I am fascinated by the books of the Minor Prophets. They are poetic accounts of God’s relationship with his people in turbulent times. Their themes swing between two poles: rebellion and restoration. In between these two poles you encounter the full array of God’s emotions for a people he desperately loves but for whom he quite often pulls his hair out (if he has hair, pun intended). Through the mouths of the prophets, he gets angry, anguished, frustrated, grieved and so on. He warns, he rebukes, he gives up. At times cajoles, he pleads as he calls his people back. When they repent he pampers them with great promises, he blesses them with hope, he protects them, and he secures them a future. If you have never encountered the God of the Minor Prophets, you have missed out on a very unique way of understanding of God’s nature. You need to set aside some leisurely time read through those books.
Well, Jonah is not as poetic as some of the Minor Prophets, but the events are no less dramatic. Jonah is mentioned in 2Kings 14:25 during a long reign of King Jeroboam II in the Northern kingdom of Israel. In terms of time frame, he does his ministry in the years following prophets Elijah and Elisha. Jonah himself is a contemporary of prophets Amos and Hosea, both of who seriously warn Israel of impending exile because of their sin. Jonah's time was also the peak of national prosperity and patriotism. Therefore the idea that an Israelite would preach in a gentile city was nearly outrageous and a betrayal to the nationhood of Israel. This gives us the necessary background to understand why Jonah not only disobeyed but also took flight from God, and after he had been compelled to preach to Nineveh, why he was so disappointed that Nineveh was saved.
Nineveh was a gentile city. In no way would Jews associate with gentiles. In Deuteronomy, Jews had been instructed to stay separate from the gentiles so that the gentiles would not cause them to worship idols. With time, institutional religion had embellished this instruction and it was a near anathema for a Jew, especially a prophet to have anything to do with the gentiles whom they considered ritually unclean. Jonah was not going to Nineveh and be the one to defile the religious culture of Israel!
Secondly it was not just a gentile city. It was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s arch enemy. Any Israelite would be delighted to have God destroy them. Israel did have relationships with gentile cities such as Egypt, from whom they sought military alliances. But Assyria was a ruthless, cruel enemy. Who in their right mind would want to save such an enemy?
Thirdly, Jonah was sent that the city because it had become exceedingly wicked. What if Ninevites wanted nothing to do with foreign prophets? Who said that prejudice was the preserve of Israelites? In such a wicked city, his life would certainly be in danger! No way was he going to walk into a death trap!
As we plunge into this study, bear in mind that humanly speaking, Jonah had good reasons to respond the way he did: he was a patriotic Israelite, he was scared for dear life and he had no motivation whatsoever to want to help such a wicked city. As a faithful Christian, I would like you to place yourself in his shoes. Given all the above circumstances, what would you do if God sent you to Nineveh?
Well, Jonah is not as poetic as some of the Minor Prophets, but the events are no less dramatic. Jonah is mentioned in 2Kings 14:25 during a long reign of King Jeroboam II in the Northern kingdom of Israel. In terms of time frame, he does his ministry in the years following prophets Elijah and Elisha. Jonah himself is a contemporary of prophets Amos and Hosea, both of who seriously warn Israel of impending exile because of their sin. Jonah's time was also the peak of national prosperity and patriotism. Therefore the idea that an Israelite would preach in a gentile city was nearly outrageous and a betrayal to the nationhood of Israel. This gives us the necessary background to understand why Jonah not only disobeyed but also took flight from God, and after he had been compelled to preach to Nineveh, why he was so disappointed that Nineveh was saved.
Nineveh was a gentile city. In no way would Jews associate with gentiles. In Deuteronomy, Jews had been instructed to stay separate from the gentiles so that the gentiles would not cause them to worship idols. With time, institutional religion had embellished this instruction and it was a near anathema for a Jew, especially a prophet to have anything to do with the gentiles whom they considered ritually unclean. Jonah was not going to Nineveh and be the one to defile the religious culture of Israel!
Secondly it was not just a gentile city. It was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s arch enemy. Any Israelite would be delighted to have God destroy them. Israel did have relationships with gentile cities such as Egypt, from whom they sought military alliances. But Assyria was a ruthless, cruel enemy. Who in their right mind would want to save such an enemy?
Thirdly, Jonah was sent that the city because it had become exceedingly wicked. What if Ninevites wanted nothing to do with foreign prophets? Who said that prejudice was the preserve of Israelites? In such a wicked city, his life would certainly be in danger! No way was he going to walk into a death trap!
As we plunge into this study, bear in mind that humanly speaking, Jonah had good reasons to respond the way he did: he was a patriotic Israelite, he was scared for dear life and he had no motivation whatsoever to want to help such a wicked city. As a faithful Christian, I would like you to place yourself in his shoes. Given all the above circumstances, what would you do if God sent you to Nineveh?
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Thank you so much for putting this devotion together. I'm eager to go through the Book of Jonah.
ReplyDeletePhilippians was such a blast. Looking forward to learn from Noah and his escapades
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