The biblical account of Jonah, son of Amittai, is a compelling and somewhat humorous four-chapter narrative. Jonah, a Hebrew prophet who worshipped the one true God, receives an assignment from God: to prophesy against the city of Nineveh.
Jonah’s Disobedience and God’s Mercy
In Jonah 1:2, God instructs, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” However, Jonah flees from God, opting to sail to Tarshish instead of Nineveh. During his journey, a fierce storm engulfs the ship. The crew discovers Jonah is the cause of their distress, and in Jonah 1:12, he suggests they throw him overboard. Though they initially hesitate, attempting to row back to land, the sea intensifies, and they eventually cast Jonah into the sea, which then calms.
This episode immediately reveals God’s merciful nature. The ship’s crew, idolaters who worshipped various gods, were spared despite Jonah being the only worshipper of the true God. More profoundly, God revealed himself to them. Once the sea calmed, the entire crew revered Jonah’s God, offering sacrifices and making vows. This privilege, typically reserved for the Israelites, descendants of Abraham, was extended to them, surprisingly, due to Jonah’s disobedience.
Another act of divine mercy occurs when Jonah is thrown into the sea. Instead of perishing, he is swallowed by a large fish. God preserves him, granting him an opportunity to repent. Jonah, who had sinned against God and disobeyed his command, deserved death (the wages of sin), yet he was spared.
Jonah’s Repentance and Nineveh’s Redemption
Inside the fish, Jonah prays, acknowledging his dire situation and petitioning God for mercy with a heart of thanksgiving. He recognizes God as his savior and vows to sacrifice to the LORD and fulfill his promises. Following Jonah’s prayer, God commands the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10), offering him a second chance to obey.
Jonah proceeds to Nineveh, where he prophesies against the city for three days, declaring its overthrow in forty days (Jonah 3:4). The people of Nineveh take his prophecy seriously, repenting together. They wear sack-cloths and fast, a practice also adopted by the King of Nineveh and his nobles, who issue a decree for all people and animals in Nineveh to do the same.
Witnessing their repentance, the LORD decides to spare Nineveh, a profound act of mercy. This demonstrates that genuine repentance can lead to God’s forgiveness. The very act of prophecy itself was merciful, as God could have destroyed the wicked city without warning, without the trouble of sending Jonah.
It’s crucial to understand that sin warrants death. Just as earthly laws carry consequences, the universe operates under God’s law. Breaking these laws, or sinning, results in death. Our continued existence after sinning is not a right, but a testament to God’s mercy.
Jonah’s Anger and God’s Teaching
Returning to Jonah’s story, he is surprisingly unhappy when God forgives Nineveh. Jonah desired their destruction, a perplexing stance given his recent experience of God’s mercy. One might expect him to advocate for their forgiveness, especially since the Ninevites heeded his prophecy. Instead, Jonah is angry with God for sparing them.
God, instead of becoming angry with Jonah for disregarding His sovereign decision, uses this opportunity to teach Jonah about the concept of mercy.
In Jonah chapter 4, God employs a plant to illustrate value. He causes a plant to grow overnight, providing shade for Jonah. Then, He sends a worm to destroy the plant to which Jonah had quickly grown attached. Jonah’s anger over the loss of the small plant becomes a teaching moment. God highlights Jonah’s concern for a plant that grew overnight, contrasting it with his anger over God’s mercy shown to 120,000 people and their animals. God uses this to expose Jonah’s flawed priorities and the true value of human life.
It’s noteworthy that God also acknowledges the animals of Nineveh (Jonah 4:11: “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left and also many animals?”). This is likely because the animals participated in the repentance process, fasting and wearing sackcloth. This signifies that God hears true repentance from all, even animals lacking the consciousness to fully understand their actions, thus assuring us that He will accept our repentant hearts, for He is a merciful God.
Jonah 4:1-2 reveals the root of Jonah’s rebellious actions: “But to Jonah, this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD, ‘Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is why I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.’” Jonah possessed a deep understanding of God’s merciful nature, perhaps his only redeeming quality in this narrative. Yet, he failed to internalize this mercy and emulate it.
In conclusion, the LORD we worship is a merciful God, slow to anger. He reveals our wrongs and extends mercy when we repent. We should strive to understand this aspect of God and pray to be transformed into His image, so we, too, can show mercy to His people and His creation, reflecting the divine image in which we were created.
Leave a Reply