|And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.| Jonah 1:17.
You know the story! God commissions Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach repentance to the people. However, Jonah decides he will go in a different direction than God directed. So, he boards a ship headed to Joppa. A city in the opposite direction of Nineveh.
While the ship heads out to sea Jonah decides to take a nap. During his nap, a big storm arises. The captain and his crewmen on the ship are doing everything they can to save the ship and the men aboard. They throw cargo overboard, praying to their gods the whole while. But nothing seems to be helping.
They find Jonah asleep in the bottom of the boat, wake him up and tell him to pray to His God. Maybe Jonah’s God would hear and calm the storm. But, Jonah knows the reason for the storm. He must be thrown overboard. But the men decide to try and ride out the storm. But this met with no success.
The only answer to this stormy problem is to throw Jonah into the sea. He’s thrown into the sea and yes, the storm subsides.
We all know what happens next! A big fish swallows the prophet, Jonah. He remains in that fish for three days and three nights before the fish spits him up on dry land.
There is More to the Story
I am not saying always, but in most cases, the storm and the big fish become the focus of the book of Jonah. Curiosity about the fish and questions that arise are normal. Hey, I even ask questions and am amazed at the fact there is a fish big enough to swallow a man. My mind takes me to the inside of that fish and how awful it must have been, yuck! While curiosity and questions are a normal response when reading the book of Jonah, there is a much bigger story here. Jonah is a story about a Big God, not a big fish.
Our Big God
|I know that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.| Jonah 4:2.
The book mentions the great fish 4 times. However, the LORD is mentioned at least 53 times! That in itself should give us a clue to the focus of the story. Every book recorded in the Bible is God’s story. Ever turned page is an opportunity to look and see what it teaches about our big God.
God has a plan! The Bible reveals His plan and every story unfolds the fulfillment of that plan. Look at the book of Jonah and marvel at the greatness of God.
PLEASE STAY CONNECTED:)
Thank you for stopping by the blog today!
I would love for you to join my blog community for weekly and monthly newsletters, freebies, and exclusive discounts. And join me on instagram as we build a community of women cultivating the mind of Christ through in-depth Bible Study.
SaveSave
The repentance of Nineveh began with the people. Later, the king became involved himself and declared a fast after he heard how the people were responding to Jonah’s message. It’s very clear that Jonah did not want God to offer these people repentance. He was afraid they would accept. Which they did. Apparently, Nineveh was very violent in the past toward Israel. I can also think of a few people that I would like God to judge!
Jonah shows us that God’s prophets are human. Sometimes prophets have their own issues to deal with. They are not infallible. Believers must always judge the prophet’s message by the Word.
I think this book also shows us that God is the perfect Judge, but he offers repentance and will relent of his judgment. God’s nature is far superior to human nature. People are not gods of their own destiny. We are constantly receiving mercy from God.