Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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THEBOOKOFJONAH
Lesson1,Introduction
Withinitsmere4chaptersJonahpresentsoneofthemorecomplex,
controversial,anddifficultbooksamongalltheProphetstointerpret.Thismight
seemcounter-intuitivesincethestoryisoneofthefirstthatJewishandChristian
childrenaretaught,andthestoryofJonahisportrayedasasimpleifnotfunsea
adventureofamanfallingoverboardfromashipandgettingswallowedbya
whale,butmiraculouslysurvivingintheinnardsofthatgiantcreaturefor3days
and3nights.So,whilethetitleoftheBiblebookwe’reabouttostudyisJonah;
andwhileonthesurfacetheprimarysubjectofthislittlebutpowerfulbookmight
seemtomostnaturallycenteronthequestionofwhatexactlyhappenedtothe
ProphetJonahandwhatwashereallylike(bymeansofseeinghowhereactedto
God’scommandtogoandpreachtogentilesinNinevehandallthe
misadventuresthatfollowed),themuchmoreimportantandseriousquestion
thatisactuallybeingasked,andrevealedtous,is:whatisGodreallylike?What
makesGodtick?WhydoesHedoasHedoes?What,whenweboilitalldown,
bestepitomizesGodinawaywecancomprehendHim,characterizeHim,and
thenexplainHimtoothers?I’mspeakingneitherofHissubstancenorHisshape,
butratherofHistruestnaturethatisbestexposedinhowHeoperates…not
theoretically,butinreality…throughouttimeandhistory,andtherefore
(presumably)throughoutthefutureandintoeternity.
Iopenedwiththisthoughtbecausequiteoftenincommentariesandacademic
monologuesabouttheBookofJonah(ofwhichtherearehundredsand
hundreds),thepremiseisregularlymadethatthecentralthemeofJonahisa
littlehazyanddifficulttoidentify.Theconfusion,Ibelieve,comesbyfocusing
attentiontoomuchontryingtodissectthepersonandactionsofJonah,instead
ofnoticingthecharacterandpurposeoftheGodheisreactingto.Likeanygood
story,therearemultipleliteraryelementsinvolvedinthetellingthatrevolve
aroundthemaincharacters.However,theelementsthemselvessurrounding
Jonaharenotthepoint;rathertheyarebutvehiclesfortransportingustothe
author’spoint.TherealityisthatmostnarrativeintheBibleisgiventousinthe
formofexpressionthatisusuallylessdirectastoitsprecisemeaningand
applicationthanwewishitmightbe.Wewouldofcourseprefertoencountera
seriesofboldandunmistakablyexplicitstatementsaboutmoralsandethicsor

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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ideologyorevenhumanpsychologythatwouldmakediscerningapassages’
meaningfareasierforus.ManyBiblescholarssaythatJonahisthemost
extremeexampleofthisproblemamongalltheBiblebooksoftheOldTestament.
Asonemightsuspect,then,theancientaswellasthemodernHebrewscholars
havedifferentviewsofwhatthisbookisteachingus,witheachviewpointbased
uponwhichelementofthestorytheyseeasthemostimportantonethat
conveystoustheultimatepointofthisstoryofJonah.Myjob,then,willbeto
helpuntangleallthis,andtodistillalltheseviewpointsdownintothesinglemost
likelyone.Andthen,stayingwithinthecontextofthetimeandcultureitwas
createdandwhotheintendedaudiencewastobe,seeifwecanlearnfromitthe
lessonthatYehovehwantsus,Hisworshippers,toknowandtopracticeitinour
ownlives.
So…whoisJonah?Thefirstverseofthebookclearlyidentifiesthepersonof
Jonahasbeingthe“sonofAmittai”.Oneofthethingstounderstandabout
biblicalHebrewnamesisthatwhenanamelikeJonahsonofAmittai(inHebrew,
YonahBenAmittai),orlaterevenlikePaulofTarsus,thesearenotcomplete
nameswithbothafirstnameandasurnameorfamilynameorwhatweinthe
Westtendtocall“lastname”.Theuseoflastnamesdidn’tcomeintouseamong
Hebrewsuntilcenturieslaterandwasreallymoreabouttheireventual
assimilationintoRomanculture.Rather,atthetimewhentheBiblewaswritten,
whenthenumberofIsraeliteshadgrownexponentiallyandthereweresomany
menandwomenwiththesamegivennames,adding“sonordaughterofsoand
so”wasawayofnarrowingdownWHICHlocalfamilysomeonebelongedto.But
eventhen,asonecanimagine,therewereduplicatesandsoitstillwasn’t
precise.
Evenso,thereisnorealdoubtthattheJonahsonofAmittaiintheBookofJonah
isthesamepersonthatismentionedintheBookofKings.
