THE BOOK OF JONAH INTRODUCED, BY REV DR JOHN KWASI FOSU

Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study Material on The Book of Jonah

Introduction

This lesson begins our studies on the book of Jonah. It forms our attempt to understand God’s mission and heart for all people and thus aims at inviting us to join in God’s ministry of reconciliation. By way of a brief overview, the book of Jonah describes how God commissioned the prophet to preach a message of doom to the wicked inhabitants of Nineveh (1:1-2). Rejecting this commission, Jonah boarded a ship going in the opposite direction (1:3). A violent storm pummelled the ship until the sailors were forced to throw Jonah overboard (1:12-16). After being brought to a large fish, land Jonah complied with God’s renewed command and warned the people of Nineveh about their impending doom (1:17-3:4). The Ninevites responded with repentance, and consequently God graciously averted the threatened destruction of their city (3:5-10). Jonah complained bitterly and God used a fast-growing plant, a hot east wind and a hungry worm to chastise and instruct him (4:1-11).

Authorship

Although the authorship is not stated in the book, many Jewish and Christian traditions identify the author to be Jonahs. As a Judean prophet, Jonah ministered during the reign of Jeroboam II in the eighth century BC (2 Kgs. 14:25).

Genre: Literary device of the book

Although Jonah is one of the twelve ‘Minor Prophets, the text is unlike any other prophetic book. It is the only one of the twelve written in narrative form. There is no prophetic pronouncement for Israel and the only record of Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh is the brief proclamation, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned’ (3:4, NIV). The uniqueness of Jonah’s book has attracted extensive discussions about the ‘genre’ of the book.

Several options have been explored. Some scholars see it as a historical record of a particular incident in the prophet’s life. In this light, the book deals with a historical figure and refers to historical places. However, this interpretation has been questioned on the basis that some of the events recorded in the book that many think are highly improbable. In view of that other scholars regard the book of Jonah as fiction, a myth, an allegory, a didactic story. By appealing to the sovereignty of God as portrayed in the book, the historical approach is followed in our studies of the book of Jonah.

Theological themes and implications of the book of Jonah

Reading the book of Jonah identifies certain theological themes and implications that are relevant to understanding the book and for practical Christian life. Among others, these include the sovereignty of God, retribution and divine compassion, and Jonah’s relationship with God and Israel as a source of blessings to other nations. The first two are looked at in this lesson

The sovereignty of God

The first main theological statement in the book is forced from the lips of Jonah the intense questioning of the sailors. Jonah confesses, ‘I worship (Heb. ‘fear’) the LORD, the God of heaven who made the sea and the land’ (1:9). In this confession, Jonah condemns himself: knowing this about God, he still chose to disobey. The statement describes the nature of God as revealed to Israel

God’s sovereignty over the sea and the land is demonstrated in several ways in the book of Jonah. God ‘sends’ the storm (1:4); and calms the storm (1:15). God prepares a great fish to swallow Jonah, and later speaks to it causing it to vomit up its hapless passenger (Jonah 2:10). The phenomenal growth of the plant shows that fertility is the gift of God (Jonah 4:6). Even a worm furthers God’s plans (4:7). God’s power over nature is demonstrated: other gods are useless during the storm, and in the psalm of Jonah (Jonah 2) idols are described as ‘worthless, Jonah’s declaration that God is the maker of heaven and earth reflects Israel’s faith in the Lord as the supreme authority. As the psalmist declares, the sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land’ (Ps. 95:5).

Divine retribution and divine compassion

On the one hand, the Bible portrays God as, ‘compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love’ (Ps. 103:8). On the other hand, it portrays him as a holy and jealous God who will not forgive rebellion and sin (e.g. Josh. 24:19). The book of Jonah shows that these concepts of divine retribution and divine compassion are not mutually exclusive. The theme of judgment and retribution dominates the first half of the book. God is the universal judge who will not tolerate the wickedness of the heathen city of Nineveh. Neither will he tolerate the disobedience of his servant Jonah, whose rejection of his divinely appointed task endangers not only his own life but also the lives of innocent sailors. The turning point of the book is Jonah’s repentance and his declaration that ‘salvation is of the Lord’ (2:9); here the tone changes from one of judgment to one of compassion. Jonah, rescued from drowning, receives a second opportunity to obey the Lord and through his ministry, the people of Nineveh hear God’s warning of impending doom. Their acceptance of this message and subsequent repentance leads to forgiveness. The book of Jonah ends on a note of compassion with God’s declaring, ‘Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (4:11).

Thus, although the book of Jonah endorses a view of God as a righteous judge who will punish the wicked, it balances this with the message that God responds to those who cry to him for mercy (4:2; cf. Joel 2:13). His love extends not just to Israel but to people of every nation. All the human beings featured in the book cry for mercy and God answers them: the sea grows calm for the sailors; Jonah is delivered from drowning and the people of Nineveh are pardoned. God is not like those earthly monarchs who, having made a decree, cannot change their decisions (cf. Dan. 6:15); he responds to humble repentance and earnest prayer.

Conclusion

This lesson has aimed at introducing the book of Jonah. Having looked at the general overview of the book, a brief authorship information and the general theological themes of the book have been studied. It is important to establish that among other things the book of Jonah invites us into a proper perspective about God viewing God as the Sovereign creator of the universe. Further, this creator has the power to show judgement and at the same time is compassionate.