Tag: Jonah

Biblical People: Jonah (1)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 23, 2022

Jonah is the best known of the Bible’s so-called minor prophets. He runs away from God and spends three days in the belly of a large fish. There he has plenty of time to think about his disobedience to God.

When the fish spits him onto the shore, God speaks to Jonah again. “Go to Nineveh. Once you arrive, I’ll give you a message for the people.”

This time Jonah obeys, but he doesn’t have a good attitude.

We don’t know if Jonah says exactly what God tells him to or if he paraphrases it to fit his lack of interest. But what he says is both succinct and blunt. “In forty days, Nineveh will be destroyed.”

He doesn’t provide correction or offer a hopeful alternative. He states the outcome as fact, providing no instruction for the people to repent. We may wonder how much Jonah cares about the people he preaches to. Or if he even wants them to repent.

He doesn’t.

We later learn that Jonah longs to see the destruction of Nineveh. This is because Nineveh is the capital (or principal city) of Assyria, a longtime enemy of Judah and Israel. Surely Jonah and all his people would have cheered to see Assyria fall. They would see this as God’s vindication, rescuing them from their adversaries.

It’s no wonder Jonah puts little effort into his message.

Despite this, the people of Nineveh believe God will do as Jonah said. They fast. They humble themselves in the hope God may relent and offer them compassion.

Forty days come and forty days go, with Nineveh avoiding the destruction God had planned.

Yet Jonah isn’t pleased that the people of Nineveh responded to his message and lived. Instead, our story ends with him complaining to God about his grace. This is the last we hear of Jonah.

When God tells us to do something, do we obey or run away? When we obey God’s instructions, do we have a good attitude?

[Read Jonah’s story in the book of Jonah. Discover more in Luke 11:29–32.]

Learn more about Jonah in the devotional Bible study Return to Me: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope from the Minor Prophets.

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Tags Biblical Characters, Jonah, Old Testament Sinners and Saints

Books of the Bible

Jonah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The prophet Jonah is perhaps the most familiar character in the Old Testament. But beyond the bit about being swallowed by a large fish, it’s largely misunderstood.

It is a story of Jonah, a wayward prophet, who in his disobedience is given a wakeup call inside a large fish. Eventually, he reluctantly does what he has been told to do – only to become angry at God’s mercy when the people believe and respond to his message.

The fact that God can accomplish things despite obstinate and uncooperative followers is a comforting conclusion to this engaging book.

Jonah is sometimes called a minor prophet. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t important, but merely that the book named after him is shorter. (Compare this to the major prophets, whose books are much longer.)

Dig into the intriguing lives and ministries of the Bible’s twelve minor prophets in Peter DeHaan’s book Dear Theophilus, Minor Prophets: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope.

Tags Jonah, minor prophet

Bible

Posts about the Minor Prophets

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 27, 2010

For the past several months, most of the A Bible A Day posts have been about the minor prophets. Recall that they are called “minor” not because their prophecy is insignificant, but because their books are short!

Though more posts may be added in the future, there are no more planned at this time. See all posts about the Minor Prophets, or look at specific ones:

Read more about the Minor Prophets on ABibleADay.com.

Tags Amos, Habakkuk, Haggai, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Malachi, Micah, minor prophet, Nahum, Obadiah, Zechariah, Zephaniah

Bible

God’s Sovereignty At Work

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 11, 2010

In the story of Jonah, we see God’s sovereignty at work, with God exercising control over nature. Here’s what God does:

He sends a wind [Jonah 1:4]
He calms the sea [Jonah 1:15]
He provides a fish to shallow Jonah [Jonah 1:17]
He commands the fish to deposit Jonah on dry land [Jonah 2:10]
He makes a vine grow to give shade to Jonah [Jonah 4:6]
He causes a worm to chew the vine and kill it [Jonah 4:7]

Furthermore, God’s sovereignty allows him to show mercy towards the people of Nineveh and not destroy them as he had originally planned.

However, God does not exercise control over Jonah, allowing him to do what he wants, when he chooses,and how pleases. Jonah has free will — and God does not interfere with that even though Jonah’s choices cause him a lot of grief.

God gives Jonah the freedom to mess up — or to do what is right. That’s how God rolls.

Tags free will, Jonah, mercy, sovereign

Bible

Jonah and the Big Fish

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 9, 2010

You likely know the story of Jonah:

He tries to run from God
Spends a 3-day “time out” in a fish
Is given a second chance
Then does what God commands, albeit with a bad attitude

He proclaims, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”

Eight concise and direct words. He doesn’t use persuasive language, doesn’t implore the people to act, and doesn’t show any compassion or concern. He is blunt and to the point. Technically, he does what God tells him to do, but his heart isn’t in it.

Amazingly, the people get his message, are convicted, and repent. So God lovingly relents and calls the whole thing off — and Jonah gets pissed.

Jonah even picks a good seat to watch the destruction take place — and then pouts when God gives Nineveh a reprieve.

Essentially, Jonah reluctantly preaches a bad sermon and then gets mad because it’s successful.

Despite all that, God is able to use him anyway. How encouraging!

Tags Jonah

Bible

Fasting for the Right Reasons

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 5, 2009

Although many people ignore its practice, fasting is demonstrated in the Bible and is an encouraged practice. (See the blog entry, “When You Fast…”.)

However, fasting rightly requires fasting for the right reasons. Here are some of them:

To humble ourselves before God (Ezra 8:21).
To prepare for spiritual battle (Matthew 4:1-2).
To ready ourselves to hear God (Acts 13:2-3).
To seek God’s mercy (Matthew 4:1-2).
When praying for others (Daniel 9:3).
When seeking God’s guidance (Ezra 8:21).
When mourning death or loss (2 Samuel 1:12).
To repent from sins (Jonah 3:5).

Wrong reasons for fasting includes to earn God’s attention or favor, out of a sense of duty and obligation, or to gain the respect of others.

Tags Daniel, fasting, Jonah, mercy, prayer