CJB
2Kings14:23-27
23
ItwasinthefifteenthyearofAmatzyahthesonof
Yo'ash,kingofY'hudah,thatYarov'amthesonofYo'ash,kingofIsra'el,beganto
reigninShomron;andheruledforforty-oneyears.
24
Hedidwhatwasevilfrom
ADONAI'sperspective;hedidnotturnfromallthesinsofYarov'amthesonof
N'vat,whomadeIsra'elsin.
25
HerecoveredtheterritoryofIsra'elbetweenthe
entranceofHamatandtheseaofthe'Aravah,inkeepingwiththewordof

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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ADONAItheGodofIsra'el,whichhespokethroughhisservantYonahthesonof
Amitai,theprophetfromGat-Hefer.
26
ForADONAIsawhowbitterlyIsra'elhad
suffered,withnooneleft,eitherslaveorfree,andnoonecomingtoIsra'el'said.
27
ADONAIdidnotthreatentoblotoutthenameofIsra'elfromunderheaven,
butsavedthemthroughYarov'amthesonofYo'ash.
ThisKingJeroboamof2Kings14isactuallyJeroboamII,andhereignedoverthe
northernkingdomofEphraim/Israelfrom793to753B.C.So,clearly,Jonahlived
andprophesiedsomewhereduringthistimeperiod.Thecityheissaidtobe
from…Gath-Hepher…waspartoftheterritorybelongingtotheIsraelitetribeof
Zevulun,andisverylikelythesameplaceknowntodayasKhirbetez-Zurra
locatednomorethananhour’s-walkfromNazareth.Atthistimeinhistory,Israel
wasadividednationconsistingoftheKingdomofJudahand(separately)the
KingdomofIsrael;ZevulunfellwithintheKingdomofIsrael.And,justsothere
isnomisunderstanding,Iwillswitchbackandforthwithidentifyingthenameof
thisNorthernKingdomassimplythat…orasIsrael,orEphraim,ormostoftenas
Ephraim/Israelbecausethat’swhattheScripturesdo.Intheeraofabout950to
720B.C.,thetribeofEphraimwasthedominanttribeinthenorthernpartof
Hebrew-heldterritory(Judahwasthedominanttribeinthesouth),andsoin
realitythatNorthernKingdomwentprimarilybythenameEphraim,andnot
Israel.However,theBibledoesattimesrefertoitasIsrael.Letmesaythat
anotherway:whilethenameIsraeltechnicallymeantall12tribescombinedas
asinglenation,we’llalsoattimesseethetermIsraelusedtoreferonlytothe
NorthernKingdom.Theonlywaywecanknowwhichiswhichisbythecontextof
thestatement.Withoutanyotherevidencetothecontrary,then,Jonahmust
himselfhavebeenpartoftheNorthernKingdomofEphraim/Israel,waspartof
thetribeofZevulun,andhewasatrained,experienced,andrecognized
ProphetofGodcalledtoministertoKingJeroboamIIstaringearlyinthe8
th
centuryB.C.
However,thatdoesNOTmeanthattheBookofJonahitselfwascomposedat
thatsametime.Infact,Jonahalmostcertainlyhadnohandinthewritingofthis
booknamedforhim.Rather,itwasananonymouspersonthatBibleacademia
typicallycalls“thenarrator”whowroteit.Jonahisnotwhatisdubbeda“writing
prophet”.Thatis,hedidn’twritedown(orhaveascribewritedown)hisown

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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propheciesandcircumstanceslikemanyotherprophetssuchasIsaiah,Jeremiah,
Ezekielandothersdid.
ThereisnoconsensusamongscholarsthatJonahwaswrittenbyasinglehand;
somebelieveitisacompositeworkofseveralauthorsandeditorsovertimedue
towhattheybelievearedifferentstylesreflectedindifferentpartsofthework.
However,thepreponderanceofbothJewishandChristianscholarsseesno
reasontodoubtthatJonahwascomposedbyoneperson.Theargumentsagainst
thisbeingtheworkofasingleauthorareextremelytechnicalandoften
far-fetchedthatmakelargeleapsandunlikelyassumptionsabouthowpeople
wrote.ThereareevenahandfulofscholarswhobelieveJonahwrotehisown
book.Veryunlikelyforacoupleofreasons.Firstisbecausethestoryisnottold
inthestyleofapersondescribinghisownexperiences.Butsecondistherather
criticaltone,ifnotdownrightnegativeportrayal,ofJonahfrombeginningtoend.
