JONAH
The Minor Prophets:
Jonah 1
JONAH was the son of Amittai, of Gath-hepher in Zebulun (called Gittah-hepher in Joshua 19:10-13 of the ten tribes, not to Judah. His date (760 BC)is to be gathered from 2 Kings 14:25-27. He lived before the northern tribes were “lost”. Jonah-meaning in Hebrew, "dove." Compare Ge 8:8, 9, where the dove in vain seeks rest after flying from Noah and the ark. Tradition that places the tomb of Jonah opposite to Mosul, and names it "Nebbi Junus" (that is, "prophet Jonah"), originated probably in the spot having been occupied by a Christian church or convent dedicated to him [Layard]. A more ancient tradition of Jerome's time placed the tomb in Jonah's native village of Gath-hepher. The book is prose narrative throughout, except the prayer of thanksgiving in the second chapter (Jon 2:1-9). Nineveh in particular was chosen to teach Israel these lessons, on account of its being capital of the then world kingdom, and because it was now beginning to make its power felt by Israel.
1 The word of the LORD(Jesus) came to Jonah, son of Amittai. He said:
2 "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce to the people that I can no longer overlook the wicked things they have done."
The only case of a prophet being sent to the heathen. Jonah, however, is sent to Nineveh, not solely for Nineveh's good, but also to shame Israel, by the fact of a heathen city repenting at the first preaching of a single stranger, Jonah, whereas God's people will not repent, though preached to by their many national prophets, late and early.
3 Jonah immediately tried to run away from the LORD(Jesus) by fleeing to Tarshish. He went to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid for the trip and went on board. He wanted to go to Tarshish to get away from the LORD(Jesus).
Tarshish (British Isles - Spain)
4 The LORD(Jesus) sent a violent hurricane over the sea. The storm was so powerful that the ship was in danger of breaking up {and sinking}.
5 The sailors were terrified, and they cried to their gods(Elohim-Theos) for help. They began to throw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship's load. Now, Jonah had gone below deck and was lying there sound asleep.
6 The captain of the ship came to him and asked, "How can you sleep? Get up, and pray to your God(Elohim-Theos). Maybe he will notice us, and we won't die."
7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Let's throw dice to find out who is responsible for bringing this disaster on us." So they threw dice, and the dice indicated that Jonah was responsible.
Cast lots- a reference to Christ tortured by the soldiers
8 They asked him, "Tell us, What have you done to bring this awful storm down on us? What do you do for a living? Where do you come from? What country are you from? What nationality are you?"
9 Jonah answered them, "I'm a Hebrew. I worship the LORD(Jesus), the God of heaven. He is the God who made the sea and the land."
10 Then the men were terrified. They knew that he was running away from the LORD(Jesus), because he had told them. They asked Jonah, "Why have you done this?"
11 The storm was getting worse. So they asked Jonah, "What should we do with you to calm the sea?"
12 He told them, "Throw me overboard. Then the sea will become calm. I know that I'm responsible for this violent storm."
Herein Jonah is a type of Messiah, the one man who offered Himself to die, in order to allay the stormy flood of God's wrath (compare Psalms 69:1 Psalms 69:2 , as to Messiah).
13 Instead, the men tried to row harder to get the ship back to shore, but they couldn't do it. The storm was getting worse.
14 So they cried to the LORD(Jesus) for help: "Please, LORD(Jesus), don't let us die for taking this man's life. Don't hold us responsible for the death of an innocent man, because you, LORD(Jesus), do whatever you want."
In the case of the Antitype, Pontius Pilate washed his hands and confessed Christ's innocence, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person." But whereas Jonah the victim was guilty and the sailors innocent, Christ our sacrificial victim was innocent and Pontius Pilate and nil of us men were guilty. But by imputation of our guilt to Him and His righteousness to us, the spotless Antitype exactly corresponds to the guilty type. (Jamieson)
15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the sea became calm.
16 The men were terrified of the LORD(Jesus). They offered sacrifices and made vows to the LORD(Jesus).
17 The LORD(Jesus) sent a big fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
not created specially for this purpose, but appointed in His providence, to which all creatures are subservient. The fish, through a mistranslation of Matthew 12:40 , was formerly supposed to be a whale; there, as here, the original means "a great fish." The whale's neck is too narrow to receive a man. BOCHART thinks, the dog-fish, the stomach of which is so large that the body of a man in armor was once found in it [Hierozoicon, 2.5.12]. Others, the shark [JEBB]. The cavity in the whale's throat, large enough, according to CAPTAIN SCORESBY, to hold a ship's jolly boat full of men. A miracle in any view is needed, and we have no data to speculate further. A "sign" or miracle it is expressly called by our Lord in Matthew 12:39 . Respiration in such a position could only be by miracle. The miraculous interposition was not without a sufficient reason; it was calculated to affect not only Jonah, but also Nineveh and Israel. The life of a prophet was often marked by experiences which made him, through sympathy, best suited for discharging the prophetical function to his hearers and his people. The infinite resources of God in mercy as well as judgment are prefigured in the devourer being transformed into Jonah's preserver. Jonah's condition under punishment, shut out from the outer world, was rendered as much as possible the emblem of death, a present type to Nineveh and Israel, of the death in sin, as his deliverance was of the spiritual resurrection on repentance; as also, a future type of Jesus' literal death for sin, and resurrection by the Spirit of God.
