28 Jonah
28 Jonah
28 Jonah
Purpose
Through
the
account
of
Jonahs
rebellion
and
Ninevehs
repentance,
the
book
of
Jonah
reminded
the
people
of
Israel
that
God
does
not
show
favoritism,
but
that
He
sovereignly
bestows
compassion
on
anyone
who
responds
to
His
message.
Jonah was a prophet from the northern kingdom of Israel during the prosperous reign of King Jeroboam II. This makes him one of the earliest of the writing prophets. Though he apparently did have a prophetic ministry in Israel itself (2 Kings 14:25), the book of Jonah records his message to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. Unlike most of the prophetic books, the book of Jonah is written primarily in narrative style, recounting Jonahs ministry in story form rather than in poetic oracles.
Key Verse
Jonah 4:2: He prayed to the LORD and said, Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. (NASB)
Structure
1
Gods
Anger
Against
Nineveh
2
God
Delivers
Jonah
3
God
Delivers
Nineveh
4
Jonahs
Anger
Against
God
Theological
Themes
Mercy:
Jonah
emphasizes
that
God
delights
in
granting
mercy
to
all
who
believe.
Jonahs
self-righteousness
blinded
him
to
this
facthe
wanted
to
see
Gods
enemies
suffer
rather
than
offer
them
a
chance
of
salvation.
Repentance:
God
was
quick
to
grant
a
second
chance
to
both
Jonah
and
the
city
of
Nineveh
upon
their
repentance.
Though
His
judgment
is
fierce,
it
is
never
unavoidable.
Anger:
Jonahs
quick,
selfish
anger
is
contrasted
against
the
patient
yet
righteous
anger
of
God.
Anger
is
not
a
sin
when
motivated
by
a
desire
for
justice,
but
it
must
be
balanced
with
compassion.