“Should I Not Be Concerned About That Great City?”

                                               INTRODUCTION TO JONAH                   NIU UBF  4/25/09

Jonah 4:11, “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?”

      I thank God for blessing our study of the book of Acts. For over a year and for 31 lessons, we studied about the wonderful works of the Holy Spirit. It was very edifying to study the life of faith of the great Apostle Paul. Someone may ask, “Why study the Book of Jonah?” There are two reasons. The first, and least important reason, is that we want a change. We want to study some of the more obscure and unknown books in the Bible. Jonah fits that description. The other reason is that this is the end of the semester and we are headed into the summer ministry. For us the work of God does not end. It continues throughout the summer. We need direction for the summer months as a ministry. Jonah is a perfect book to mediate on in order to prepare our hearts for the months ahead.  We can change our introduction key verse to read as such, “NIU has more than twenty five thousand students who are walking in the darkness. Should I not be concerned about that great university?” Indeed God is concerned about the salvation of 25,000 NIU students and so should we. May God bless the next four weeks as we study the short, but power and inspiring book of Jonah.

     The book of Jonah seems like some obscure book that we could easily overlook. One is tempted to just sit through this book and read it quickly in one sitting. But don’t do this. Let’s take the time to discover all the treasures nestled deeply within it’s pages over the next four weeks. When we do we will discover that this book is a revelation to God’s people of his sovereign power and loving care for all his creatures, even cattle. (4:11) Jesus thought that this book was very important. It is mentioned by Jesus as a picture of his death and resurrection, and a call to repentance. Matthew 12:38-41 reads, “ ³⁸Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” ³⁹He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one^[a] greater than Jonah is here.” Jesus also says something very similar in Luke 11:29-32, The point is, in the New Testament, Jesus compared Jonah’s three days and three nights in the belly of the fish to his own death and resurrection. Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh with resurrection faith. Jesus praised the people of Nineveh for repenting when Jonah preached to them (Mt 12:39- 41). Jesus obviously thought that book of Jonah was very important. It is therefore a “no brainer” that we should also and study it deeply.

What is this book? Jonah is the fifth book of the Minor Prophets. The Minor Prophets are from Hosea to Malachi. It is very hard to find the book of Jonah, even for seasoned Bible students. So let’s practice finding it. The four books preceding it are, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and then Jonah. The four books following it are; Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah. Now, close your Bibles and then try to find the Book of Jonah, with out using the table of contents. It is still difficult I bet.  This book is thought to be written in and around 780 B.C. and is different from the other prophetic books because it is a historical narrative. It tells the story of the prophet and does not center on his prophecies. (In fact, only one verse summarizes his message to the people of Nineveh (3:4)). There are other books that are short narratives. They are the books of Esther and Ruth. Though it is a narrative there are many spiritual truths that are powerful and obvious. This book is full of the supernatural acts of God, aside from Jonah surviving in the belly of the great fish, there is the vine that sprout and grew quickly, the worm that ate it, and, greatest of all, the repentance of entire city of Nineveh.

Who was the prophet Jonah? He was the son of Amittia. His home was Gath Hepher of Zebulun, north of Nazareth in Galilee, where he lived before the Assyrian invasion and destruction of Samaria. (2 Kings 14:25) His hometown sounds funny. In English, Hepher sounds like a female cow. He wrote this book to Israel and to God’s people everywhere, approximately 780 B.C. Jonah preceded Amos and ministered in the northern kingdom under Jeroboam ll, Israel’s most powerful king. (793 – 753 B.C.) A couple of his contemporaries were the prophets Joel (853 – 796 B.C.) and Amos (760-750 B.C). He might have been a member of the company of prophets mentioned in connection with Elisha’s ministry. (2 Kings 2:3) His name means “dove” and he occupies a unique place as the first Jewish foreign missionary.

At time of the setting of this book, Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and the most important city in Assyria. Jonah probably preached before the Assyrians’ rise to power. Nineveh was situated on the banks of the TigrisRiver and it had walls 100 feet high and 50 feet wide. It had 15 gates with one main entrance. The walls were over 7 ½ miles in circumference. The city proper contained 125,000 people with a total population of about 600,000, which included all the people in the surrounding suburbs. (4:11) Though it was the main city in a relatively weak kingdom, within 50 years it would become the capital of the huge and wicked Assyrian Empire. The city was a grave threat to the security of Israel.