Itwouldbesounusualastobenearlywithoutprecedentthatapersonwould
writeaboutthemselvesinsuchaway,atleastwithoutspeakingoftheir
repentanceofhavingbehavedinsuchamanner,orofferingsomegoodreasonor
rationalizationforthatbadbehavior.Withoutanysolidevidencetothinkit
otherwise,I’mgoingforwardwiththeunderstandingthatasinglepersonwe’ll
callTheNarratorwrotetheBookofJonahsomeyearsafterJonahlived,andthat
theeventsrecordedinJonahactuallyoccurred.Tosummarize:theBookof
JonahisaboutJonah,butitwasnotwrittenbyJonah.
So,whenwasitwritten?Thereislittleevidencewithinitspassagestodateitwith
anyaccuracy.Itcouldhavebeenwrittenanytimefrom750B.C.toabout250
B.C.However,thelatestdateisprobablytoolatetoconsiderbecausetheBook
ofTobitmentionsJonah,andthecompositionoftheBookofTobitisthoughtbe
inthe3
rd
centuryB.C.Further,theBookofBenSira,whichwaswrittenveryearly
inthe2
nd
centuryB.C.,speaksofthetwelveminorprophets.Thistellsusthatthe
orderofthe12MinorProphetsandtheinclusionoftheBookofJonahasoneof
the12MinorProphetshadalreadybeenwellestablished.So,thelikelihoodthat
TobitandBenSirawouldmentionabookitdeemedasHolyScriptureashaving
beenonlyveryrecentlywrittenandplacedintheHebrewBibleisquitesmall.
Therefore,wecanprobablynarrowdownthedateJonahwaswrittentobeing
fromthelate8
th
centurytothe4
th
centuryB.C.,whichofcourseisstillasizable
windowoftime.Yet,inintellectualhonesty,wecandonobetter.

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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BothChristianandJewish(butespeciallyJewish)scholarshiponJonahtendto
seeJonahaseitherhavinginfluenceupon,orbeinginfluencedby,thewriterof
Jeremiah.OthersseeJonahasamidrash(acommentary)ontheBookofAmos
orevenofHosea.AfeweventhinkitwasaJewishmidrashontheBookof
ObadiahorJoel.Theybasethesepossibilitiesmostlyonwhereintheorderthat
the12MinorProphetsisgiventousthatwefindtheBookofJonah.IfJonahhas
anydirectrelationshiptoanotherPropheticbook,Ithinkitisclosestinnature
andsubjecttotheBookofAmos,butnotasamidrashofthatbook.Thispossible
relationshipissimplybecauseJonahlivedandwasactiveaboutthesameaswas
Amos,andtheybothweredealingwithcircumstancesoftheNorthernKingdom
andofAssyriaastheyexistedintheearlytomid-8
th
centuryB.C.Itis
unthinkablethattheywouldn’thaveattheleastknownofoneanother,andcould
wellhavebeenpersonallyacquainted.
Whatisinteresting(atleasttome)isthatthisbookisplacedamongtheMinor
ProphetsinsteadofsomewhereinthesectionoftheOldTestamentcalledThe
WritingswherewefindDaniel,Esther,Ruth,andotherbooksthattellstories.
Jonahissoextremelydifferentthanotherpropheticbookssuchthatthegreat
BiblescholarKarlBuddeevensuggestedthatitwasaddedtotheMinorProphets
sectionsothatthetotalnumberofthemwouldaddupto12(12beingahighly
symbolicnumberintheBible).AlthoughIfindthatpossibilityremoteatbest,it
can’tbeentirelydismissedanditdoestellushowdifficultitistoclassifythe
natureoftheliteraturetowhichJonahbelongs.ThisisalsowhymanyJewish
scholarsbelievethatJonahoughttobetakenasmoreofalong,stand-alone
parableorevenasamidrashonsomeotherbookofScripturethanitisabookof
prophecy.So,whywasJonahplacedwherewefindit?Probablybecauseitisa
shortbook(asisthenatureofallthebooksoftheMinorProphets),andbecause
ofthesubject,andbecauseofthetimeperioditspeaksabout.
OnerelationshipbetweenJonahandanotherbookthat,tome,isobviousbut
neverseemstobetalkedaboutistotheBookofExodus.TheJewishPublication
Society’scommentaryonJonahhighlightsthisrelationship,andIcandono
betterthantosimplyquotefromit.

