FISH TALES
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF JONAH
Introduction: Is Jonah a real story or is it a “fish tale?” This question has made this book one of the most questioned and debated in the Bible. While being an important question and one we will deal with, it really misses the point of the book. The main character of the story is not the fish and really it is not even Jonah, but it is God. God is mentioned by name 39 times in the 48 verses of this book. Even Jonah is only mentioned by name 18 times.
Jonah was a prophet. God called him to go and proclaim a message of judgment to the wicked city of Nineveh. Jonah knew that if he did this and they repented that God would be merciful and spare them. Being an ardent Hebrew nationalist and patriot, he wanted to see Nineveh destroyed so he disobeyed God and got on a ship heading in the opposite direction. In essence, he tried to run from God, but the reality of the matter is that we run into God when we try to run from Him so God sent a great storm to get Jonah’s attention. Even after Jonah was identified as the cause of the storm, he still did not want to do God’s will so he had the sailors throw him overboard to get the storm to cease. God had prepared a great fish (possibly a whale) to swallow him, and the fish did. This was God’s means of both preserving and chastising Jonah. However, while in the fish, Jonah repented and cried out to God in prayer. God had the fish vomit him out on the shore, and Jonah finally decided to obey God and go to Nineveh to proclaim the message that God had given him. The Ninevites heard the message, believed God, and repented so God was merciful and spared them from His judgment. However, Jonah was not happy about this, but he spends chapter 4 in an angry pout questioning God.
Themes:
1. the sovereignty of God
2. God’s mercy to the Gentiles
3. Israel’s (and all true believers) responsibility to spread the Word of God
4. God’s will for His children’s lives and our responsibility to follow His plan (in my estimation, this is the primary theme)
Outline:
1. Rejecting God’s Will (1:1-3)
2. Running From God’s Will (1:4-16)
3. Submitting To God’s Will (1:17-2:10)
4. Doing God’s Will (3:1-10)
5. Questioning God’s Will (4:1-11)
Author: I believe that Jonah, the prophet, was writing this story in a 3rd person fashion as sort of a spiritual autobiography. This is the traditional view, and there seems to me to be no logical alternative.
Date: Jonah’s ministry was during the reign of King Jeroboam so the date would probably have to be between 800 and 750 B.C.
Literary Style: What type of literature is the book of Jonah? This is an important question because it affects a deeper question which is, “Is the story of Jonah literal and historical or is it a fable?”. Those who regard it to be not literally true usually classify it as either:
(1) Myth-One of my college textbooks called Jonah a “made-up story.” Those who hold this view claim that the book is not historical and the only purpose is to teach moral truth.
(2) Allegory-The Believers Study Bible notes summarize the view like this: “This view was quite attractive at the height of the era dominated by older liberal theology. It sees the book as a challenge to extreme Jewish nationalism during the 5th century as the Jews returned to Judea and Jerusalem under the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah after the Babylonian captivity. The book’s characters are understood symbolically: Jonah represents the Hebrew people; the sea, possibly Gentile nations; the great fish, the Babylonian Empire; the three days/nights in the great fish, the seventy years of captivity; and Ninevah represents the Gentiles needing a Hebrew witness. This view is inadequate, however, for it fails to account sufficiently for all the characters and it is contrary to a natural reading of the text.”
(3) Parable-This view is really very similar to the two listed above. However, Jonah does not fit the mold of parabolic literature that is included in the Bible.
(4) History/Biography-This is the flip side of the coin. It is the view hold by those who affirm Jonah to be literally true. It is the traditional view of the church. It is the conservative view held by almost all who espouse the doctrine of biblical innerancy. This view interprets Jonah in a straightforward manner and take the events at face value. The question before us is which is the proper way to interpret Jonah and why? Is Jonah only a “fish tale?” I believe that it is real history/biography and here are the 5 basic reasons why:
(A) The Bible elsewhere affirms that Jonah was a real historical figure. He truly was a prophet at this time. 2 Kings 14:25 says, “He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.”
(B) I accept that all of Scripture is inspired by God and therefore true (2 Timothy 3:16). I don’t believe we have to explain it away to accommodate an unbelieving world. I stand on Romans 3:4, which says, “Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.”