Three days and nights: Jesus' proof that his death would be a full 72 hours! Also notice, the day comes before the night here! So it is three FULL days that ends before dawn. Christ rose sometimes BEFORE dawn on the Sabbath day!
Jonah 2
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD(Jesus) his God out of the fish's belly,
2 And said , I cried out to the LORD(Jesus) in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the grave(sheol), and LORD(Jesus), you heard me!
3 You threw me into the deep, into the depths of the sea, and water surrounded me. All the whitecaps on your waves have swept over me.
5 "I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed in around me, and seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
6 I sank to the foot of the mountains. I sank to the bottom, where bars held me forever. But you brought me back from corruption{decay} , O LORD(Jesus), my God.
Jesus also did not see corruption of his body Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:27 & 13:35
7 "As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD(Jesus). My prayer came to You in Your Holy Temple.
9 But I will sacrifice to you with songs of thanksgiving. I will keep my vow. Victory belongs to the LORD(Jesus)!"
Jonah 3
1 And the word of the LORD (Jesus) came again to Jonah a second time. He said:
2 "Leave at once for the important city, Nineveh. Announce to the people the message I have given you."
3 Jonah immediately went to Nineveh as the LORD (Jesus) told him. Nineveh was a very large city. It took three days to walk through it.
4 Jonah entered the city and walked for about a day. Then he said, "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed."
5 The people of Nineveh believed God. They decided to fast, and everyone, from the most important to the least important, dressed in sackcloth.
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 Then he made this announcement and sent it throughout the city: "This is an order from the king and his nobles: No one is to eat or drink anything. This includes all people, animals, cattle, and sheep.
8 Every person and animal must put on sackcloth. Cry loudly to God for help. Turn from your wicked ways and your acts of violence.
9 Who knows? God may reconsider his plans and turn from his burning anger so that we won't die."
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did not do it.
There was a wonder of Divine grace in the repentance and reformation of Nineveh. It condemns the men of the gospel generation, Mt 12:41. A very small degree of light may convince men that humbling themselves before God, confessing their sins with prayer, and turning from sin, are means of escaping wrath and obtaining mercy. The people followed the example of the king. It became a national act, and it was necessary it should be so, when it was to prevent a national ruin. Let even the brute creatures' cries and moans for want of food remind their owners to cry to God. In prayer we must cry mightily, with fixedness of thought, firmness of faith, and devout affections. It concerns us in prayer to stir up all that is within us. It is not enough to fast for sin, but we must fast from sin; and, in order to the success of our prayers, we must no more regard iniquity in our hearts, Ps 66:18. The work of a fast-day is not done with the day. The Ninevites hoped that God would turn from his fierce anger; and that thus their ruin would be prevented. They could not be so confident of finding mercy upon their repentance, as we may be, who have the death and merits of Christ, to which we may trust for pardon upon repentance. They dared not presume, but they did not despair. Hope of mercy is the great encouragement to repentance and reformation. Let us boldly cast ourselves down at the footstool of free grace, and God will look upon us with compassion. God sees who turn from their evil ways, and who do not. Thus he spared Nineveh. We read of no sacrifices offered to God to make atonement for sin; but a broken and a contrite heart, such as the Ninevites then had, he will not despise.
Jonah 4
1 Jonah was very upset by this change of plans, and he became angry.
2 So he prayed{complained} to the LORD (Jesus), "LORD (Jesus), isn't this what I said would happen when I was still in my own country? That's why I tried to run to Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, patient, and always ready to forgive and to reconsider your threats of destruction.
3 So now, LORD (Jesus), take my life. I'd rather be dead than alive."
4 The LORD (Jesus) asked, "What right do you have to be angry?"
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made himself a shelter there. He sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.
6 The LORD (Jesus) God made a plant grow up beside Jonah to give him shade and make him more comfortable. Jonah was very happy with the plant.
7 At dawn the next day, God sent a worm to attack the plant so that it withered.
8 When the sun rose, God made a hot east wind blow. The sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he was about to faint. He wanted to die. So he said, "I'd rather be dead than alive."
9 Then God asked Jonah, "What right do you have to be angry over this plant?" Jonah answered, "I have every right to be angry--so angry that I want to die."
10 The LORD (Jesus) replied, "This plant grew up overnight and died overnight. You didn't plant it or make it grow. Yet, you feel sorry for this plant.
11 Shouldn't I feel sorry for this important city, Nineveh? It has more than 120,000 people in it as well as many animals. These people couldn't tell their right hand from their left."
The main lesson of the book. If Jonah so pities a plant which cost him no toil to rear, and which is so short lived and valueless, much more must Jehovah pity those hundreds of thousands of immortal men and women in great Nineveh whom He has made with such a display of creative power, especially when many of them repent, and seeing that, if all in it were destroyed, "more than six score thousand" of unoffending children, besides "much cattle," would be involved in the common destruction: Compare the same argument drawn from God's justice and mercy in Genesis 18:23-33 . A similar illustration from the insignificance of a plant, which "to-day is and to-morrow is cast into the oven," and which, nevertheless, is clothed by God with surpassing beauty, is given by Christ to prove that God will care for the infinitely more precious bodies and souls of men who are to live for ever ( Matthew 6:28-30 ). One soul is of more value than the whole world; surely, then, one soul is of more value than many gourds. (Jamieson)
