THE MINOR PROPHET CHALLENGE The Prophecy of Jonah INTRODUCTION TO JONAH All introductory material has been excerpted from The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible published by Zondervan Publishing. We highly recommend it for your personal study library. Author The author of this narrative is unknown. This fifth book of the Minor Prophets takes its name from its principal character. Jonah, son of Amittai (1:1). Nothing is known of Amittai. Outside of this composition Jonah is mentioned only in 2 Kings, where he is described as the prophet who proclaimed God s blessing to the northern kingdom during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 B.C.). This monarch extended the borders of his kingdom at the expense of Syria in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher (2Ki. 14:25). Time and Place of Writing Date: 750-613 B.C. The reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 B.C.) provides the setting for the Jonah story. This monarch was one of the strong military leaders of Israel s history. According to 2 Kings 14:25-28 Jonah supported Jeroboam by prophesying blessings on Jeroboam s kingdom, specifically the expansion of Israel s territory into Damascus and Hamath, thereby restoring Israel s northern boundary to the place it had been in the days of Solomon (1Ki. 8:65). It is clear that Jeroboam s reign, together with that of his Judahite contempory Uzziah (783-742 B.C.), ushered in a period of remarkable peace and prosperity. The kingdom enjoyed population and territorial expansion, commercial growth and flourishing industrial activity. By all outward appearances the nation was enjoying the blessing of God. The future looked bright. In this historical context resisted God s call to Nineveh. He obeyed reluctantly after experiencing God s judgment and eventually learned God s outlook on the value of the Ninevites. The God of Israel intended to spread his kingdom to all nations. Yet given the unique relationship between the Lord and his covenant people, Jonah and many of his countrymen were held in grip of intense nationalism and ethnic particularism, which blinded them to the purpose of Israel s election. Through Jonah God offered Jeroboam the blessing of military victory in retaking lost portions of God s kingdom, including Syria (2Ki. 14:25-28). The events recorded in this book, however, show that Jonah also learned the importance of repenting of his disobedience and extending the mercy of God to other nations. The readers of this narrative were to learn from Jonah s experience that they were to repent of their own disobedience and help bring God s blessings to all nations (Ge. 12:3). Purpose To encourage the Israelites to embrace God s call to extend his mercy to the nations. Finding Christ in Jonah Jesus drew a connection between himself and the sign of (the prophet) Jonah (Mt. 12:39; 16:4; Lk. 11:29). At a time when many Israelites refused to obey the prophetic word given to them, Jonah s release from the huge fish after three days and nights led the Ninevites to repentance. Jesus predicted that his own upcoming release from the grace after three days would lead the repentance of the Gentiles, while many Jews would still reject his prophetic word. In a sense, then, the story of Jonah called its Jewish readers to repentance as it endorsed ministry to the Gentiles, just as Jesus and his apostles did. Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 1
VERSES The Jonah story is for believers, not for pagans. We are to see our own hardheartedness and carelessness and repent (Chris Hodge). Heb 4: 12-13 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Psalms 139. O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I m far away.3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! 7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave,* you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Matt. 28:18 I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,* Phil. 2:4 4 Don t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Phil 2:10-11 10 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Romans 10:12-17 12 Jew and Gentile* are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. * 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news! * 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. NIV Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 2