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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ThereisafundamentalanalogybetweentheoverthrowdecreedforNinevehand
thesentenceoftotaldestructionpasseduponIsraelafterthesinoftheGolden
Calf(Exodus32:10).Yet,readersseemtobeunawareofthissimilarityuntilthey
realizethattheking’sdecreetothepeopleofNineveh(whichis),“Whoknows,
GodmayturnandrepentandturnbackfromHiswrathsothatwedonotperish”
(Jonah3:9),(also)echoesMoses’prayeronbehalfofhispeople,(whichis)“Turn
backfromyourwrath,andrepentoftheeviltoyourpeople”(Exodus32:12),
whilethenarrator’scomment(inJonah)that“GodrepentedtheevilwhichHe
hadsaid(Hewould)dotothemanddidnotdoit”(Jonah3:10)echoes(God’s)
acceptanceofMoses’entreaty,(whenwereadthat)“theLordrepentedofthe
evilwhichHehadsaidtodotoHispeople(Exodus32:14)”.
Whilewecoulddissectthisrelationshiponmostlytechnicalgrounds,forour
purposeIwantonlytohighlightthatwhatweshouldtakefromthisisthat|God
isalwaysconsistentinHisactions.InExodusGodwasdealingwithagentileking
thatwasanenemyofIsrael,andinJonahitwasthesame.InExodustheenemy
nationwasEgypt;inJonahtheenemynationwasAssyria.Inbothcasesthe
Lord’sgoalwasnottofindareasontodestroyapagangentilenationbutrather
tofindareasontoshowthemmercy.JustasGodsparedtheIsraelites,Hewants
tosparethegentilenationsHiswrath.However,forthattohappen,afterbeing
warnedbyaProphet,realactionbyIsraelwasrequired,justasactionhadtobe
takenbygentilenationsforGodtoforgoHiswrathuponthem.Thismessage
needstobedugupfromthemanyyearsitseemstohavebeenburiedand
separatedfromChristiantradition,andreborninourhearts.
EspeciallyintheWest,andespeciallyinthelastcoupleofcenturies,theChurch
has(forthemostpart)decidedthatourbehaviorhaslittletonoconnectionwith
oursalvation.Infact,shouldweattempttoworkoutoursalvationthroughour
deeds,thatitselfisasin.Toputitanotherway:whereasthefirststeptopeace
withGodisrepentance,thatrepentanceonlyinvolvesachangeofheartsor
minds,butnophysical,tangiblechangeofhowwebehaveisrequired.Biblically
speaking,thisturnstheactualmeaningofrepentanceonitshead,andthatfact
isstronglyandplainlyreflectedintheBookofJonah.Iwillsaywithout
equivocationthatrepentancehasnomeaningoreffectifitdoesnotalsoinvolve
adirectandsuddenchangeinourbehavior.Atrueandsincererepentance…a
savingkindofrepentance…then,consistsoftwoelementsthat,eventhough

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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theycanbespokenofseparatelytheycannotbeseparatedinactuality.Whileit
isn’tourgoodbehaviorpersethatsavesus,itisourwrongbehaviorthatleads
ustoneedingaSavior.Therefore,achangeinourbehaviortothebetteriswhat
Godseeksofus,andatthesametimethatchangeofbehavioristheproofthat
therepentanceofourheartisreal.I’llsayitthisway:SalvationMUSTresultin
achangeinourbehaviorandinourchoicesorwearedeceivingourselvesno
matterhowmuchwemayinsistotherwise.
ThisissomethingthatYeshua,Himself,emphasizedandlateronHisbiological
brotherJamesdidaswell.
CJB
Matthew7:15-22
15
"Bewareofthefalseprophets!Theycometoyou
wearingsheep'sclothing,butunderneaththeyarehungrywolves!
16
Youwill
recognizethembytheirfruit.Canpeoplepickgrapesfromthornbushes,orfigs
fromthistles?
17
Likewise,everyhealthytreeproducesgoodfruit,butapoortree
producesbadfruit.
18
Ahealthytreecannotbearbadfruit,orapoortreegood
fruit.
19
Anytreethatdoesnotproducegoodfruitiscutdownandthrowninthe
fire!
20
Soyouwillrecognizethembytheirfruit.
21
"Noteveryonewhosaystome,
'Lord,Lord!'willentertheKingdomofHeaven,onlythosewhodowhatmy
Fatherinheavenwants.
22
OnthatDay,manywillsaytome,'Lord,Lord!Didn't
weprophesyinyourname?Didn'tweexpeldemonsinyourname?Didn'twe
performmanymiraclesinyourname?'
IoftenrefertothispassageasthemostfrighteningoneintheBible.Itsmessage
isclear.IfyouclaimYeshuaasSavior,youWILLbeargoodfruit(youwilldogood
works).Ifyoudon’tbeargoodfruit,thenyouareeitheraliaroryouareseriously
self-deceived.Usinganagriculturalmetaphorthatanychildwouldhave
understand,Jesussaidthatobviouslyabadtreeisinherentlyincapableto
producegoodfruit,norcanagoodtree,byitsverynature,producebadfruit(or
nofruitatall).Butfurther,abadtreecanpronounceitself“good”fromsun-upto
sunset,butifitbearsnogoodfruit,thenthisisabsoluteproofthatitisnotagood
tree.