(C) I reject the presuppositions of the critics who deny Jonah. They are biased against miracles in the first place. It is circular reasoning to say that we know a miracle didn’t happen because we know that it is impossible for miracles to take place. They affirm a philosophy called naturalism which asserts that God is not involved in the affairs of the world and that whatever man becomes is what he makes himself. However, Christianity is a supernatural faith that affirms the hand of God at work in time and space. It affirms that this world belongs to God. There are at least ten miracles recorded in Jonah as this chart taken from the MacArthur Study Bible illustrates:
“the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea” (1:4)
“the lot fell on Jonah” (1:7)
“the sea ceased from its raging” (1:15)
“the Lord had prepared a great fish” (1:17)
“to swallow Jonah (alive)” (1:17)
“the Lord spoke to the fish…it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (2:10)
“God saw their works…they turned from their evil way” (3:10)
“the Lord God prepared a plant” (4:6)
‘God prepared a worm” (4:7)
“God prepared a vehement east wind” (4:8)
Furthermore, there is evidence that a similar event took place later in our modern world. Now, I do not think that another event of this type taking place is necessary to make us believe Jonah. Miracles are often unique. However, let me share the account to demonstrate the plausibility of something like this happening. This account is noted in several publications. I am sharing the one from Gleason Archer’s book, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction: “One of the most striking instances comes from Francis Fox, Sixty-three Years of Engineering (London: J. Murray, 1924), pp. 298-300, who reports that this incident was carefully investigated by two scientists (one of whom was M. de Parville, the scientific editor of the Journal des Debats in Paris). In February 1891, the whaling ship Star of the East was in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands, and the lookout sighted a large sperm whale three miles away. Two boats were lowered and in a short time one of the harpooners was enabled to spear the creature. The second boat also attacked the whale, but was then upset by a lash of its tail, so that its crew fell into the sea. One of them was drowned, but the other, James Bartley, simply disappeared without trace. After the whale was killed, the crew set to work with axes and spades, removing the blubber. ‘They worked all day and part of the night. The next day they attached some tackle to the stomach, which was hoisted on deck. The sailors were startled by something in it which gave spasmodic signs of life, and inside was found the missing sailor, doubled up and unconscious. He was laid on the deck and treated to a bath of sea water which soon revived him. At the end of the 3rd week he had entirely recovered from the shock and resumed his duties….His face, neck and hands were bleached to a deadly whiteness and took on the appearance of parchment. Bartley affirms that he would probably have lived inside his house of flesh until he starved, for he lost his sense through fright and not through lack of air’.”
(D) Jesus believed in the historicity of Jonah-This is the final and most important piece of evidence. In fact, this should settle it for all who affirm the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I believe that a failure to believe in Jonah is a failure to believe in Jesus. It is a denial of Christ’s deity, perfection, and authority. Let me share the following long excerpt from Gleason Archer’s book, The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, in order to demonstrate what I am saying.
Dr. Archer writes, “There are several serious weaknesses to this fashionable modern theory [that Jonah is a myth], the most significant of which is that, according to Matthew 12:40, Jesus, the Son of God, believed that Jonah was completely historical. He showed this by stating, ‘For 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” (NIV). This puts the issue on a very clear footing. Jesus here affirms that Jonah’s experience in the belly of the whale was a type of the death, burial, and resurrection that awaited Him between Good Friday and Easter morning. The coming experience of Christ, which certainly was historical, would serve as an antitype to the experience of the prophet Jonah. If the antitype was historical, then the type must also have been historical. No fictional past episode can serve as a prophetic type of a future literal fulfillment. Only fiction can correspond to fiction; only fact can correspond to fact. All other types of Christ in the Old testament were historical (Isaac’s near sacrifice on Mount Moriah, the priest-king Melchizedek, Moses, David, Solomon as types of Christ), as were the Exodus events referred to in 1 Corinthians 10 in a series of types and examples for believers in Paul’s day.
The amazing response of Nineveh to the preaching of Jonah, unlikely though it may seem, was confirmed historically by Jesus when He said, ‘The 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 greater than Jonah is here’ (v. 41). If in point of fact the Ninevites never did repent (as rationalist higher critics would have us believe), then any eschatological judgment on Jesus’unbelieving contemporaries would be quite unfair. Jesus claimed that the men of Nineveh really did repent and set an example for the Israelites of His time to follow. But if the Ninevites did not repent and Jonah was only a folk tale, their example could not shame Jesus’ contemporaries because of their unbelief. Jesus, however, was sure that everything actually did happen as the Book of Jonah relates. Therefore, His true followers must believe it, too.
Bibliography: This is at least a partial list of works I have consulted and books that you may want to examine for your personal study. It is presented in a very informal way.
Archer, Gleason. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. pp. 341-350.
Archer, Gleason. The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. pp. 300-302.
Boice, James Montgomery. The Minor Prophets, Volume 1. pp. 209-250.
Ellison, H.L. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7. pp. 359-391.
Hannah, John. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament. 1460-1473.
MacDonald, William. The Believer’s Bible Commentary, Old Testament. pp. 1125-1130.
Phillips, John. Exploring The Minor Prophets. pp. 135-155.
Wiersbe, Warren. Be Amazed. pp. 69-94.
