the prophet jonah

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4. It’s important to know that the Bible doesn’t claim that the “great fish” was specifically a whale—but even more important to remember that “with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). 1:14). God’s extraordinary capacity to forgive upon true repentance is also fundamental to our understanding.Jonah is not just a prophetic book, as there is only one prophecy recorded (3:4). Most people have heard the story of Jonah and the whale—but did you know that the Bible doesn’t specifically say Jonah was swallowed by a whale? It merely begins with an instruction from God to go to Nineveh and prophesy to its inhabitants. God again commands Jonah to travel to Nineveh and prophesy to its inhabitants. Meet Jonah—the Prodigal Prophet. 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. If the dead One rose, then undoubtedly that dead One must have been the Son of God ( 1 Corinthians 15:14 ). 2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? The Prophets followed the Torah, the five Books of the Law of Moses beginning with Genesis, and preceded the Writings beginning with Psalms and the Wisdom Literature in Hebrew Scripture. The prophet Jonah - יוֹנָה - is mentioned in II Kings 14:25 during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 BC) of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), before the Assyrians under King Shalmaneser conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. The people of Nineveh astonishingly “believe” (Hebrew. 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? This particular fresco is painted above the High Altar, as the person of Jonah is of prophetic significance in Christianity. When God destroyed the plant the next day, Jonah showed resentment and anger. 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Then God calls and gives him a relatively simple task: Go to the city of Nineveh and warn the people they will be destroyed in three days because of their wicked behavior. God’s plan of salvation extends to all people on the earth. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. If they listened to God’s warning—if they repented—then God might spare them, and they would remain a looming threat. Jonah is the fifth of the twelve prophets in the Book of the Twelve in Hebrew Scripture. In response, “God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (3:10). Instead of obeying God, Jonah ran away, boarding a vessel headed for Tarshish. Previously he pastored congregations in southern Africa, including South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. Jonah knew what the Assyrians were capable of doing. (782-753 B.C.) Jesus said that this sign of Jonah would be the proof of His identity as the Messiah. 5 The Ninevites believed God. A “vehement east wind” was “prepared” by God (4:8). The Sistine Chapel is in Vatican Palace, in the Vatican City. 17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. • Chapter 3 - Jonah … This time he goes and enters the city, crying, “In forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown.” After Jonah has walked across Nineveh, the people of Nineveh begin to believe his word and proclaim a fast. 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. When Jonah fled from God’s assignment, the Bible says that “the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. Sometime in Jonah's life, he was directed by God to go the Assyrian capital of Nineveh; it is not known whether or not this took place before Jonah's border prophecy. https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-minor-prophets/jonah * Jonah served as a prophet during the reign of King Jeroboam II of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel. The severe winds and boisterous sea that God sent, then miraculously calmed (Jonah 1:4, 15). The prophet Nahum describes them as lions, tearing and feeding on the nations (Nahum 2:11-13). Find out the Bible’s answer by reading “Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter?”). Much later in the Bible, Jesus told His skeptics, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah and the Call of God. The entire city i… Let everyone call urgently on God. Used by permission of International Bible Society. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: Early Christian tradition compared the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day in the tomb to Jonah's three days in the belly of the whale (Matthew 12:38-41). Maybe God sent a whale to swallow Jonah. The prophet Jonah was sent by God’s command to save Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim upon it” (Jonah 1: 2). The commencement of his ministry—whether that ministry was more stated or more occasional we do not know—seems to have been contemporaneous with the close of Elisha’s. for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. Others have countered that it depends on the species of whale, or have argued it could have been a great fish like a whale shark. First Sign: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invokes Jonah in a twofold way: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt 12:40). It’s easy to decide that just because we can’t see a plausible explanation for how God did something, the Bible must be wrong. But another prophet, Jeremiah, knew the truth: “Ah, Lord GOD! He shuddered to consider the implications if Nineveh actually responded to his message: prolonging the life of a brutal, ruthless and bloodthirsty nation threatening the existence of God’s people. There are similarities between Jonah’s time in the fish and the Christian burial of the “old man” through baptism, followed by the command to “walk in newness of life,” described by the apostle Paul in Romans 6:1-6. Jonah’s prayer is a masterpiece of heartfelt emotion and reaching out to God for mercy and forgiveness. This fifth book of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets contains no oracles and … And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17). Jonah was a disobedient prophet, who ran away rather than perform God's mission. