"Should I Not Pity Nineveh?" -- Jonah 4:1-11

Sermons on the Minor Prophets -- The Book of Jonah (4)

What pleased God (the repentance of Nineveh), only made Jonah mad – a rather ironic sentiment from someone called to be YHWH’s prophet.  Why was Jonah so upset that YHWH brought salvation to pagan Ninevites?  Jonah, you’ll recall sought to flee YHWH’s call to preach in Nineveh, but YHWH took him on an unexpected detour–a great storm arises, Jonah is thrown overboard and then spends three days and nights in the belly of a great fish.  But Jonah eventually fulfilled his prophetic calling, and preached to the Ninevites.  The result of his preaching?  Many Ninevites believed Jonah’s message.  Even their king believed Jonah’s warning, and he ordered a time of mourning and fasting, even exhorting his people to call upon God and cease their violent behavior.  But as we read in chapter 4 of his prophecy, Jonah is angry with God.  The prophet is perplexed by the fact that the Ninevites were spared from YHWH’s judgment even as his own beloved people, Israel, are about to come under God’s covenant curse.  In the closing chapter of Jonah, we find the prophet right back where he was when first called to preach.  His disdain for the Ninevites surfaces again.  “Why was Nineveh spared when Israel will not be?”  As his prophecy concludes, Jonah is given yet another lesson in God’s mercy.

With this sermon, we conclude our study of the book of Jonah.  As we work our way through the final chapter, once again we discover that in the Book of Jonah, irony seems to jump off every page.  You would think that YHWH’s chosen prophet would be thrilled to witness huge numbers of people believe in YHWH and spared from judgment, through his own preaching.  Yes, pride is a sin, but there is a certain allowable sense of satisfaction about witnessing people come to faith, repent of their sin, and then amend their ways.  Jonah should have been thrilled to witness what God has done in Nineveh–extend salvation to countless Gentiles beyond the confines of his covenant with Israel.  But as we have come to expect in the Book of Jonah, the ironic becomes the norm.

The closing scene in Jonah chapter four takes place after Jonah has completed his mission of passing through the city of Nineveh and proclaiming YHWH’s call to repent with remarkable success.  But instead of being thrilled to be YHWH’s agent in bringing the Ninevites to repentance, the opening verse of chapter 4 reveals that Jonah is angry.  Why?  What has happened?  Why is he back where he started, angry that the people of Nineveh repented?  Irony appears again–God relented in his anger toward Nineveh, while Jonah renews his anger towards the Ninevites.  Why would the same evil that YHWH attributed to the Ninevites (the Hebrew text of Jonah 1:2) now be attributed to Jonah (4:1).  The  Hebrew text literally reads “it [the repentance of Ninveveh] was evil to Jonah with great evil.”  The ESV translates the passage as “but it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry,” trying to capture the raw emotion Jonah felt at what the prophet perceived as a divine injustice.  Jonah hated what YHWH had done.  It is hard to imagine a great evangelist preaching to a huge crowd, seeing many of them respond in faith, and then getting mad at God because people actually responded–but this is the scene in Jonah 4.

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"The People of Nineveh Believed" -- Jonah 2:1-3:10

Sermons on the Minor Prophets:  The Book of Jonah (3)

It is impossible to imagine the misery Jonah endured for those three days and nights he spent in the belly of a huge fish–both his tomb and his salvation.  Jonah’s distress is great–it is that of a dying man.  Yet, Jonah is not dying.  Beyond all human expectation, YHWH sent a huge fish to rescue the “reluctant prophet” from certain death in a watery grave.  Jonah’s entombment in the fish is neither the end nor even the high point of the Jonah story.  But it is the literary hinge upon which the story turns from Jonah’s flight from YHWH to the fulfillment of his prophetic mission.

The Prophecy of Jonah opens with YHWH commissioning Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites, something which Jonah refused to do.  Attempting to flee from YHWH’s call, Jonah boarded a ship bound for Tarshish.  But YHWH sent a great storm which threatened both Jonah’s ship and its crew.  Realizing that his own sin was the cause of the storm, Jonah was confronted by the pagan crew–whose own gods were of no help in calming the storm.  Unless the storm ceased and soon, all onboard would be dead.  Jonah told the crew who he was, what his mission entailed, and that unless the crew threw him overboard, they would not be spared.  The frightened crew did exactly that–they threw Jonah into the sea where he was certain to drown.  The moment Jonah was off the ship, YHWH relented, calmed the storm, and delivered the crew, who witnessed YHWH’s great power.  The grateful crew offered YHWH sacrifices of thanksgiving.  But unbeknownst to them, YHWH miraculously rescued Jonah.  At this point, Jonah’s story turns from an account of his flight from Nineveh, to a time of prayer and repentance (chapter 2), which are the preparation for the fulfillment of YHWH’s greater purpose that the gospel be preached in Nineveh (chapter 3), Jonah’s ultimate mission.

