Background: The Assyrian pagans, traditional enemies of Israel, were the dominant power in the Middle East between the years 885 and 665 B.C. Several Old Testament stories describe their outrages against Israel and Judah, peoples whom they sacked and led into captivity. Assyrian power had weakened in Jonah's times, and that allowed Jeroboam II to reclaim areas of Palestine from Hamat to the Dead Sea, as Jonah prophesied (II Ki. 14:25).
Author and Date: The questions of the author and date are intimately related in the case of Jonah. If he wrote the book, than it would obviously have to be dated during the reign of Jeroboam II, at the beginning of the 8th century, approximately between 793-753 B.C. If its author was an anonymous narrator, it could have occurred in any moment later than the incident described here.
Among those who hold to the authorship of another person (usually called the narrator), some date the book at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 7th century, based on dates of the pre-exilic kingdom of Jeroboam II. Others prefer an date after the exile and the destruction of Nineveh in 612 B.C, as late as the 3rd century B.C. This supposition is based on 3:3, where it says that Nineveh was a great city. Those who endorse the thesis of a date prior to the exile, allege that perhaps it deals with a literary expression used to relate the story, or that Nineveh still existed, even though it couldn't be called a great city.
Jonah: As II Kings 14:25 indicates, Jonah was the son of Amittai and a native of Gath-hepher, a town situated 5 km northeast of Nazareth, inside the tribal frontiers of Zebulun. Having prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, and as Amos' immediate predecessor, Jonah assumed the attitude of a radical nationalist, totally aware of the desolation that the Assyrians had occasioned on Israel through the years. Jonah found it difficult to accept the fact that GOD would be merciful with Nineveh of Assyria, when its inhabitants deserved a severe judgment.
He was the first prophet sent to preach among the Gentiles. Elijah was commanded to live in Zare-phath for a time (I Ki. 17:8-10), and Elisha traveled to Damascus (II Ki. 8:7), but only Jonah was sent to directly preach a message of repentance and mercy to a Gentile city. His refusal is explained because he wanted, not the salvation of Nineveh, but to be a witness to its decline. He also feared that GOD would show mercy, giving the Assyrians the opportunity to disturb the life of Israel.
The name "Jonah" means "dove". He is described as someone energetic, irritable, angry, violent and narrow-minded. Politically, Jonah obviously loved Israel and was a passionate patriot. From the religious point-of-view, he was a man who feared the LORD, whom he recognized as GOD of heaven and Creator of the earth and the seas. But his initial disobedience, his later turn-around when he obeyed, and his anger for the fullness of the mercy shown to the Ninevites, reveal obvious inconsistencies in the application of his faith. The story ends without Jonah's response to GOD's lesson and exhortation being indicated.
Purpose: This book was written to show that GOD loves all peoples and wants to offer them his mercy if they repent. It has been called the most excellent missionary book of the Old Testament. GOD declared at that moment that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12:3). The Scriptures reveal that Israel became a very exclusivist and nationalistic people, and refused to fulfill that mission. Jonah was very much imbued with these same selfish feelings. The love of GOD toward all persons was dramatically revealed to the prophet, when the LORD answered the prayers of the Gentile mariners and responded to the repentance of the inhabitants of Nineveh. The lesson of the plant, the worm and the east wind, serve to amplify and confirm the message later.
Content: Although located in the canon among the prophetic books, Jonah is distinguished from them in that its message doesn't contain any prophecy; the story is its message. That history has to do with one of the most profound theological concepts that appears in the Old Testament. GOD loves all people and wants to pour out his mercy and forgiveness on them. Israel had received the charge of transmitting that message, but for some reason didn't grasp its importance. That error led eventually to an extreme religious pride. In Jonah is discovered the seed of the New Testament Phariseeism.
The prophet Jonah is called to rise and go to Nineveh, city of the feared and hated Assyrians, located 1,280 km to the east. His message consisted of a calling to repentance and a promise of mercy in case its inhabitants responded positively. Jonah knew that if GOD saved Nineveh this city would again be in the position to assault and sack Israel. This patriotic-nationalistic feeling and his lack of interest because merciful treatment was offered to a people who weren't part of the covenant, impelled Jonah to flee Jerusalem and "the presence of Jehovah". Undoubtedly, he hoped the Spirit of the prophecy wouldn't follow him. Jonah was disgusted, and to a certain point convinced, that a voyage to Tarsus would relieve him of the mission with which GOD had entrusted him.
The voyage to Tarsus immediately served to demonstrate that the presence and power of Jehovah wasn't confined to Palestine. GOD sent a storm to batter the boat and created a situation that placed Jonah face to face with his missionary calling. After verifying that Jonah and his GOD were responsible for the calamity of the storm, and after exhausting all other alternatives, the sailors threw Jonah overboard. Undoubtedly, Jonah as well as the mariners believed that this would end his earthly existence, but GOD had prepared things so that a great fish swallowed Jonah, and three days and three nights later, the fish deposited him on the coast.