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT JONAH BOOK OUTLINE: I. Jonah Runs from the Lord II. Jonah s Prayer of Thanksgiving III. Jonah Obeys God, Preaches to Nineveh and Nineveh Repents IV. God Relents, Jonah s Anger at God s Compassion Nice To Know FACTOIDS: Assyria was a brutal nation. It was the strongest military power of the day, dominating the world for 300 years and destroying any nation in its path. Nineveh was considered impregnable. 785 B.C. Jonah was the first of the prophets to go to Nineveh, preaching judgment against it. 682 B.C. Naham preached against it some 120+ years after Jonah 622 B.C. Zephaniah preached its doom 60 years after Naham Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B. C., ten years after Zephaniah s warnings. SATIRE: a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn. IRONY: incongruity between an expected result and what actually happens. Discussion Questions Chapter One: On-A-Boat 1. What do we know about Jonah s personality? How might Jonah have been like us? (His attitudes, his outlook on life, his relationships with others, with God?) 2. Tarshish was defined as: Someplace very far from Nineveh. In our Jonah series, Chris expanded that definition and added going to Tarshish is isolating ourselves from the unbelieving world, going deeper into the Christian subculture.where/ What are some Tarshish places in our community, or some behaviors you might identify as Tarshish behaviors? (Personal reflection: Is NPC a Tarshish for you?) 3. What is the purpose of the Christian community? Is Christianity a subculture? Should it be? 4. Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold during the storm. Jesus also fell asleep during a storm at sea. (Luke 8:22-25, Matt 8:23) How are the situations Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 3
similar? What are the significant differences between Jonah and Jesus? ( compare their mission, relationship to God, reactions and attitudes of companions at sea, reaction to the storm) 5. Crisis brings out the reality of spirituality in all of us. Everyone understands that the world is bigger than them. Even the pagans understood that they needed to do something to address the god in control of the situation. Has an unbeliever ever shared with you what they believe? What struck you most about their viewpoint? 6. Sometimes unbelievers are kinder, nicer, more thoughtful than Christians! We have all experienced this. Oftentimes the believer acts less like a believer than the world around them. Have you had an experience where an unbeliever acted more like a Christian than a Christian? How did that affect you? 7. Jonah did not pray for the pagans who were trying to save his life. Jonah had access to the One True God, the God of the heaven, who made the sea and the land, the God who actually could do something about the men s plight, yet Jonah did not pray. Those who do not know God need us to be part of their redemption story. What can we do to bring them to God s throne? Are we sleeping? Do we not care? Can our prayers contribute to the salvation of an unbeliever? We certainly do care, but what makes it so easy to NOT pray for our unredeemed neighbors, friends and family? 8. What is the carrot to sharing the Gospel? What is our motivation to tell people about Jesus? (reference Phil 2 passage) Chapter Two: In-A-Fish But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1: 17 You hurled me into the deep, Jonah 2: 3 But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. Jonah 2: 6 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Jonah 2: 10-3: 1 Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 4
1. God put Jonah in-the-fish as a form of discipline and of mercy. What did his in-the-fish experience accomplish? 2. When you have had in-the-fish times, did you recognize God s role in your situation? Not all in-the-fish experiences need be punishment or discipline, but some certainly are for that purpose. How might being in-the-fish change one s perspective about his/her/your circumstances? Chapter Three: With-The-Goats 1. Jonah s mission statement was 8 words long; Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned. What makes it difficult for us to present the Gospel simply and clearly? 2. The reason I wait so long is because I don t think I can do it. Good. You re exactly at the place God wants you. The spirit of God empowers us to love, care, speak and share. We get up and obey not because of our ability but because of our inability. What does the above statement mean for you? 3. The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites. He wanted them destroyed. When Jonah was first given this assignment, do you think he understood that the Ninevites were ready to repent? Why or why not? How could Jonah s misconceptions apply to our own witnessing situations? 4. There is a difference between ungodly sorrow and comprehensive repentance. The problem with modern Christianity is it is a repentant-less Christianity. What does this statement mean? What does repentant-less Christianity look like? 5. We need to repent from our brokenness for God to make us whole. We cannot change the way we are without the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. What were some symptoms of Jonah s brokenness? Was Jonah s brokenness addressed in his fish experience? Does repenting from our brokenness heal our brokenness? Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 5