As we have seen in previous weeks, the Book of Jonah is neither an allegory nor a moralistic fable designed to teach the reader that opposition to the will of God is futile.  No doubt, attempting to run from God is one of the most foolish things we can do, but the underlying message of Jonah is not the usual moralizing object lesson–obey God’s call or else suffer the consequences.  The Prophecy of Jonah reveals that it is YHWH’s redemptive purpose to save Gentiles who are outside of his covenant with Israel.  While dwelling in Canaan (the promised land) YHWH intended his people (Israel) to serve as witnesses of his holiness and righteousness to the neighboring Gentiles nations.  Once the unified nation of Israel (as in the days of David and Solomon) was divided by a Civil War and the Northern Kingdom became more and more apostate and disobedient to YHWH’s covenant, Israel was no longer a faithful witness, but became a sad illustration of happens to those who reject YHWH’s gracious covenant promises and protection in exchange for a mess of pagan porridge.

As Israel failed in its role as YHWH’s witness, covenant judgment came upon the nation as foretold by the prophet Amos and described by Hosea (the next Minor prophet in our series, and the last of the prophets YHWH sent to the Northern Kingdom).  During the days of Hosea’s ministry (he appears shortly after Amos and Jonah) the Assyrians invaded and conquered Israel, decimating its people.  Since Israel failed to be YHWH’s witness to the nations, YHWH calls Jonah to serve as a prophetic witness to the Gentiles–Jonah is to preach in Nineveh, the very heart of the pagan Assyrian empire.

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"Three Days and Three Nights" -- Jonah 1:4-17

Sermons on the Minor Prophets:  The Book of Jonah (2)

God called the Prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh (in the heart of the Assyrian empire) and preach his word to the Ninevites.  Refusing to go to Nineveh, instead Jonah undertook the fool’s errand of attempting to flee from YHWH, boarding a ship which Jonah hoped would take him as far away from Nineveh as humanly possible.  But why was Jonah, known to us as the “reluctant prophet,” so hesitant to go where YHHW was sending him?  The answer is both religious and political.  Jonah is an Israelite.  Assyria is Israel’s enemy and a serious military threat.  Jonah knows that his own people (Israel) are hardening their hearts against YHWH and are likely to come under YHWH’s judgment.  Jonah also knows that should he go to Nineveh and preach, YHWH might bring about the city’s repentance, sparing it from imminent judgment.  As a loyal Israelite, Jonah fears that his preaching might be YHWH’s means of sparing Assyria from judgment.  Jonah refuses YHWH’s call to go and preach and attempts get as far away from Nineveh as he can.  But his plans are about to change in ways he cannot yet begin to imagine.  YHWH will change Jonah’s mind and his destination.

We continue our time in the Book of Jonah, moving this week into the heart of the prophecy (chapter 1:4-17), where we read of Jonah fleeing YHWH’s prophetic call, only to find himself thrown overboard by terrified sailors and then swallowed by a great fish, in which’s belly Jonah spent three days and nights entombed in conditions beyond human imagination.  As we discussed last time, when we raised and answered the “Who?” “When?” “Why?” and “What?” questions, the assumption often made by readers and about the Book of Jonah is that the story is so implausible that it cannot be historical.  When viewed in this manner the fictional story of Jonah becomes an object lesson or moralistic tale about obeying God’s will so as not to suffer the consequences–like those which befall the reluctant prophet.

But when we look behind the well-known details of the Jonah story and consider God’s greater purpose in calling Jonah to go and preach YHWH’s word in Nineveh, we discover the true message of this prophecy–God’s purpose is to save Gentile sinners outside the limits of his covenant people, Israel.  When we established the redemptive-historical context for the Minor Prophets, we saw that while in Canaan, YHWH’s people were to be witnesses of his mercy and righteousness to the Gentile nations all around them.  Because of Israel’s failure to drive all the Canaanites from the promised land (as recounted in the Book of Joshua) over time, the people of God became more pagan than Hebrew (the message of the Book of Judges).  Israel’s idolatry and failure to keep the terms of Israel’s covenant with YHWH, led to a terrible civil war and a divided nation–Israel in the north and Judah in the south.  Given Israel’s rapid and downward spiritual spiral the Northern Kingdom never did serve as a missionary witness to the surrounding Gentile nations.  Instead, Israel became a sad example of sin, disobedience, and religious compromise.  Israel faced certain judgment as YHWH’s long suffering patience came to an end.

But had Israel been faithful to God’s word and covenant, YHWH would have protected his people from the surrounding Gentile nations, including Syria and Assyria to the north.  A very important element to the back story of the Book of Jonah is that YHWH’s call of Jonah is part of YHWH’s greater missionary purpose to ensure that his word is preached to Gentile nations–even to Israel’s enemies.  We saw that YHWH sent the prophet Amos to Israel to call the nation to repentance.  But YHWH sends Jonah to Nineveh in Assyia–Israel’s fiercest enemy.  Although the Jews are YHWH’s chosen people, his redemptive plan includes Gentiles.  YHWH will extend salvation to the very ends of the earth.  

