All the books about prophets in the Bible are written about their message – except Jonah. The book of Jonah is about his defiant heart and the merciful heart of God.
Jonah lived when Judah was a vassal of Assyria. Strategically located on the Via Maris, the major trade highway, Judah also served as a buffer between Assyria and Egypt. The Assyrian capital, Nineveh, was known as “the city of blood”. The Assyrians invented crucifixion. They put hooks in the mouths of captives, dragging them into exile and enslaving them. They flayed their enemies and lined walls with human skins. They cut out tongues, cut off ears and testicles, gouged out eyes, and disemboweled victims. They dashed babies’ heads against stones.
When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and announce His judgment against it, Jonah turned his back, went to Joppa, bought a ticket, and boarded a ship going to the furthest reaches of the known world – Tarshish. Was he afraid? Who wouldn’t be afraid to be sent to such a cruel people? But another possibility seems more likely. Jonah knew God. God is just and merciful. God is love. God’s Word is powerful and can transform lives. It seems more likely Jonah wasn’t running away out of fear. He was running because he hated the Assyrians and didn’t want to be the one to bring them an opportunity to repent. If the Assyrians repented, God might show His loving mercy.
It takes a powerful storm that threatens the lives on board the ship, being tossed overboard, swallowed by a fish, and stubbornly sitting inside for three days before Jonah cries out to God. All that gives us an idea of how deep Jonah’s hatred went. And how persistent God is. God didn’t let go of Jonah. Jonah was still His prophet. So, Jonah is puked up on the beach, now willing to listen and obey. God repeats the same call. Judgment is about to fall on Assyria.
I imagine Jonah shouting the message gleefully, relishing the judgment. Once given, he goes outside the city and sits on a hill where he can see watch (gloat over) the destruction. Ah, but Assyrians hear the Word of the Lord, believe it, and show heart-felt repentance. Jonah is furious and rails at God. “I knew You were merciful and compassionate….!” God is merciful and patient with Jonah. It’s hot. God provides a shade plant for him. Jonah is grateful for the plant, but still watching for Nineveh to be destroyed. Then God sends a worm to eat the plant. Jonah mourns the death of the plant, but still hopes for the death of thousands. God sends a scorching east wind. The last we hear from Jonah; he’s telling God he is still “angry enough to die”.
What I learned from Jonah: It wasn’t Jonah’s ability as a speaker that brought about mass repentance. He was just the mouthpiece. It was the power of God that changed lives from the inside out. There were 120,000 Ninevites who were saved because God opened their minds and hearts to receive His Word. Jonah spoke, and God empowered His Word by the Holy Spirit and lit a fire of repentance in the Assyrians (the same way He did in the Jews at Pentecost).
And so, I pray: Oh, Lord God, please call more Jonahs to take Your message of salvation to Hamas, Hezbollah, Isis, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and all those who live by hate, who dwell in darkness and on the precipice of hell. And may there be Jonahs ready to speak to the terrorists who have come over our southern border. Only You can change their hearts. In the precious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.