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. (2 Kings 14:25) In this series, we will observe a less obedient side of the prophet Jonah. God used the nation of Assyria as the “rod of [His] anger” (Isaiah 10:5) to take most of the nation of Israel into captivity (as punishment for Israel’s own sins). Jonah’s Anger Jonah was an unhappy prophet. and whence comest thou? We greet you in the name of God, the Lord of peace, who wants everyone to understand and submit to the way of righteousness that He has established, and have true peace with Him forever. Jonah was soon thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish where he remained for “three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:15–17). God’s extraordinary capacity to forgive upon true repentance is also fundamental to our understanding. Jonah was missing the point: God had compassion for all nations, and not only for Israel. It was the offering of poverty for a sin-offering, or a burnt-offering, and also was offered with a lamb at childbirth (Lev. (Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible). He is punished and swallowed by a great fish, but repents and prays, and receives God's abundant mercy, and carries out his mission to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Jonah’s name means “dove”; and his commission, as recorded in the book of Jonah, was to convey a message from God to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh.The book of Jonah gives no indication of his prophetic activity in the land of Israel. God had done exactly what Jonah expected He would do: He spared Nineveh from judgment when the city repented (3:10). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Why did Nineveh believe Jonah and repent? God’s Interest in All People. Rather than obeying God Jonah refused. Note the interesting comparison. 10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. 9 Who knows? God definitely accepts repentance when it is from a contrite (repenting) heart. He was the earliest of the prophets and close behind Elisha in his place in the Old Testament. In this image, Jonah’s descent into the belly of the whale is a sign of the Lord’s descent to Sheol. Never miss a post! The Book of Jonah is a parable of mercy. The fish was guided (“so the LORD spoke to the fish”) to a place where Jonah was spewed out on dry land (2:10). He mistakenly thought he could run away from God. Jonah sat outside the city, waiting to see if God would change His mind and destroy the city anyway. 5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: Why did Jonah disregard God’s command? 14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. The young evangelist Timothy was admonished by the apostle Paul: “And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). It merely begins with an … It is a prayer well worth careful study. Jonah was alive after three days and nights in the fish (1:17). Jonah had spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish; Jesus would spend three days and three nights in the grave (“the heart of the earth”). Such an incident would certainly grab their attention and may explain their willingness to listen to Jonah’s warning message! Get the latest blog posts from Life, Hope & Truth straight to your inbox. 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. The following Scripture is the Authorized King James Version, now in the public domain, and the New International Version of The Holy Bible. I will pay that that I have vowed. 14:3, 22). Jonah, then, is a prophet in development, wavering between closeness and solitude, called to his mission yet feeling unworthy of it; a learning and autodidactic prophet, who lacks faith in himself but does his best. 12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. It is this three days that Jesus was referring to when He spoke of the sign of Jonah. As a minister who teaches the Bible, however, I’ve gone through several stages of puzzlement and wonder at this short book. The prophet Jonah - יוֹנָה - is mentioned in II Kings 14:25 during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 BC) of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), before the Assyrians under King Shalmaneser conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. This inspired document reveals the international interest of God, even in … The Latter Prophets follow Psalms and the Wisdom books in the Greek Septuagint, as well as our Christian Old Testament of the Bible. Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. One of the major themes is the relationship between God and Jonah. King James I commissioned a group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to establish an authoritative translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other translations at the time, and the work was completed in 1611. 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; 15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Instead of going northeast toward Nineveh, Jonah boarded a ship and headed in a westerly direction to Tarshish (a city likely located in modern-day Spain), but was overtaken by a severe storm. He thus embarked on this epic journey from the port of Jaffa to the city, the name of which was changed by its Islamic conquerors to Mosul (الموصل), in today’s Iraq. