Central Message of the Book of Jonah
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THE MERCY OF GOD: UNRAVELING THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF JONAH
___________________
A Paper
Presented to
Dallas Theological Seminary
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In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
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by
THE MERCY OF GOD: UNRAVELING THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF JONAH
The book of Jonah is one of the most famous books in the Old Testament. People
often refer to it as the “story of the big fish.” The different surprising elements in this book can
sometimes make scholars classify it as a legend or allegory. The reason why there are vague
points in this book is because the Book of Jonah is written in a manner of prose poetry. There is
no doubt that this book contain actual historical events.
1
Even Jesus quoted Jonah in the New
Testament saying the only sign given would be the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39-41; Luke
11:29-32). The author of this book wrote it in a time when Israel was in a time of spiritual
backslide and could be dated as written as early as during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753
BCE) because of the fact that Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25.
2
However, because of its
poetry-like manner of writing, it has caused the question of its message and the more significant
aspects of the book to be shifted away in attention. The book of Jonah actually offers a much
crucial theological message that is expressed throughout the whole book. This paper will study
the Book of Jonah by paying attention to the various narrative elements in deducing the central
theological message of the book which is the mercy of God to bring salvation to those who call
on him.
The nation of Israel was a product of God’s
hesed
ever since he made a covenant with
Abraham in Genesis 12. God had been their ultimate ruler ever since the beginning of time. The
Law had been given to the Israelites, kings had been appointed to rule over Israel, judges and
prophets had been sent to provide guidance. Yet, Israel failed to upkeep the Lord’s commands for
their lives and chose lives of idolatry and sin. Even so, God remained faithful to Israel because of
1 John Merlin, Powis Smith, and Julius August Bewer,
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Jonah
(New York, NY: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1912), 4-5.
2 2 Kings 14:25 presents Jeroboam II’s accomplishment as fulfillment of Jonah’s prophecy. This can
be contested as Jonah might have lived and prophesied before this time. See Leslie C. Allen,
The Books of Joel,
Obadiah, Jonah and Micah (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament)
(Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1976), 179.
1
2
his covenant promises with them. One of the blessings included in the covenant was that all
peoples on earth will be blessed through them (Genesis 12:2-3). Nations and kings would have
the opportunity to hear about the message of salvation and judgement. God promised to provide
a way of deliverance for those who responded in faith to this message.
The Book of Jonah opens with Jonah’s commissioning to Nineveh by placing the reader
right into the events. Nineveh had the reputation of being a sinful city often compared with
Sodom in terms of the brutality and heinous deeds being committed there. The striking parallel
can be seen in comparison to the city of Sodom in the severity of their approaching destruction
brought about by their own sins.
3
The Book of Jonah invites the assumption that the reader is
able to comprehend the indispensability of the commissioned warning because of Nineveh’s
reputation.
In the book, Jonah is portrayed as a prophet early on who seeks to flee from God by
disobeying the command to preach to the Ninevites because he knew that the Lord is a gracious
God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Jonah 4:2). He did so by
travelling down to Joppa and then by a boat that was sailing to a far away island. Then, a storm
came along and almost caused everyone on it to drown. The sailors finally realized that Jonah is
the reason for the storm and tosses him into the sea where he is then swallowed by a big fish and
spends three days praying and crying out to the Lord. God has compassion and mercy toward
Jonah and rescues him. Then, Jonah goes to the city of Nineveh to preach the message of
judgment which allows the Ninevites to repent. The response from Nineveh causes God to relent
from his punishment he had purposed. But this causes Jonah to be displeased at the mercy of
God to stop the calamity from being unleashed. A striking contrast is seen here at Jonah’s
deliverance from the big fish versus the deliverance of Nineveh.
4
Jonah becomes angry at God
for his exercise of compassion and mercy. He continues to be angry when God gives him shade
3 Yair Zakovitch and Avigdor Shinan,
The Book of Jonah: A New Israeli Commentary
(Tel-Aviv:
Mishkal, 2015), 10-13.
4 Donald J. Wiseman, T. Desmond Alexander, and Bruce K. Waltke,
Obadiah, Jonah and Micah: An
Introduction and Commentary
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 138.
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3
with a plant and kills it the next day with a worm as a means to inform Jonah that despite him not
cultivating the plant, he still enjoyed the shade given to him freely. Thus, how much greater is
the fact that the Lord should respond to the repentance of the Ninevites in relenting from
punishment?
There are three prominent figures in the book of Jonah. Firstly, God, who presents
himself in his sovereignty who has authority over all creation (sea, big fish, plant). God is also a
patient God when he allows Jonah to flee from him yet with sovereign actions forces him to
understand his plan to preach to the Ninevites. God’s mercy and goodness is also shown in the
Book of Jonah in sparing the gentile sailors, saving Jonah from drowning, and relenting his
punishment on the Ninevites. His mercy and grace is so evident in the message shown here.
The second prominent figure is Jonah. Jonah was Israel’s foreign missionary who was
called to send messages from God to a foreign people or the Gentiles. However, Jonah really did
not have the heart and desire of bringing his audience into a personal relationship with Yahweh.