Afterthatstatement,Heimmediatelygoesontoexplainwhathappenstothose
whomaketheclaimofbeingagoodtree,butbearnogoodfruit.Itiscutdown
anddestroyedbyfire.Why?BecausegoodtreesaremadegoodbyGod,butthey

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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aremadegoodforoneoverridingpurpose:toproducefruit.Whatuseisafruit
treethatdoesn’tproducegood,usablefruit?Evenmore,onJudgmentDay,
thatpersonwhoclaimstobeaChristfollower,savedbyGrace,butwhoselife
reflectsnoevidenceofit,willbedeniedentrancetotheKingdomofHeaven.
Bottomline:goodfruitisNOTmerelyachangedheart(achangedmind);itis
alsochangedphysicalandtangiblebehavior.Onewithouttheotherservesno
purposebeforeGod,soitisdestroyed.
Jamesputsitanotherway.
CJB
James2:14-22
14
Whatgoodisit,mybrothers,ifsomeoneclaimstohave
faithbuthasnoactionstoproveit?Issuch"faith"abletosavehim?
15
Suppose
abrotherorsisteriswithoutclothesanddailyfood,
16
andsomeonesaystohim,
"Shalom!Keepwarmandeathearty!"withoutgivinghimwhatheneeds,what
gooddoesitdo?
17
Thus,faithbyitself,unaccompaniedbyactions,isdead.
18
But
someonewillsaythatyouhavefaithandIhaveactions.Showmethisfaithof
yourswithouttheactions,andIwillshowyoumyfaithbymyactions!
19
You
believethat"Godisone"?Goodforyou!Thedemonsbelieveittoo-thethought
makesthemshudderwithfear!
20
But,foolishfellow,doyouwanttobeshown
thatsuch"faith"apartfromactionsisbarren?
21
Wasn'tAvrahamavinudeclared
righteousbecauseofactionswhenheoffereduphissonYitz'chakonthealtar?
22
Youseethathisfaithworkedwithhisactions;bytheactionsthefaithwasmade
complete;
Andbytheway:theentireBookofJameshasbeenpartof,thenremoved,then
partof,thenremovedfrom,onlytobeputbackinourBiblesforcenturiesbythe
Churchmainlybecauseofwhatisseenasa“tooJewish”mindsetbasedupon
James’sfocusontheneedofaBeliever’slifetobeoneofactionandgoodworks.
Withoutthisaction,ourclaimedfaithinChristisdead…itisfalse…nomatterhow
muchwehaveconvincedourselvesthatitissincere.Thatis,itisnotamatterof
usbeingconvincedofaproperfaithinChrist;rather,itisGodbeingconvinced
andthatonlyhappenswithourgoodworksanddeeds.
Thus,aswewillreadintheBookofJonah,oncewarned,Godwillgivemercy
ONLYwhenHeseesthatthereisachangeofbehavior(inthecaseofJonah,itis
thebehaviorofthepeopleNinevehofAssyria).OldTestamentorNew,that

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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messageisthesame.Now,forthedifficultpart.IsthestoryofJonah
historicallytrue?Didhereallyfalloverboardintoaragingseaandgetswallowed
upbyawhale?Thensurvivefor3daysinsidethatsea-beastonlytobetakento
adistantshorewherethatwhalevomitedhimout!Thegoodnewsisthat
whetherthestoryisrealorfictionalthemoraltoitistrueanditremainsthe
same.So,isitimportantforustoknowwhetherthisisactualhistoryor
alternatelyisitisawell-fashionedfablewithadivinetruthasitspoint?Noone
canknowtheanswertothisquestionwithabsolutecertainty.Yet,thereareways
wecanthinkaboutittoarriveatareasonableconclusion.
Humannatureisgenerallypredictableoverthespanofhistory(usuallyforthe
worsethanthebetter).Humanswillidentifyandactuponwhattheybelievethe
storyistellingthemtodo(ornottodo)moreifitisrealanditactuallyhappened
thanifitismerelyapleasantfablewithagoodmoraltoitthatisessentiallyonly
theoreticaloridealistic.Amoralidealthatistheoreticalhaslesseffectuponus
thanonewhichweknowhasbeendemonstratedinpractice.Thetheoreticalsays
“thisishowweoughttothink,believe,andbehave”.Theactualhistoricalsays,
“thisishowwemustthink,believe,andbehaveandthisoutcomeshowsuswhy”.