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” (verses 10-11). The Bible does not tell us, but it’s possible that people from the city witnessed the fish spewing Jonah onto dry land. Chapter 3 is from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Andre van Belkum currently serves as the pastor of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in New Zealand and the Pacific region. By acknowledging the sign of Jonah, Jesus was also acknowledging the authenticity of the book of Jonah. Soon, Jonah found himself in the belly of a “great fish” for three days and three nights. All along, he feared that Nineveh would heed the warning and repent (4:2). 6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. All together the 16 prophets are called the Latter Prophets, as they began writing after the Division of the United Kingdom of Israel. The … 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. He thought he knew better than God when it came to the fate of the Ninevites. If they did, the cruel and merciless nation of Assyria would remain an existential threat to the people of Israel. The sailors cast lots and by a miracle the lot identified Jonah (1:7). The story of Prophet Jonah teaches us to have patience, especially in the face of adversity. 12:6 — in case of poverty, two birds were offered instead of a lamb, as was done in the case of the birth of Jesus — Lev. After the three-day period, the Lord caused the great fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land (Jonah 2:10). Jonah’s Prayer. The Book of Jonah has four chapters: • Chapter 1 - Jonah is running FROM God. God's message came to Jonah, telling him to arise and travel to Nineveh and preach against it. Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. The King and all the people listened to Jonah's warning of punishment and put on sackcloth and ash. The fact of Jonah being an historical person is given in II Kings 14:24-25 when the old rabbis called him, “Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher” (II Kings 14:25; p. 439). From the belly of the fish, Jonah cried out to God for deliverance. The change of heart on the part of the people of Nineveh displeased Jonah. That fear would have been a well-founded one. 5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. We don’t know for sure, but it doesn’t matter. The time of Elijah was long past; his successor, Elisha, had died during the reign of Jeroboam’s father. The amazing power of God was illustrated by these miracles: These events are manifestations of the mighty power of the Creator of the entire universe. Print subscriptions available in U.S., Canada and Europe, Article URL: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/holy-bible/old-testament/the-prophets/minor-prophets/jonah/. Unbelievably, they responded positively and the king proclaimed a fast for both man and beast! [Lesson 53: The Prophet Elijah] [Table of Contents] [Lesson 55: The Prophet Isaiah] Lesson 54. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. God was telling Jonah to take a message of repentance to an empire destined to destroy his own nation and people. Jonah was an unlikely prophet. The Greek word ketos means “a sea-monster, whale, huge fish” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). Out of patriotic zeal for his nation Israel, he fled in the opposite direction. A miraculously fast-growing plant was “prepared” as a shade for Jonah (4:6). If the God who made the heavens and the earth wants to keep someone safe in the belly of a whale or a giant fish for 72 hours, He’s perfectly able to make that happen, regardless of how we think things should work. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. The book exemplifies the miraculous power and supremacy of God over His entire creation. The Prophet Jonah is one of the seven Old Testament prophets painted by the Italian High Renaissance master Michelangelo (c. 1542–1545) on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Jonah was a contemporary of Jeroboam II of Israel. and of what people art thou? He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). By 721 B.C. As part of the biblical canon, Jonah must be studied with primary attention to the theological message” (Old Testament Survey, p. 386). Sign up to receive the week's latest articles, blog posts and updates. SPEAKING generally, the prophet Jonah lived about midway between the revolt of the ten tribes under Jeroboam and their fatal and final captivity by Assyria. Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. God arranged for Jonah to be “vomited … onto dry land” closer to Nineveh. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. God, who “relents from doing harm,” would then spare the city, and this powerful threat to the people of Israel would survive. The passage in 2 Kings xiv.25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion, because it cannot be proved that the victories of Jeroboam belonged to the beginning of his reign. God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish." However, when the Assyrians failed to acknowledge God’s role in their victories, God punished “the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks” (Isaiah 10:12). Jonah was a disobedient prophet, … As the apostle Paul states, God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). 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