God Sent Jonah to Nineveh

Jonah 1-4

"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you..." Jonah 2:7a

God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach to the people there because of their wickedness.  Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh.  It was in Assyria, and the Assyrians were enemies of the Israelites.  Jonah didn't want to warn the Assyrians about their evil ways.  He was afraid they might repent, and God might forgive them, and Jonah wanted God to punish them.  Have you ever felt like that about your enemies--hoping something bad would happen to them?  Thinking that they deserve punishment--they've got it coming to them they deserve it, and the sooner the better, give it to them, God?  You surely wouldn't want them to repent of their wrong behavior and be forgiven, would you?

Jonah tried to run away from God, but God is everywhere.  There is nowhere we can go to escape Him.  Jonah boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, which was in the opposite direction from Nineveh.

A fierce storm arose at sea, and the sailors were afraid the ship would be destroyed.  They decided to cast lots, like drawing straws to see who gets the shortest straw.  They were trying to determine who was the cause of this storm.  The lot fell on Jonah.  He had already told them he was running away from God.  Now they asked him what they must do to make the sea calm down.  Jonah 1:12 gives us his answer,  "'Pick me up and throw me into the sea,' he replied, 'and it will become calm.  I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.'"

The sailors didn't want to throw Jonah overboard, and they tried their hardest to row to shore, but to no avail.  In fact, the storm grew even worse.  Finally they threw Jonah overboard, and the stormy sea became calm.

You would expect Jonah to drown, but God had prepared a great fish which swallowed Jonah.  Jonah was in the belly of this fish for three days and three nights. Imagine how dark and smelly and frightening that must have been.

Jonah did what I think many of us would have done in such a situation.  He prayed, and he promised to obey God.  He said he would go to Nineveh and preach.  Then God caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah went to Nineveh and told the people there that the city would be overthrown in forty days.  The people believed the message that God had sent, and they fasted and repented.  When God saw that they had turned from their wicked ways, He relented and did not destroy them.  You would think that Jonah would be happy that they had repented and God had forgiven them.  But Jonah was very angry instead.  He said he tried to keep this from happening by fleeing to Tarshish.  Listen to God's attributes that the sullen prophet criticized.  He said ,  "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."  Jonah 4:2b  Can you believe that Jonah was so mad at God for forgiving these people that he wanted to die? What a contrast with those in heaven who rejoice at the salvation of every sinner!

Jonah left the city and sat down on the outskirts.  God made a leafy plant grow up and give him shade.  Jonah was happy to have the plant, but the next morning God sent a worm to chew the plant so that it died.  God told His sulking prophet that, if Jonah was concerned about this plant, shouldn't God be concerned about the more than one hundred twenty thousand people in Nineveh?

How often do we major on the minor things of life, like our comfort, rather than having concern and compassion for sinners who need to hear the message of God's love and forgiveness?

Father, give us hearts of compassion for those who need to repent and turn to You.  May we be available to help send out the message that You are a gracious, loving, compassionate God Who forgives.  Amen.