ThisisthereasonthattrueevangelismbyBelieversisfarmoreinhowweliveour
livesthaninwhatweprofesswithourmouths.Howwebehaveovertimeisso
muchmoreconvincingandeffectivethananytractthatwecanhandoutor
speechwecangive.
JonahhashadahugeeffectontheJewishpeople,especially.ThestoryofJonah
wassowell-known,acceptedandbelievedtohaveactuallyhappenedthat
YeshuareferreddirectlytoitwhenspeakingofHisdeath,burial,and
resurrection.
CJB
Matthew12:36-41
36
Moreover,Itellyouthis:ontheDayofJudgment
peoplewillhavetogiveaccountforeverycarelesswordtheyhavespoken;
37
for
byyourownwordsyouwillbeacquitted,andbyyourownwordsyouwillbe
condemned."
38
AtthissomeoftheTorah-teacherssaid,"Rabbi,wewanttosee
amiraculoussignfromyou."
39
Hereplied,"Awickedandadulterousgeneration
asksforasign?No!NonewillbegiventoitbutthesignoftheprophetYonah.
40
ForjustasYonahwasthreedaysandthreenightsinthebellyofthesea-monster,
sowilltheSonofManbethreedaysandthreenightsinthedepthsoftheearth.

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
10/14
41
ThepeopleofNinevehwillstandupattheJudgmentwiththisgenerationand
condemnit,fortheyturnedfromtheirsinstoGodwhenYonahpreached,but
whatisherenowisgreaterthanYonah.
ItisnotcrediblethatYeshuawoulddrawonJonahifJonahwasmerelyafigment
ofsomewriter’sfertileimagination…andofallpeopleHewouldknow.Thereis
littlemoreimportant“sign”ofYeshua’sactualfulfillmentofprophecythanthe
onewefindintheBookofJonah.Jesusevencontinuesbydrawingacomparison
andcontrastbetweentheJewsofHisgenerationandthegentilesofNineveh,
sayingthatthepeoplewhothinkofthemselvesasGod’schosenareseenbyHim
asworsethanthepeopleofNinevehthatJonahspoketoandpronounceddoom
upon.And,thatasgreatasJonahtheProphetwas,Yeshuaisevengreater.The
bottomline:ChristcertainlythoughtthatJonahandhissea-sagawashistorically
true.So,I’lltakeHiswordforitandwe’llapproachourstudyofJonahbelieving
itastrue.
However,let’snotwhitewashthiseither.HowcouldJonahactuallyhavebeen
swallowedbyawhaleandsurvivedinitsstomachfor3days?Wecansaythat
thisseemsimprobabletoimpossibleonitsface;but,ifwedothatthenweare
sayingthatGodhasalimitationonHisabilitytoissuemiracles.TheBibleisfull
ofmiracles,andofpropheciesmanymoremiraclesthatareyettocome.Inthis
eraofscientismandaninsistencebyevenpeopleoffaith…whetherJewsor
Christians…oncompleterationalityasacceptedbyhumanintellectasthe
laboratorytestforbiblicaltruth,thentheansweristhatwhatispurportedto
havehappenedtoJonahcouldnotpossiblyhavehappenedandisbutaprimitive
fairytale.ThismindsetiswhywehavelargeandgrowingsegmentsoftheChurch
thataredenyingYeshua’sresurrectionandascensionorHisvirginbirth.Others
ofHismiracleshavebeenrationalizedawaybysayingthatthedeadthatHe
broughtbacktolifeweren’treallydead;orthatthefishesandtheloavesepisode
isbutagreatexaggeration,aswasHiswalkingonthewaterattheSeaofGalilee,
etc.But,ifthatisso,thenwhatuseisthebiblicalrecordtous?Paulhitsthat
matterheadon.
CJB
1Corinthians15:13-18
13
Ifthereisnoresurrectionofthedead,thenthe
Messiahhasnotbeenraised;
14
andiftheMessiahhasnotbeenraised,thenwhat
wehaveproclaimedisinvain;alsoyourtrustisinvain;
15
furthermore,weare

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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shownupasfalsewitnessesforGodinhavingtestifiedthatGodraisedupthe
Messiah,whomhedidnotraiseifitistruethatthedeadarenotraised.
16
Forif
thedeadarenotraised,thentheMessiahhasnotbeenraisedeither;
17
andifthe
Messiahhasnotbeenraised,yourtrustisuseless,andyouarestillinyoursins.
18
Also,ifthisisthecase,thosewhodiedinunionwiththeMessiaharelost.
Letmeputthisinplainterms:ifweremovemiraclesfromourfaith,ourfaith
collapses.Therefore,thosewhocannotbelieveinmiracles,yetclaimaChristian
faith,inrealityharborafalsefaiththatisworthless.MerelybelievingthatJesus
Christlivedanddied,andthatHewasanexceptionallygoodmanwithan
exceptionallygoodphilosophyoflifethatwealloughttoliveby,won’tsaveus.