The prophet Nahum gives us insight into the spiritual condition of Nineveh. Nahum says that Nineveh was guilty of evil plots against God. (Nahum 1:9), exploitation of the helpless (Nahum 2:12), cruelty in war (Nahum 2:12,13), idolatry, prostitution and witchcraft (Nahum 3:4). The residents were idolaters who worshipped Asur and Ishtar, the chief male and female Assyrian deities. The Assyrian Empire was the considered the first “World Empire”. In their quest for world domination, they subjugated many smaller kingdoms. But since the Assyrians did not have a large enough army to adequately control their acquired territories, they reigned with terror. They performed innumerable acts of extreme violence on their conquered people to keep them under control.  The Assyrians themselves left monuments to their cruelty – long, boastful inscriptions describing their torture and slaughter of the people who opposed them. Assyria was Israel’s enemy and Israel was conquered by them in 722 B.C., forty years after Jonah stopped being a prophet. In 722 B.C., they carried the Jewish population, that lived in Samaria and took them into exile. They transplanted conquered peoples’ from other nations into Samaria, nations who worshipped other gods. They mixed up with the Jews who remained, creating a mixed people, both racially and in regards to their religions.  That is how the Samaritans came to be.  Let’s think about this for a while. It would be like a foreign army invading the USA and then sending troops to DeKalb and telling us to leave our house and go and move to Mexico. If we did not go we would be tortured and killed. And then, after we left, Mexican families would be forced to moved into our house. You had no choice. As God’s prophet, Jonah could foresee what was to come for the people of Israel. The Israelites had many reasons to hate and to fear the Ninevites and so Jonah’s hesitation in offering God’s grace to Nineveh is understandable.

The book of Jonah tells the story of this prophet’s flight and how God stopped him and turned him around. But it is much more than a story if a man and a great fish. Jonah’s story is a profound illustration of God’s mercy and grace. No one deserved God’s favor less than the people of Nineveh. Jonah knew this. But he knew that God would forgive and bless them if they would turn from their sin and worship God alone. Jonah also knew the power of God’s word, that even through his own weak preaching, they would respond and be spared God’s judgment. But Jonah hated the Assyrians, and he wanted vengeance and not mercy. So he ran. Eventually, Jonah obeyed and preached in the streets of Nineveh and the people repented and were delivered from judgment. Then Jonah sulked, not appreciating what God had accomplished through him. God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity,  confronted Jonah about his self-centered values and lack of compassion, saying, “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?” (4:11)

In the book of Jonah, there are many words of God’s judgment. But we know that though the messages of God are sometimes filled with words of doom, they are always spoken with the hope that the warning would lead to repentance. The contents of this book is not just meant as a revelation to the Ninevites impending judgment, to humble themselves and repent, but it was a revelation that should have moved the hearts of the Israelites to respond as the Assyrians did, with repentance and humility. May the study of this book move our hearts to humility and repentance also.

What did the Israelites need to repent about? They needed to repent of not caring for the things that God cares about. In other words that needed to repent of not attempting to participate in God’s divine nature in trying to reach out to the whole world. For you see, God wanted to use his people as his ambassadors who shared in his concern for the lost people of every nation. Jonah needed to develop the same attitude that God has towards his enemies. Jesus once preached, “Love your enemies.” (Matt 5:44)  and so God led Jonah carefully, step by step. We will see God’s guiding hand through the four chapters of this book.

Indeed, when God first called Israel to be a nation, God had given them a clear identity and a clear vision. God spoke to them through Moses. In Exodus 19:3-6, he says, “ ³ Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you ^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” But Jonah had forgotten that God had called Israel to be a kingdom of priests, to reveal God glory and God’s salvation to the  whole earth, and that God wanted to use his people to bring all nations to repentance. God has a  great world mission concern for all people. There are many like Jonah who do not participate in God’s heart for world mission, though they may hear his call. In that sense, Jonah is like all of God’s people who are ready to enjoy God’s grace, but reluctant to share it with others.

This book is all about a man whom God instructed to love his enemies in Neneveh. As so often happens in life, the prophet Jonah did the exact opposite of what God commanded him to do. He refused to go these people. Jesus told his followers, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:44) While most people have so many good things to say about this command, loving your enemies is not an easy thing to do. Many think that it may be the right thing to do, but not practical. Should we have compassion on terrorists or pirates? Instead we tend to run away from the Lord.

