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All that we know of Jonah is
included in this book and II Kings 14:25. From this book we see a
clear picture of the character of this prophet, and it is noteworthy
that Jehovah did not choose a perfect man. Jonah shows us tremendous
prejudice and demonstrates little willingness to actually do the
will of God. Beyond this while he is doing the will of God and
having great success we see that his motives are not those that
belong with the actions commanded by God.
This book is one of the
most abused books of the Old Testament, as many commentators
consider it to be to fantastic to be true. It is unbelievable
that so many of the men who claim faith in God are unable to accept
the word and working of our creator as he has presented himself to
us. As our creator he is able to take action as he chooses in this
universe, and in this case his actions are certainly unusual. It is
my belief that we should use this book of prophesy to learn about
our God, rather than using the book to judge him.
First, we learn
that he is able to take whatever action is necessary to accomplish
his will, and we are made to realize that the way he commonly treats
us is a product of his love and compassion, rather than his
limitation. Second, we see in the Old Testament time he had a
relationship with all nations, not just the Jews. The message of
repentance preached to Nineveh is the common message that has been
proclaimed to all ages by men of God.
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In the 1st chapter we see
Jonah as he receives a message from the Lord and is directed to go
and preach to Nineveh. His decision to try to avoid doing what he
has been told is probably a more common action than most
of us like to admit, yet the events that ensue seem very uncommon.
He chose to book passage to Tarshish to run away from the Lord. In the
events that follow he is thrown into the sea in order to save the
ship and the men aboard from the wrath of God. God has prepared a
special fish to save his life, and for the next 3 days Jonah's
life was one of constant prayer and repentance. Chapter 2 details his prayer to God.
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Chapter 3 tells us that
God sent his word to Jonah again, and this time Jonah obeys
completely. The message that is delivered is one of repentance or
total destruction, and to our amazement the people of this great
city respond to the message of God in complete obedience. This was
a greater success than that enjoyed by any of the prophets to the
Jewish people.
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In the last chapter we see
clearly the character of Jonah and his lack of compassion for the
people of this city. He became very angry when these people whom
he hated turned back to God and received forgiveness. He felt
compassion for the vine that had shaded his head, but he felt no
love for men who are created in the image of God.
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