We risk completely missing the message of the Book of Jonah if we understand it merely to be a moralistic fable about not obeying God’s call and suffering the consequences.  The Book of Jonah is a prophetic revelation of God’s missionary purposes for his people as is typical of the Minor Prophets.  Since Israel has failed in its mission to be YHWH’s witness to the Gentiles, YHWH calls Jonah to be his witness to Assyria.  Jonah’s reluctance to go to Nineveh reflects the fact that he is a loyal Israelite who does not want to see his enemy (Assyria) repent, when he knows his own people will be crushed by the Assyrians unless YHWH intervenes and saves Israel.

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"Go to Nineveh" -- Jonah 1:1-3

Sermons on the Minor Prophets:  The Book of Jonah (1)

Most everyone knows the story of Jonah – a reluctant Hebrew prophet who was thrown overboard by his terrified shipmates, only to be swallowed by a big fish (usually assumed to be a whale) and then spend three days and nights in the fish’s belly, before being vomited up by the fish on a foreign shore, forcing Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites, who repented en masse when Jonah–however reluctantly–finally fulfilled his evangelistic mission.  The story is simple enough it can be understood by a child, but complex enough that theologians and biblical scholars still debate its meaning.  The Book of Jonah is next up in our series on the Minor Prophets.  Lord willing, we’ll spend four weeks in this book before we tackle the next of the Minor Prophets, Hosea.

Whenever we begin a study of any new book of the Bible it is important to ask and answer several questions to make sure we interpret the book and its message correctly.  Who was Jonah, when did he live, why did he write this book, and what is in it?  How does this particular prophecy compare with the other Minor Prophets (the Twelve)?  These questions are especially important with a book like Jonah, which many think to be an allegory or a moral fable, seeing the story as so implausible that it cannot possibly be speaking of historical events.  How can someone be swallowed alive by a whale and live for three days?  No, the critics say, this cannot be history, so it must be an allegory, a teaching parable, or a work of fiction, designed to teach us some important spiritual or moral truth.  

When we interpret Jonah’s prophecy through this fictional lens, the reader’s focus usually falls upon Jonah himself, the prime example of a reluctant prophet who refuses to obey God’s will.  By not obeying God, Jonah finds himself in the belly of a whale, until God relents and the whale then spits Jonah out safe and sound–if a bit shook up.  The moral to the story is that should God call you to do something you do not want to do, learn the lesson of the story of Jonah.  Obey the Lord and avoid the kind of calamity which comes upon those who, like Jonah, will not do what they know God wants them to do.

But when we ask and then answer the “Who?” “When?” “Why?” and “What?” questions, it becomes clear that Jonah’s prophecy is not an allegory, nor does it offer such a trivial and moralistic message.  This is not a “once upon a time in a land far away” kind of book.  The prophecy opens with Jonah’s personal ancestry–revealing the name of his father enabling us to compare other biblical references to this family, thereby tying Jonah’s ministry directly to the reign of Jeroboam II, one of the last rulers of Israel (the Northern Kingdom)–as we saw in our just concluded series on Amos, and in our introductory sermons on the Minor Prophets.

Jonah’s prophecy comes in the form of a prophetic narrative (much like 1 and 2 Kings) with a song/Psalm included within the narrative (chapter 2).  It is clearly set in a particular period of time–the final days of Israel (the Northern Kingdom).  Yet unlike the books of the Kings, the Book of Jonah does not emphasize God’s prophet’s obedience to undertake a difficult prophetic call.  On the contrary, the Book of Jonah focuses upon the prophet’s determined reluctance to fulfill his mission.  But what is that mission?  That is the critical question not often properly considered.

When the reader steps back from the sensational particulars of the story–the sailors and the storm, the big fish, the three days–what becomes clear is that God’s ultimate purpose (whether Jonah responds appropriately to that purpose or not) is to extend salvation into the heart of the same nation (Assyria) which is about to invade Israel (the Northern Kingdom), wiping Israel out and killing, capturing, or exiling its inhabitants.  Jonah’s reluctance to preach YHWH’s message to Israel’s enemy highlights the importance of that message–even in the days of Israel and Judah (mid 700's B.C.), YHWH’s gracious purpose is to save sinners, and that purpose is not limited just to Israel.

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"Should I not Pity Nineveh?" -- Jonah 4:1-11

Here's the audio of this morning's sermon on the Minor Prophets from the Book of Jonah (4) Click Here

"The People of Nineveh Believed God" -- Jonah 2:1-3:10

Here's the audio of this morning's sermon on the Minor Prophets from the Book of Jonah (3)  Click Here

"Three Days and Three Nights" -- Jonah 1:4-17

Here's the audio of this morning's sermon on the Minor Prophets from the Book of Jonah (2)

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"Go to Nineveh" -- Jonah 1:1-3

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon on the Minor Prophets from the Prophecy of Jonah (1)

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