The Believer’s Study Bible.
The MacArthur Study Bible.
Rejecting God’s Will
Jonah 1:1-3
The Revelation of God’s Will
It is revealed personally by God (Moses and Jeremiah are other examples.).
It is revealed individually to His children.
It is revealed specifically to each of us (Acts 16:6-20).
How can we discern God’s will?
Scripture
Prayer/the Holy Spirit
Facts/Circumstances/Knowledge (Proverbs 13:16)
Godly Counsel (Proverbs 11:14)
Surrender to God (Romans 12:1-2)
The Response to God’s Will
We have to respond either by obeying or disobeying (must make a choice).
God’s desired response is obedience.
(3)The Rejection of God’s Will
There is a price to be paid for rejecting God’s will.
We can’t really run from God. Why did Jonah try to run?
Presumption
Pride
Prejudice
God’s will is going to be done. Is it going to be done through you or despite you? There are blessings and consequences to the choice that we make.
Running From God’s Will
Jonah 1:3-16
Introduction: In verse 1 we saw that God revealed His will to Jonah, but Jonah chose to reject it instead of receiving it. Because he rejected the will of the Lord, he began running from God. However, this only began a downward spiral in his life. The following are the results of running from God that occurred in his life and will happen in our lives today if we run from God. When we run from God:
It always costs us (v.3-“so he paid the fare”)-We need to note and remember what Donald Grey Barnhouse said about this phrase. He said, “When you run away from the Lord you never get to where you are going, and you always pay your own fare. But when you go the Lord’s way you always get to where you are going, and He pays the fare for you.”
We always go downhill-The passage says that Jonah went down into the ship, then down into the lowest parts of the ship, and finally they had to throw him down into the sea. This is a picture of the consequences of sin. When we choose a life of sin and run from God, the only way we can go is down.
We always run into God (v.3)-Jonah ran into God, and the same thing will happen to us. It is impossible to escape from God because God is omnipresent (Psalm 139).
We experience the discipline of God-Hebrews 12:6 says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If we can sin without discipline, it is evidence that we are not genuinely converted. God was disciplining Jonah through these events, and He disciplines all of His children so they will repent.
It hurts others-The sailors had not done anything wrong, but their lives were being threatened because of Jonah’s disobedience. It is a lie from the devil to say that our sin does not hurt anyone else. Everything we do affects other people at least indirectly.
It dulls our spiritual life.- He fell asleep when even the pagans were praying which illustrates His spiritual condition.
It ruins our witness.-Jonah said the right things, but his life contradicted his testimony, and people don’t listen to our witness when we practice hypocrisy.
We forfeit direct communication with God until we repent.- God sent a storm instead of speaking to Him directly. Unconfessed sin ruins fellowship with God.
It hardens our hearts (v.12)-The longer we run the harder our hearts get. Jonah was ready to die before he was ready to do God’s will.
(10) Things get progressively worse and we get progressively farther away from God.-Jonah just kept going down, down, down.
Submitting To God’s Will
Jonah 2
The Sailors Were Saved (Jonah 1:10-16)
In contradiction to Jonah, they placed their trust in God and vowed to serve them. I believe they were genuinely converted. It shows that God can work through anything, including our disobedience, and bring good out of it.
(2) The Fish Was Sent
-prepared for this
-literal event and real miracle
-All this shows the Sovereignty of God
(3) Jonah submits to God’s will
Jonah finally agrees to do God’s will and ends up going to Ninevah (3:1-3)
This happened through the prayer that is recorded in Chapter 2. He didn’t
pray because of affection but because of affliction. What were the characteristics
of his prayer?
(1) Saturated with Scriptural content
(2) Heartfelt
(3) Requested help
(4) Received God’s chastisement
(5) Trusted God’s Promise
(6) Yielded to God’s will
(7) Expressed thanksgiving
(8) Acknowledged God as his only hope
Doing God’s Will
Jonah 3
In chapter two, we see Jonah submitting to the will of God through the prayer that he prayed. Then, the actual expression of that submission becomes the actual doing of God’s will. This is what is occurring in chapter 3.
(1) Jonah does God’s will by proclaiming God’s message (v.1-4).
(A) The call is renewed.
(B) The call is unchanged.
(C) The call is specific (He is given the location and the message).
(D) The call is obeyed (He arose and went to Ninevah and proclaimed the message that God gave Him to share).
(2) The Ninevites do God’s will by properly responding to the message (v. 5-9).
What is the proper response to the Lord’s message?
(A) Believe it (More than anything, God wants us to trust Him.).
(B) Humble ourselves.
(C) Fear the Lord.
(D) Repent of sin.
These are really the steps to revival. God will restore any person, church or nation who takes these steps.