5
He showed a reluctance to preach the message and had to be forced to carry on with the
assignment tasked to him. Even until the end of the book, Jonah was still in a posture of
defiance.
Last but not least, there are the Gentiles in the story: the sailors and the Ninevites. Both
these group of Gentiles show positive examples for repentance and a fear of God. In the situation
of the sailors, what was once a fear of death turned into a fear of Yahweh. They understood the
divine message brought to them through Jonah as they offered sacrifices to the Lord and made
vows to him (Jonah 1:16). In Nineveh, the Gentiles were receptive to the message brought by
Jonah and decided to repent of their sins by fasting and mourning (Jonah 3:5-9). They lifted their
attention and spirits to Yahweh for mercy. This act caused Yahweh to be compassionate and
forgiving. It is very clear that the Ninevites believed in the impending judgment that was going
5 John H. Walton, “Jonah,” in
Daniel-Malachi
, vol. 8 of
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary
(Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 458.
4
to come upon them, but an important question was what they actually believed.
6
Scripture states
that the name Yahweh was used by the sailors but not the Ninevites. The name Yahweh is often
used by those who actually come into saving faith in God. In this regard, the sailors’ repentance
is even more significant than that of Nineveh even if they were not the target audience of Jonah’s
mission. This also depicted an early gentile repentance in demonstrating God’s perfect will of
extending his grace and mercy to all nations as foreshadowing the preaching to the Gentiles in
the early church.
The message of Jonah held crucial significance for the nation of Israel because they, too,
exhibited rebellious tendencies and a sense of pride. They lived without heeding the multiple
warnings of prophets God was giving them as they had a history of waiting with repentance until
judgment comes upon them. Israel also falsely believed that their special covenant with God
would shield them from His wrath. They would take his grace for granted and live in their own
sinful ways thinking they can outsmart God. Their misguided conviction was centered on the
notion that obeying the Law given to them could shield them from any punishment. The
Israelites kept up with their persistent patterns of idolatry and rejection of God. This positioned
them in a similar state as how Nineveh was living in sin and rebellion, which rendered them
deserving of divine judgment.
The Gentile sailors and Ninevites who responded promptly to God highlights Israel’s
rejection of God’s warning. They serve as a mirror for the Israelites as it condemns Israel for not
repenting under the prophets sent by God. As Waltke says in his book, “If the wicked Ninevites
find salvation by repenting in response to Jonah’s judgment oracle because I AM is
compassionate and forgiving, how much more would he have forgiven Israel if she had repented
under prophets more noble than Jonah.”
7
Israel and Judah were called to do the same: to repent
and turn away from evil. Despite having the privilege of God's revelation to them and being
6
Billy K. Smith and Franklin S. Page,
Amos, Obadiah, Jonah
, vol. 19B, The New
American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 261.
7 Bruce K. Waltke and Charles Yu,
An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and
Thematic Approach
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 834.
5
chosen for a distinctive covenant relationship, they frequently rebelled against God. The stern
reprimand from a seemingly inconspicuous prophet should have resonated deeply with the hearts
of the covenant people, who had witnessed God's character unfold throughout centuries.
The message of Jonah is ultimately important for all of humanity to hear and obey. One
of the applications that believers cannot escape a clear calling that God has for their lives. No
matter how many times Jonah tried to escape and run from the commission given to him, God
continues to bring him back. His sovereign plan cannot be stopped. Just as Jonah was thrown
into a situation with the Gentile sailors (on his own doing), God still used that situation to teach
him a lesson and bring conviction to the sailors. Christians might find that educational measures
can come from non-Christians when they choose to disobey God. The message of Jonah is also
the call for repentance, to stop living in the individualistic mindset and self-centered living
nature of humanity. It is easy for Christians to turn away from God and live in sin because of the
struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Yet this message shows that God’s goodness continues
to invite repentance because he is a merciful God. As Joel 2:12-14 says, “Return to the Lord with
all of your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not
your garments.” God is slow to angry, merciful, and abounding in love, and he will cause
blessings to rain over humanity when they choose to turn to him. Thirdly, when it comes to the
gospel, there are no bounds to who can hear and receive the truth of God’s love. Even the worst
of humanity deserve a chance to hear the truth of Christ as God loves all of humanity.
In conclusion, the central message of Jonah is the mercy of God in bringing salvation to
those who call on him and repent of their old ways. God’s saving mercy is not only for the
chosen nation but his compassion extends to every nation in the world.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, Leslie C.
The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah (The New International
Commentary on the Old Testament)
.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1976.
Merline, John, Powis Smith and Julius Bewer August.
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Jonah
. New York, NY: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1912.
Smith, Billy K. and Franklin S. Page.
Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
vol. 19, The New American
Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Homan Publishers, 1995.
Waltke, Bruce K. and Charles Yu.
An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and
Thematic Approach
. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.
Walton, John H. “Jonah,” in
Daniel-Malachi
, vol. 8 of
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary
.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.
Wiseman, Donald J., T. Desmond Alexander, and Bruce K. Waltke.
Obadiah, Jonah and Micah:
An Introduction and Commentary
. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988.
Zakovitch, Yair and Avigdor Shinan.
The Book of Jonah: A New Israeli Commentary
. Tel-Aviv:
Mishkal, 2015.
6