Sometime we are not so eager to preach to the people because we can not forgive. Sin runs rampant in our society. We see it daily in our headlines. The world seems to be filled with overflowing with violence, hatred, and corruption. Reading, hearing and perhaps even experiencing these tragedies, we begin to understand the necessity of God’s judgment. We may be tempted to say, “Oh well…they brought it on themselves. They made their bed let them lie in it.” We may even find ourselves wishing for vengeance on others! Even Christians fall into the trap of seeking revenge and vengeance. But suppose that in the midst of such thoughts, God told you to take the gospel to the worst of the offenders. How would you respond? Like Jonah, we may have to do things in life that we don’t like to do. Sometimes we find ourselves wanting to turn and run, or at least ignore.

Our mission field that God calls us to serve is NIU. The students are clearly not our enemies. They are our friends and our classmates and our neighbors and club members, the precious flock of our pasture. To preach to them is our privileged calling from God and a blessing. But though they may be our friends, many are living as enemies of God because of their sins. (James 4:4) God cares fro them and wants them to come to saving faith. But there are still things in our lives that make us turn and go the other way when we are called to preach the message of salvation. We may be indifferent and ignore them, not really believing that they need to hear the Gospel. We go the opposite direction, too concerned with our own affairs than the students’ salvation. Sometimes the students make us fearful, appearing like the fearsome Assyrians and we don’t have the nerve to reach out to them. Whatever the case, we all have something to learn from our study of the book of Jonah.

As you read Jonah, see the full picture of God’s love and compassion and realize no one is beyond redemption. The gospel is for all who will repent and believe. Realize that God’s people should not be narrow and introverted but outreaching and missionary minded in their love and concern for those outside the church, who are facing God’s judgment. Learn from the story of this reluctant prophet and determine to obey God, doing whatever he asks and going wherever he leads, even if that means to go and preach the Gospel and invite students to Bible study right here on our Nineveh, the campus of NIU. Begin to pray for those who seem to be furthest from the kingdom of God, and look for ways to tell them about Jesus.

The book may be divided as follows: l. The disobedience and flight of Jonah. (1:1-11) ll. Jonah and the great fish, (1:12-2:10.) lll. The greatest revival in history (Chpt 3) and lV. The wideness of God’s mercy. (Chpt. 4)

There are several mega themes in the Book of Jonah. First, God’s sovereignty. Although the prophet Jonah tried to run away from God, God was in control. Second, God’s message to the world. God had given Jonah a purpose – to preach to the Assyrian city, Nineveh. Third, repentance. When the reluctant preacher went to the people of Nineveh, there was a great response. The people repented and turned to God. Indeed, God will forgive all those who turn from their sin. Forth, God’s compassion. God’s message  of love and forgiveness was not for the Jews alone. God loves all the people of the world. God has great love, patience, and forgiveness, especially for those who don’t deserve it.

May God perk the ears of your heart to hear the words of God from this wonderful book. May God fill you with repentance and faith and hope and clear life direction to share in God’s heart for the lost of NIU and your grade school. As homework, may you read the entire book on your own this week and through it may God help you to understand what God means when he says, “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?” (Jonah 4:11)

1.   What style of writing is the book of Jonah? What other books in the Old Testament are this

style of book?

2.   Are there any references to the Book of Jonah in the New Testament? (refer to Matthew

12:38-42 and Luke 11:29-32) What was Jesus’ attitude towards the book of Jonah?

3.   The Book Of Jonah is one of the Minor Prophets. What are the other Minor Prophets? Hint

they include all the books from Hosea to Malachi. Can you close your Bible and find the

book of Jonah without using your table of contents?

4.    Who was Jonah? Where did he live? (1:1; 2 Kings 14:25) Who were some of his

contemporaries? Do you think that Jonah could have been one of the company of prophets in

Elisha’s time? (2 Kings 2:3)

5.    Read the four chapters of the Book of Jonah. It is said the book can be divided into four

sections. Give titles to the following sections:  1.  (1:1-1)  2. (1:12-2:10) 3. (chapter 3) 4.

(Chapter 4).

6.   What was God concerned about? (4:11) Where did God want Jonah to preach? (1:1b) What

do you know about the city of Nineveh? (refer to Nahum 1:9; 2:12-13; 3:4)

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