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Jonah 1
The story of Jonah is one of the best known of Bible narratives. It grips our imagination, for Jonah's being swallowed by a great fish is an incredible and unforgettable event. But the book of Jonah is not really about a great fish; rather its focus is a great and gracious God.
Jonah was a prophet of the Lord who lived in northern Israel in 8thC BC. He had enjoyed previous prophetic success (2 Kings 14:25), but when the word of the Lord comes to him on this occasion (v1), instructing him to get up and go to the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, Jonah's response is to get up and go in the completely opposite direction - God says to Jonah "Go east" and Jonah goes west. Jonah deliberately runs away from the call and the commission of God. He will soon discover that flight from God is both foolish and futile.
Jonah goes down to the port of Joppa, beginning a downward slide that will take him ultimately to the depths of the sea. In Joppa, he finds a ship bound for Tarshish and he goes down into it (v3). He then goes down below deck (v5), where he falls into a deep sleep. To any observer, Jonah appears a man at peace with himself, giving no indication of a troubled conscience.
But the Lord is in pursuit. He hurls a great wind towards the sea causing a fierce storm, which is so violent that the ship is in danger of breaking up. Even the seasoned sailors are afraid, and in desperation they cry out to their gods & throw the cargo overboard in an effort to lighten the ship (v5). Meanwhile, Jonah is oblivious to the drama unfolding above his head and all around him. He is insensitive to the raging storm, and is unconscious of the danger he is in. There is a parallel here with his spiritual state - Jonah has willfully disobeyed the urgent and direct call of God and his rebellious refusal to heed the Lord has put him in a perilous state, for now he faces the wrath of God. His only escape (as we shall see in Chapter 2) will be via the path of humble repentance.
Are you like Jonah? Perhaps you've heard the clear and urgent call of God; the word of the Lord has come plainly to you, but you're on the run - a fugitive from God's call and His claim upon you. Like Jonah, you don't seem to appreciate the peril you are in; you've closed your ears to the voice of God, and silenced your own conscience. Metaphorically, you're asleep in the midst of a storm, facing God's wrath. Like Jonah, the only escape will be via the path of humble repentance.
Or perhaps you are like the pagan sailors? You're conscious of danger and aware of the threat of death. You realise that the circumstances of life are like a violent storm that is raging around you, and you feel insecure, scared, hopeless, and helpless. You don't know what to do, but are frantically throwing things overboard and crying out for help. But who should you call upon to rescue you? You don't know but you're willing to try anything.
Jonah is woken from his deep sleep by the ship's captain (v6). He hears a voice that echoes the initial call of God. The Lord had said to Jonah "Get up…and cry out against Nineveh" (v1). Now the captain calls on Jonah to get up and cry out to his god, in the hope that he might take notice, so that they will not perish (v6). There is irony here, for Jonah had boarded the ship hoping that God wouldn't notice him and that he might escape God's attention.
The sailors cast a lot and there is no escape for Jonah, for it falls on him (v7). Jonah is immediately bombarded by questions. In response, he identifies himself ("I am a Hebrew") and he identifies his God ("I fear (worship) YHWH"), using God's personal name, and explaining that YHWH is the God of heaven and earth (both sea and land).
The sailors are terrified - literally the Hebrew says that they feared a great fear. The storm gets more severe (v11) and the sailors cry out in desperation, "What shall we do?" Jonah tells them to hurl him into the sea and it will become calm (v12).
The sailors hesitate to do as Jonah asks for they don't want to be held accountable for his death. They attempt unsuccessfully to row for the shore (v14) before reluctantly hurling Jonah overboard. The raging sea immediately grows calm (v15). The sailors profess faith in YHWH, offering sacrifices and making vows to Him (v16).
Up to this point, Jonah is acting in accord with a theology that is focused on justice, and not on grace. His rejection of the Lord's call and his resigned acceptance in being thrown into the sea both result from his desire to have justice applied - in the first instance to the immoral, idolatrous inhabitants of Nineveh, and in the second instance to himself for his rebellion. Jonah leaves no room in his thinking for God's mercy and God's grace. Jonah has to learn that God will yet grab hold of rebels such as he, and act towards them in ways they don't deserve.
The coming of Jesus Christ most clearly demonstrates that strict justice is not God's way - His love drives Him beyond strict justice. For the death of Jesus shows that God maintains and upholds justice, whilst at the same time He shows undeserving love (grace) towards those whose attitudes and actions warrant His wrath. This is the lesson Jonah would have to have impressed upon him before he would be ready to proclaim it to others.
In Chapter 1, Jonah is not an example to emulate, but is rather a warning of what to avoid. Don't be like Jonah - hopelessly running from God, rejecting God's call and commission, unwilling to serve Him, inactive and unconcerned about the plight of others, and wanting God to act only in strict justice.
We leave Jonah in v16 still going down; he's about to hit rock bottom, but then God will prove that He is a God who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love as He rescues Jonah from death.
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