Yeshua’sresurrectionwasamiraclejustaswasJonah’stimeinthebellyofa
giantsea-creatureamiracle.Endofstory.
AtthetimeoftheJonahstory,thenorthernkingdomofEphraim/Israelwas
prosperousandadmiredintheregion.Ontheotherhand,Nineveh,alargecity
inAssyria,wasnotandinfactwasstruggling.Historicalrecordsshowthat
Ninevehwasnotdoingwell.Assyriahadsufferedaseriesofmilitarydefeatsand
alsoweredealingwithfamine.Additionally,duringthissametimeamajor
earthquakehappenedasdidasolareclipse.Earthquakesandsolareclipseswere
seenasbadomens;thattheyhappenedsoclosetogetheronlyelevatedthe
anxietyofthepeople.ThemonarchythatruledAssyriaatthistime(Assur-Dan
III)wasweakandvulnerable.Therefore,Assyriawasatthistimenothreatatall
toIsrael,andofminimalthreattootherneighboringnationsintheregion;they
weretoobusysimplytryingtosurvivethantobeaseriousbothertoother
nations.Ibringthisupbecausethequestionof“whywouldGodsendtheHebrew
JonahtogentileNineveh?”needsananswer.
Duringthisera,Assyriawasnearlyuniversallydespised.Thiswaspartlydueto
theirreligion,andpartlybecausewhentheydidhavesomepowertheytreated
conqueredpeopleinhumanely,andpartlybecausetheywereknownasa
ruthless,immoralsociety.Yet,itisnotAssyriathatissingledout,ratheritisa
largecityinAssyria:Nineveh.Ninevehwasanimportantcity(probablythemost
important)withapopulationofwellover100,000people.Yetitwasinnoway
theofficialcapitalofAssyria.Evenso,itseemsthatNinevehthecitywasmade
representativeofAssyriathenation.ThisisnotanunusualthingintheBible.For

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instance,inseveraloftheMinorProphetswefindthatthecapitalcityofthe
NorthernKingdom(whichisSamaria)isregularlyusedtorepresenttheentire
nationofEphraim/Israel.Weevenreadaboutaso-calledKingofSamaria.In
reality,citiesdidn’thavetheirownkingalongsideanationalking.So,theKingof
SamariaisactuallytheKingofIsrael;it’sjustthatSamariawashiscapital.But,
NinevehwasNOTthecapitalcityofAssyria.Rather,Ninevehwasanimportant
citybecauseitwashighlypopulated,largeingeographicalsize,anditwashighly
influentialonAssyriansociety.VariousKingsofAssyriawereknowntohave
residencesthereasopposedto(orperhapsinadditionto)theirresidenceinthe
nation’sofficialcapitalcity.Thus,inJonahthementionoftheKingofNinevehis
definitelyreferringtotheKingofallofAssyria.
Anotherquestionthatneedstobeanswered:sinceJonahdidn’twritethisbook,
wheredidTheNarratorgethisinformationaboutallthathappenedwithJonah?
Especiallyaboutwhathappenedwiththosesailorsontheshipthatnearlysank?
SomeofitcouldhavecomedirectlyfromJonah,butotherpartsofthe
informationcouldhavecomefromthesailorsonthatfatefulcruisewhonearly
losttheirlivestoastorm.Itcouldalsocouldhavebeenbywordofmouthnottoo
longafteritallhappened;oritcouldhavebeenanoraltraditionthathadbeen
developed,whichhadbeenhandeddownfordecadesorevencenturies.Jonah
wasaverywell-knownfigureandsoonecanimaginethatwhenthosesailors
returnedhomesafelytheybeganspinningtheiryarnaboutallthathappened.
It’snotterriblyunlikehowtheGospelaccountscametobe.Theywerewrittenby
writerswhodidn’twitnessallthattheywroteabout.Somedidn’twitnessanyof
it,butrathertheyinvestigatedandinterviewedeyewitnesses,researchedother
documentsandpiecedtogetheranaccount.Wejustdon’tknowhowthe
informationaboutJonahgotputtogetherintoabookform.Yet,clearlyevery
generationofIsraeliteswhoknewofitaccepteditasrealandtrue…justasdid
MessiahYeshua.