(3) God does His will by pardoning the Ninevites (v.10).
This was really God’s desire all along. He wanted them to repent so He could spare them from His judgment. If we persist in sin, God has to judge us, but if we repent, He will graciously forgive us. He conditions it upon our response. Doing God’s will brings incredible results.
Questioning God’s Will
Jonah 4:1-11
Introduction: At the close of chapter 3, we saw God do a marvelous miracle when Ninevah repented at Jonah’s preaching. I would think the next chapter would open with Jonah rejoicing and being greatly excited. I would be that way if I had that kind of response to my preaching. However, we find the opposite to be true with Jonah. He is displeased and angry. At this point, he is questioning God’s will.
In a way, it is hard to understand how Jonah could have questioned God at this point after everything he had been through. However, we should be honest and acknowledge that we sometimes question God and His will as well. Why do we question God instead of accepting His will by faith? Well, I think we can learn some lessons from Jonah that show us why we do this and how we can correct it.
We question God’s will when we:
Are self-centered. The self-centeredness of Jonah permeates this passage of Scripture. When we are focused on ourselves, we will question God if things don’t go the way we want them to go. Jonah demonstrates this by his displeasure and anger with God (v. 1), when he prayed to die (v.3) [Aren’t you glad God doesn’t say yes to all of our prayers?], when he left the city and built a shelter (v. 5) [God had not told him to leave the city. He should have been doing follow-up ministry with the people who had just repented.], and when he got angry after the plant withered away. There is a great contrast between here between God and Jonah. God had compassion and concern for the Ninevites, but Jonah was only concerned about himself. Many Christians act like Jonah. The world around them is going to hell, but all they care about is their own comfort. They want the church to cater to them and keep them happy. God is calling us to get our eyes off of ourselves and focus on Him and other people. When He is at the center of our lives, we are much less tempted to question His will.
(2) Don’t know God very well. Jonah would have claimed to know God. He knew about God. He had a lot of head knowledge. However, his actions demonstrated that he really did not know God very well. We must remember that our actions, not our knowledge, are the test of our spiritual maturity. Jonah made a beautiful statement about who God is. It is recorded in verse 2. God is:
Gracious
Merciful
Patient
Loving
Forgiving
However, Jonah did not act in accordance with his beliefs. We are guilty of the same sin. This demonstrates that we don’t know God very well.
Are not reconciled to doing God’s will. Jonah never really accepted God’s will in this matter. He had gone to Ninevah, but he still had rebellion in his heart. As long as we are in this state, we will question God’s will. We can go through the motions outwardly but still be running from God in our hearts.
Have forgotten God’s mercy. God had been very merciful to Jonah in forgiving him and delivering him from the whale. However, Jonah had no mercy on the Ninevites. The Bible teaches us that we are to forgive as God has forgiven us and we are to show mercy as God has been merciful to us. Are we merciful to others? Do we pray and witness to help others be saved from God’s wrath?
Do not accept God’s sovereignty. The doctrine of the sovereignty of God teaches that God has authority over all things and that nothing happens that He doesn’t cause of allow to happen. This is very clearly demonstrated by everything that transpired in this book. However, Jonah still doesn’t accept it. He wants to be in control. He is acting like he wants to be God. Who is going to be God in our lives? Are we going to try to be god or are we going to allow God to be God? Self must be crucified instead of indulged.
Conclusion: The book ends with God expressing His compassion for this city. The love of God is amazing! He loves everyone. He is no respecter of persons. God’s heart is for people. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. Do we have this kind of heart for people? The Book of Jonah is a missionary book. The Jews were being called to evangelize the Gentiles. God’s people today are called to evangelize the whole world. Matthew 28:18-20 says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
JONAH STUDY-CONCLUSION
When we study the Bible, God wants us to learn practical lessons and put them into practice in our lives. To sum up this study, I would like for us to look at some of the basic lessons we can take from this book.
God has a specific plan (will) for our lives and He desires for us to know it and fulfill it. (Ephesians 5:17)
Obedience is incredibly important. (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
There are severe consequences that are attached to sin. (Hebrews 12:3-11)
God is sovereign and all-powerful. (Isaiah 46:8-10, Luke 1:37)
God is gracious and merciful (4:2).
God hears and answers prayers (James 5:16).
God pardons sin (1 John 1:9).
Repentance is necessary (Acts 3:19, Matthew 3:8, 2 Corinthians 7:8-12).
The preaching of God’s Word is incredibly important and powerful (Isaiah 55:11).
God cares for everyone, including Gentiles (Galatians 2:6, Acts 10).
God wants each of us to be missionaries (Matthew 28:18-20).
God is able to work and bring good out of every situation (Romans 8:28).
