The setting is the inner belly of an extremely large fish. It is an inescapable prison soon to be the tomb of an Old Testament prophet named Jonah, unless God graciously and miraculously intervenes (Jonah 1:17). Jonah got himself into this predicament after blatantly and purposefully disobeying the LORD’s call to him to go to Nineveh, the capital city of the emerging evil empire of Assyria, to proclaim to them the LORD’s pending judgment upon them and their nation, and to present His offer of salvation from that judgement. Assyria was infamous for its cruel, barbaric and torturous treatment of the nations it conquered, which would include their conquering some 50 years later of the northern kingdom of Israel.
However, God intended to demonstrate His sovereign grace and the riches of His mercy on behalf of the present generation of Ninevites, and sent Jonah to proclaim God’s intention to save them from his judgement upon their repentance, their turning from their idolatrous and evil ways, and submitting themselves to Him as LORD (Micah 7:18-20) (Ezekiel 18:30-32).
Jonah, however, had other plans. He did not want to see this evil, godless, Gentile nation receive God’s mercy, but the judgement they justly deserved, and ultimately, unapologetically, admits this to God (Jonah 4:1-2).
Jonah, as a prophet anointed by God, would have known and believed God’s self-revelation of his gracious and merciful nature found in Exodus 34:5-9. He would have been the beneficiary of the same in his own salvation from God’s just judgement on his sinful life (Romans 3:23). The LORD typically chose, saved and anointed prophets to warn the people of Israel of God’s judgement on their sin – their covenant unfaithfulness, and to proclaim God’s gracious offer of mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation both to the nation as a whole and to individuals who would repent, turning from their life of sin and obeying God out of faith in His covenant promises (2 Kings 17:13). Jonah, in fulfilling this office of prophet, likely would have seen many whom he preached to in Israel repent and receive God’s mercy and grace, and likely would have rejoiced in God’s salvation of his people, a salvation grounded in the promise of a savior who would appear on the scene 700 years later, Jesus Christ, the LORD (Philippians 3:20) (Isaiah 53:1-12).
In this case, however, God commands Jonah to go to Assyria, a Gentile nation, who like all of the nations and their sinful citizens, exist under the specter of God’s just judgment for their sin and rebellion against Him (Psalm 2:1-3) (Ezekiel 7:3).
Likely motivated by both his hatred and fear of the Assyrians, Jonah defies God’s command and instead he boards a ship that would take him in the opposite direction. In doing so, he comes under God’s disciplinary judgement and ends up being thrown overboard into a raging sea.
He likely expected this to result in his death and based on Jonah 4:3, may even had considered it a more desirable fate then ministering God’s word of grace to the Ninevites and seeing them repent.
Yet God, who is rich in mercy and delights in displaying it, supernaturally provides a means of saving Jonah from physical death and restoring him to the glorious ministry God had called him to (Micah 7:18-19).
We are told that God had prepared a “great fish” to save Jonah from drowning and transport him to Ninevah in its belly (Jonah 1:17). After three days and three nights in what would have been an indescribable unpleasant and harrowing experience, God mercifully brings Jonah out of his suicidal madness and Jonah cries out to God for help, wherein God has the fish “vomit” Jonah up on to dry land (Jonah 2:7-10).
He again is commanded by God to go into Nineveh, and this time Jonah (though reluctantly) obeys (Jonah 3:1-3). And in doing so he is given the privilege of conducting what is likely the greatest and most successful revival or spiritual awakening recorded in human history, as we are told the whole city of 120,000 repented and turned to the LORD, and thus were spared the judgement they deserved (Jonah 3:5-10). (The historical truth of these events is attested to by Jesus in Matthew 12:38-41).
Now I believe that here we need to ask and answer a number of why questions that are relevant to this event and the overriding message of this book. First and foremost is why God would make such an offer to such an evil, cruel and murderous nation? Second, why would such a great and powerful nation, that historically denied and disdained the God of Israel, take the threat of His judgement and the offer of salvation from it seriously, particularly in light of the fact it is being presented to them by a man who would appear to lack anything to commend himself to the Ninevites seriously considering what he had to say.
Using a little sanctified imagination, Jonah, after his ordeal, is likely physically emaciated, with seaweed in his hair. His clothing is disheveled and “stinketh” after having spent three days in the belly of a great fish. His skin is likely splotchy and discolored, having been exposed to the gastric juices of the fish throughout that time.
And if the Ninevites had been true to their prideful, sinful and cruel nature and history, they would have laughed him to scorn, made torturous sport of him, cutting out his tongue for his threats and foolish speculations, plucking out his eyeballs and hanging him upside down in the desert sun until he died, or worse. But they didn’t.
With very little fanfare, Jonah walks through the city unopposed, announcing God’s pending judgement and calling out to the Ninevites to repent, to turn from their evil ways and submit to the LORD. And without any apparent questioning or opposition, they believe him. From their king to the lowest peasant, they were convinced that Jonah was speaking for the one true God, and thus they all repent. And in giving observable evidence that their repentance was sincere, they are saved from God’s just and righteous judgement for their sin (Jonah 3:6-10).
WHY? How is such a miraculous event possible? Because as Jonah proclaims in Jonah 2:9, as do many other scriptures (Psalm 3:8) (Isaiah 12:2) (Exodus 15:2) (Romans 10:13):
“Salvation is of the LORD”
And it is this infinitely glorious truth I will look at in my next post.
Grace and Peace x