by Fran Mascioli

Created on: March 14, 2010

From the very first verses of the Book of Jonah, we can learn so much about this friend of God. Jonah heard God, because he was LISTENING to God. God wanted Jonah to preach to this city called Nineveh, and give the citizens an opportunity to repent.

God tells Jonah that the wickedness of Nineveh has been brought to his attention.  And, surely, Jonah must have also heard about Ninevah during his lifetime, because he chose not to go to that city.  Instead, Jonah headed to Tarshish. We clearly see that this man questioned God.  Could it be that Jonah did not feel this city was worthy to be preached to? Did he desire that God destroy Nineveh? (So many times in our own lives, we know the path to choose, or the right thing to say or do, but we look at the circumstances and hesitate. Many times we doubt our actions can make a difference. So we never try.)

Jonah boards a ship for Tarshish. When a violent storm hits the boat, the other sailors were so frightened they called out to their own gods. It is apparent that Jonah at no time tried to conceal his faith, because the sailors on the boat asked him to pray to his god. Jonah realized that the storm in his life was due to his own actions. He had chosen the wrong road to travel, the wrong boat to sail on. This insight into Jonah can also be a wake up call to us. Are we in a bad situation due to our own poor judgement? So often, when we realize that our situation is hopeless, we give up. We see this in Jonah’s plea to the other sailors to throw him overboard. He blamed himself for the storm. Jonah was human and suffered from the same doubts and insecurities we all face. 

However, the other sailors tried desperately to row to safety, ignoring Jonah’s plea to throw him into the raging sea. The storm got worse. These seasoned veterans had probably spent their entire lives working and sailing the ocean. However, they are obviously in a state of panic. They must have recognized that this was a storm that was hard to fight. In their desperation for survival, the sailors took a chance that Jonah was the reason for the storm, and threw him overboard. Immediately, the storm grew calm. A large fish just happens to be nearby and swallows Jonah for three days and three nights.

Jonah is a story that takes place under the old covenant. The old testament saints were looking forward to their Messiah for atonement. The story of Jonah parallels the story of redemption.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>