Whileinformationtransmittedwordofmouthmightbeimpossibletoacceptifit
hadoccurredinourtime,whenphotographic,recordedaudioorvideo,orwritten
evidenceisconsideredthebestandmostreliablesourceofinformation,oral
transmissionwasactuallythenormalprocessforthebiblicaltimes,andeven
moresoaswegobacktotheeraofJonah.Oraltraditionwasalwaysinthehands
ofthetribalelders,whosejobitwastoprotectit,assureitsaccuracy,andhand

Lesson1-JonahIntroduction
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itdownfaithfullytothefuturegenerationssothatitwouldn’tbeforgotten.It
mightsurpriseyoutoknowthattheTorahwashandeddownthroughoral
traditionsforcenturieslongbeforeitwaseverformallywrittendown.Whilethe
internalevidenceisthatmuchoralloftheLawofMosesportionoftheTorahwas
recordedsoonafterGodgaveittoMoses,thereisnodoubtthattheremainderof
theTorahwasnot.Yet,it’struthfulnessandhistoricalaccuracywasnever
doubtedandsoitoughtnottobedoubtedbyus.
Further,becausewehaveacopyofJonahfoundatWadiMuraba’atintheDead
Searegiondatedtonolaterthan150B.C.,andwhenwecomparethatcopyto
whatisfoundintheMasoreticHebrewtextfromabout1000A.D.,theonly
differencesaresominorthattheyarenotworthmentioning.Thisishard
evidencethatdemonstrateshowcarefullyandfaithfullytheHebrewScriptures
havebeenhandeddownoverthecenturies…eventhroughthemillennia.Even
more,wehaveancienttranslationsofJonahmadeinseveralotherlanguages
andtheyallmatchquitewell.Wecanhaveconfidencethatwhatwehaveinour
modernBiblesistranslatedintoEnglishfromreliable,wellpreservedsource
documents.Thatsaid,Englishinterpretationsofthesedocumentsdovaryabit,
andwe’llencounteranimportantvariationnearlyimmediatelyaswebeginour
verse-by-versestudyofJonah.
Let’sconcludewithwhatthemotivecouldhavebeenforJonah’sstrangereaction
toGodtellinghimtogoandtakeGod’soracleofdoomtothepeopleofNineveh.
RightatthebeginningofJonahchapter4wereadthis:
CJB
Jonah4:1-2ButthiswasverydispleasingtoYonah,andhebecameangry.
2
HeprayedtoADONAI,"Now,ADONAI,didn'tIsaythiswouldhappen,whenI
wasstillinmyowncountry?That'swhyItriedtogetawaytoTarshishaheadof
time!IknewyouwereaGodwhoismercifulandcompassionate,slowtoanger
andrichingrace,andthatyourelentfrominflictingpunishment.
Jonahadmitswhyhebehavedashedid.HedespisedtherealitythatYehoveh
wasindeedconsistentwhenitcametometingoutmercy.AndmorethatGod
waspatientandlongsufferingevenasitconcernedgentilenationsandnotjust
Israel.Remember;fromthetimeofAbrahamonward,theFatherdividedthe
worldintotwofoundationalpeoplegroups:theHebrewsandeveryoneelse.So,

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whenGodgaveIsraelthePromisedLand,eventheterritorythateachnationof
theworldheldwasdividedintotwofoundationalgroups:Israelandeveryone
else.ThisiswhyintheHebrewScripturesthatwhenthetermgoyimisused,it
carriesthedualmeaningofnationsandofgentiles.Thatis,bydefinitionthe
nationsoftheworldAREgentilenations.There’sonly1Hebrewnation:Israel.
Jonahwascertain(aswereIsraelitesnearlyunanimouslycertain)thatGodonly
caredaboutthem(oratleastHeSHOULDonlycareaboutthem),andoughtnot
tobeatallconcernedaboutthegentilenations.Hewas,afterall,Israel’sGod.So,
whenJonahfindsGoddispensingHisgraceandmercytoagentilenation
(Assyria)itangeredhimtohiscore.Letmesaythatagain:Jonahconfessedthat
hehateditthatGodshowedmercyandcompassiontogentiles…soweneednot
doubtifthatwasactuallythecase.JonahwantedtheLordtolimittheboundaries
ofHismercyandcompassiononlytoIsraelsuchthathecouldactuallysaytoGod
(andI’llparaphrase):See,Ijustknewit.Whenyoufirstgavemethis
assignmenttogoandtellNinevehthatyouweregoingtodestroythem(whichI
wouldhavebeenperfectlyhappytoseehappenbecausetheselousy,foul
gentilesdeservedit)Isuspecteddeepinmyheartthatyouinsteadweregoingto
givethemachancetochangetheirbehaviorandthenyou’drelentandshow
mercyandyou’dforgodestroyingthem.That’swhyItriedtorunawayfromyou.
Andyouknowwhat?Iwasright!Youdidexactlythat,andIdon’tlikeit!
We’llbeginJonahchapter1thenexttimewemeet.