Once again GOD instructs Jonah to get up and go to Nineveh, in order to proclaim his message of salvation there. This time the prophet accepts the journey reluctantly, and proclaims GOD's message reluctantly. To his surprise, the Ninevites, from the common people to the king, respond positively, and declare their repentance through a ceremonial fast, sackcloth and ashes. Even the animals are obliged to participate in the demonstrations of collective humility.
Jonah's heart still hasn't changed; he reacts with anger and confusion. Why would GOD have mercy on a people who had troubled Israel? Perhaps hoping that the repentance wasn't genuine, or that GOD would decide otherwise, Jonah constructed a shelter on a hill east of the city, from which he could contemplate all that would happen there.
GOD took advantage of the situation to teach Jonah a valuable lesson. He prepared a plant so that it would grow during the night and would shade Jonah's head in the morning. The prophet rejoiced in his good luck. Then GOD prepared a worm to cut the root of the plant and it dried up. GOD continued making each moment in Jonah's situation less comfortable, by fostering a strong east wind to afflict his already dry body. Jonah lamented the death of the gourd and communicated his displeasure to GOD. GOD responded, showing him the inconsistency of caring for a plant, while he considered completely irrelevant the lot of the tens of thousands of human beings who lived in Nineveh, whom GOD loved, in spite of the fact that they didn't know him.
Theological Contribution: (IBD) One of the great truths emphasized by this book is that GOD can use people who do not want to be used by Him. Jonah was practically driven to Nineveh against his will, but his grudging message still struck a responsive chord in the Assyrians. This shows that revival and repentance are works of GOD's Spirit. Our task is to proclaim His message.
But the greatest insight of the book is that GOD desires to show mercy and grace to all the peoples of the world. No one nation or group can claim exclusive rights to His love. The task of the nation of Israel was to preach this message about GOD's universal love to all the world (Gen. 12:1-3). But they forgot this missionary purpose and eventually claimed GOD and His blessings as theirs alone. The Book of Jonah cries out against this narrow-minded interpretation of GOD and His purpose. In the last verse of the book, GOD makes it plain to Jonah that His mercy and compassion is as wide as the world itself: "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 also much livestock?" (4:11).
Special Considerations: (IBD) Too much attention has been focused on the "great fish" (1:17) that swallowed Jonah and then spat him out on the shore. We solve nothing by debating whether a fish could swallow a man or whether a person could remain alive for three days in the stomach of such a creature. The point of this part of the story is that GOD worked a miracle to preserve the life of His prophet so he could get to Nineveh to carry out GOD's orders. The text states that GOD "prepared" this fish specifically for that purpose (1:17). Other miracles that GOD "prepared" to teach Jonah His purpose for the city of Nineveh were the plant (4:6), the worm that cut the plant down (4:7), and the hot east wind that added to Jonah's misery (4:8).
Some Bible readers insist on interpreting this book as an allegory or a parable. But these approaches ignore Jesus' own literal interpretation of Jonah. In speaking of His death and resurrection, Jesus declared, "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" (Matt. 12:40; also Luke 11:29-32). Thus, the Book of Jonah is much more than a fish story. It is a beautiful account of GOD's grace that lifts our sights to the greatest love story of all - the death of His Son Jesus Christ for the sins of the world.
Personal Application: The story of Jonah says much about GOD's heart and the mission of the chosen people. GOD wants to show his mercy and extend his forgiveness to all the peoples of the earth. The LORD has entrusted this ministry of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18,19) to the Church. Thus as Israel was commissioned to reveal GOD to the world (Gen. 12:3), the Church has been commissioned to preach the gospel to all the world (Matt. 28:18-20). When the Church assumes the exclusivist attitude exhibited by Jonah and Israel, if fails in its fulfillment of its task. But when it takes seriously GOD's mandate to rise up and go throughout the world, those who hear the Word and respond positively experience the power of the mercy of GOD's forgiveness to change lives and modify the cultural environment.
Christ Revealed: The Word of GOD to Jonah in 4:10,11 finds its parallel in the words of Jesus in John 3:16. GOD in concerned for all the inhabitants of the earth. It's true that Christ is united by a special link to those who form part of his body, the Church, but his love for all the world was dramatically demonstrated when he died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. John the Baptist recognized the universality of this love when he lifted up his voice to say: "Behold the Lamb of GOD, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The love of GOD for all men, as he demonstrated to Jonah, became fully evidenced in Jesus Christ, who declared that the day would come when his chosen from the north, the east, the south and the west would congregate (Matt. 24:31).
The Holy Spirit in Action: The Spirit of GOD inspired Jonas to prophesy that Israel would recover its land and belongings. That happened under the leadership of Jeroboam II (II Ki. 14:25). When the Spirit instructed Jonah to march to Nineveh and prophesy there, the prophet rejected GOD's petition. But the Spirit of GOD didn't stop working, but continued intervening in Jonah's life and inducing him to comply with GOD's will. When Jonah yielded, the Spirit worked in the hearts of the inhabitants of Nineveh, and they responded to the message of judgment. When Jonah refused to accept the divine work, the Spirit showed him the contrast between his concern for the plant that gave him shade and his indifference toward the inhabitants of "that great city" (4:11).
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