Chapter Four: As-You-Wish: The Most Annoying Thing About God Is Jonah 3: 10 God relents, Jonah 4: 1 But Jonah was greatly displeased. Jonah 4: 4 But the Lord replied, Have you any right to be angry? Jonah 4: 9 God said to Do you have a right to be angry about the vine? Jonah 4: 10 Should I not be concerned about that great city? 1. Have you ever been on the losing side of an argument? What did that feel like? Did you sound something like Jonah? 2. Jonah knew that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Yet, somehow, knowing this about God was very frustrating to Jonah, regardless of the fact that it was precisely these traits that saved Jonah s life! What do you KNOW about God? Are there times when what you know about God s character causes you to be frustrated? Why do you think these feelings/attitudes rise up? 3. Jonah 4: 10-11 "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city? The book of Jonah ends with no hint of how God s words affected Jonah. How do you imagine the conversation between God and Jonah might have continued? Do you envision Jonah eventually having a change of heart towards the Ninevites? Towards God? A different perspective about his job? Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 6
WHY IT MATTERS (take home: for later) WHAT THE BOOK OF JONAH TELLS ME ABOUT GOD: GOD DESIRES ALL PEOPLE TO REPENT AND COME TO HIM GOD SHOWS MERCY TO ALL WHO REPENT GOD WANTS US TO BE INVOLVED IN HIS WORK GOD WILL USE US REGARDLESS OF OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS WILL WE WILL ALWAYS BELONG TO GOD. WE CAN DECIDE NOT TO OBEY, BUT HE WILL NEVER DECIDE NOT TO LOVE US GOD S DISCIPLINE DOES NOT EQUAL REJECTION GOD LOVES TO RELENT FROM JUDGMENT AND GIVES MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITES TO REPENT HOW I CAN USE THESE TRUTHS ABOUT GOD. I CAN REMEMBER THAT: I can trust that God will direct me. My challenge is to listen carefully and obey. Since I am part of God s plan to bring others to redemption, I can believe that opportunities are all around me to share Regardless of my success or failure, I need to share the Gospel as much as possible. Since God loves to show mercy and give second (and third, fourth..) chances, I can stop judging others and start looking for ways to show mercy Although it might be easier for me to avoid difficult or different people, God wants me to get involved in their lives. When God directs me to do something that is out of my comfort zone, I can know that He will be with me, use me and bless my obedience I don t have to keep worrying about what God thinks of me or if I am in His will. God takes care of that. My work is to look beyond myself and see where He is working or is preparing to work in the future and get involved. 1. Is it really our desire, as it is Gods desire, to see the Gospel spread? Am I willing to become a part of spreading the gospel to people who are not like me? (or might be detrimental to my personal well-being) This is what Jonah was asked to do. Imagine what he might have been thinking: Jonah was asked to expend a great deal of energy for people he completely disapproved of. Certainly the Israelites would have been better off without the Ninevites on the planet? Perhaps Jonah was more loyal to his people than to his God? Jonah suspected that the horrible Ninevites would listen to the message he was to deliver and repent. ( He must have been very confident of his ministry skills!). He knew that God would do something through him that he did not agree with, namely, spare the Ninevites instead of destroy them. Then the Ninevites would still be around Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 7
because of Jonah s obedience. Perhaps Jonah s friends and family would shun him for helping to spare such awful people. 2. How important is it that we feel at ease at church? Think back to when you were church-shopping and considering NPC as your church home. Was NPC more of a Nineveh or a Tarshish for you? 3. Suppose that as a result of our reaching out with the Gospel to people within our area of influence, we became so large that your growth group had to disassemble and each of you was asked to have your own starter growth group (mostly made up of people you did not know). How do you think you would react? 4. Suppose our church demographics became very different. Suppose things changed so much that you were no longer in the majority. What would your attitude be if you became the minority at NPC? ( color, income, intellect, age). Would you just change churches or stay for the inevitably difficult challenges? 5. Do you have a clear sense of what God is calling you to do at this point in your faith-journey? If not, ask God to show you and be prepared for possible challenges to your comfort zone. What comes easiest to you? Perhaps you are being called to use that talent to spread the Gospel with people you are already very comfortable with? What pulls at your heart strings? Who is really annoying you, lately. They might be who God is calling you to talk with. (bummer, I know). Much of God s work is not church (earthly) related. Keep your eyes open for God s hand in the mundane, simple and non-religious. Many people say they are not religious. How can you bring them to know God without them suspecting religious talk? (remember: you and I know that Jesus is not religion. Most people don t understand this.) Minor Prophet Challenge, L5, p. 8