reaching the Assyrian Empire, that he fled to Tarshish by ship. In his mind the mission had successfully been refused and aborted. How about the same repentance and second chance he didn’t want to deliver to the Assyrians, he delivered to the people on the ship anyways!

In verse 6 of chapter 1, the captain of the ship tells each person to “Get up and call on your God.”, makes sense because these are pagan sailors, but by verse 16 it says, “At this the men greatly feared the Lord and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.”

God will have his way.

So not only did Jonah not want to participate in turning one set of people towards God (the Assyrians) but God has caused him to do it twice over. 

3. Death over duty

With Jonah being a prophet, he knew the solution for stopping the ragging storm was to be thrown overboard, but I think he thought that death by sea was awaiting him. I believe he was so convicted that Israel’s enemies didn’t deserve a warning that would lead to repentance that he would rather have death. But God! God had a plan to use a great fish to give Jonah a second chance. 

Even what we don’t want to give others (a second chance), God still gives to us. 

4. Symbolisms of Christ

For three days and three nights Jonah was in the belly of a great fish. He went down one way and came out another, similar to baptism. This alludes to Christ’s death and resurrection and the transformation power of salvation. 

When Jonah was in the belly of the fish he talked to God, just like Jesus did during his final hours. Jonah 1:7 says, “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.”

In chapter 4, the concluding chapter, we are told about how the Lord caused a vine to grow to give Jonah shade and he was very happy for the vine. Then the vine withered because of the worm sent by the Lord. That vine is a symbol of salvation. Jonah didn’t deserve the vine, he didn’t work for the vine nor did he plant it, it just sprang up. Such is salvation!

Stay encouraged.
Keep reading your bible friends!

See you next week!