Reflections on Jonah 1

Jonah 01 (Contemporary English Version)


1. One day the LORD told Jonah, the son of Amittai,
   
2. to go to the great city of Nineveh and say to the people, "The LORD has seen your terrible sins. You are doomed!"
   
3. Instead, Jonah ran from the LORD. He went to the seaport of Joppa and bought a ticket on a ship that was going to Spain. Then he got on the ship and sailed away to escape.
   
4. But the LORD made a strong wind blow, and such a bad storm came up that the ship was about to be broken to pieces.
   
5. The sailors were frightened, and they all started praying to their gods. They even threw the ship's cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. All this time, Jonah was down below deck, sound asleep.
   
6. The ship's captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep at a time like this? Get up and pray to your God! Maybe he will have pity on us and keep us from drowning."
   
7. Finally, the sailors got together and said, "Let's ask our gods to show us who caused all this trouble." It turned out to be Jonah.
   
8. They started asking him, "Are you the one who brought all this trouble on us? What business are you in? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?"
   
9. Jonah answered, "I'm a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."
   
10. When the sailors heard this, they were frightened, because Jonah had already told them he was running from the LORD. Then they said, "Do you know what you have done?"
    
11. The storm kept getting worse, until finally the sailors asked him, "What should we do with you to make the sea calm down?"
    
12. Jonah told them, "Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I'm the cause of this terrible storm."
    
13. The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute.
    
14. So they prayed to the LORD, "Please don't let us drown for taking this man's life. Don't hold us guilty for killing an innocent man. All of this happened because you wanted it to."
    
15. Then they threw Jonah overboard, and the sea calmed down.
    
16. The sailors were so terrified that they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made all kinds of promises.
    
17. The LORD sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
    

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The book of Jonah introduces itself rather quickly from the outset. God's word came to Jonah and told him to go to the city of Nineveh and preach against it. Instead, Jonah boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction to Tarshish. Whether or not one is familiar with the book of Jonah, they can learn in the first two verses that it is about God sending a disobedient prophet to the city of Nineveh with a message concerning their wickedness. As we read and reflect on this book a couple of questions arise for us to ponder, what is its message, and to whom? Since the account of Jonah's assignment to go to Nineveh is written to the Israelites we have to wonder what God was saying, not just to the Ninevites through Jonah, but also to the Israelites through this account.

Jonah was a contemporary of both Hosea and Amos whose prophecies I have just finished reading and reflecting on. Those reflections can be found on this site using the scripture search tool. These two prophets proclaimed to Israel God's judgment on her at the hands of the Assyrians, who were the inhabitants of Nineveh. On the heels of these prophecies comes Jonah who is told to go to these people who have already been announced as God's appointed instrument of judgment. Is this why Jonah is so opposed to carrying out this assignment? The answer, most likely, is yes. But we need also to consider his mission and its outcome in light of the message God had been trying to make clear to Israel, previously through Hosea and Amos, and now possibly through Jonah.

Very quickly Jonah's rebellion brought calamity into his life. Rebellion against God does this. Unfortunately, it also involves others around us in the process. What we do, for good or for bad, always affects others. Rebellion for most of us results in actions that bring about our own calamities. In Jonah's case the calamity appears to be the result of God's direct intervention. Though it may have been a natural storm that God used for His purposes, details of this first chapter seem to indicate that God specifically brought on this storm as a result of Jonah's rebellion. Though the calamity that resulted from Jonah's rebellion involved all who were on the ship, the account has an amazing outcome and benefits the sailors by pointing them to the real God.

Jonah's complacency in the midst of the storm seems rather unusual. How could he, in the midst of a violent storm that had seasoned sailors fearful for their lives, go down into the ship and sleep? Then, when it seemed apparent to everyone that he was the cause of the storm, he seemed nonchalant in suggesting they throw him into the sea. Is it possible that this whole affair is not real rebellion, but a demonstration to the Israelites of God's sovereignty? God had Hosea marry a prostitute as a demonstration of Israel's unfaithfulness. Might this be another such demonstration? Historically Jonah's actions have been interpreted as just what they appear to be - rebellion on his part. In fact, his actions throughout the account seem to show a reluctance to carry out God's assignment to take the message to the Assyrians at Nineveh. But whether it is true rebellion or primarily a demonstration, a number of messages are conveyed to the Israelites through his actions.

In the midst of the storm that engulfed Jonah's ship, the sailors cast lots to determine who was to blame for the storm. Is this intended to suggest a truth to us or is it merely the actions of heathen men? The suggestion is that all calamities of this magnitude are the result of someone's sin. My own thought on the matter is that this is merely the actions of heathen men and that such calamities are not necessarily the result of sin. I believe Jesus addressed this very issue in Luke chapter 13. He was told of some people whom Pilate had killed and mixed their blood with their sacrifices, and evidently suggested that this happened to them because of their sin. Jesus asked, "Do you think that these Galieleans were more sinful than all Galileans because they suffered these things?" Then He answered, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!" Then Jesus went on to tell about a man who wanted to cut down his fig tree because it did not bear fruit. My understanding of this account is that Jesus' was saying we should judge the presence of sin by one's fruit, not by the calamities that befall them. Calamities happen. They are a natural part of life that come to all, whether good or bad.

In the case of Jonah and the storm, we have a special situation that God is using to convey a message. Yes, He is intervening to set Jonah on the course He wants him on, and so, yes, God pointed the finger at Jonah and his actions as the cause of the storm in this case. But, no, I don't believe this should be understood as normative for all situations.