Jonah!
Today we begin our study of the mysterious little book of Jonah. We’ll be in Jonah for the next four weeks, with readings and commentary Monday-Friday. If you’re new here, I post each day’s reading and commentary very early in the morning, and, if you are on my Daily Bible email list, I send it out at 4:00 AM central. (Subscribe here.)
I like to divide up our readings into manageable chunks, and then to provide some basic commentary to help us get the most out of our readings. Today’s reading and commentary is located below.
Before we get there, here is a brief video I filmed that provides a quick overview of some things to watch for in chapter 1.
Also, I taught an all-church Bible study at Asbury last week on Jonah. (Here’s the handout that goes with the study.)
Jonah 1:1-3
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai,
“The word of the Lord” comes out of nowhere to Jonah as the book begins. We have no warning to expect it, and neither, it seems, does Jonah. Usually in the Bible, “the word of the Lord” is the message the prophet is supposed to convey. Here, however, the message is specifically directed at Jonah himself—he is supposed to do something.
“Jonah” is the Hebrew word for “dove,” and “Amittai”, Jonah’s father’s name, is related to the word for “faithfulness.” One of the many ironies in the book of Jonah is the name of the prophet himself, who acts nothing like his peaceful, faithful name.
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
“Get up. Go.” The Lord’s instructions to Jonah brook no hesitation. “Go! NOW.”
Why the urgency? Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian empire, an enemy of Israel. Stone reliefs from the time of the Assyrian king Sennacherib show how the Assyrians impaled their prisoners on stakes.
The Lord is sending Jonah to proclaim judgment against Nineveh.
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
But rather than obediently moving toward Nineveh (to the east) Jonah heads to Tarshish, which was located somewhere in the western Mediterranean. It was a maritime trading power, one that is seen negatively in the Bible as a place of wealth and temptation.
Jonah’s story is not off to a promising start.
My colleague Rodney Adams has been talking recently about the importance of immediate obedience. That is, when you know God is telling you to do something, do it right away.
So, let me ask?
What do you need to do right now?
P.S. I just have to tell you this! Joppa is a port on the Mediterranean, and there is one other significant story in the Bible that takes place in Joppa. Here, in the Old Testament, the prophet Jonah departs from Joppa to flee from his God-given mission to reach the nations. In the New Testament, the exact opposite thing happens with the Apostle Peter. “Peter,” which means “Rocky", is the nickname that Jesus gives him; Peter’s real name is Simon Bar-Jonah, which means “Simon, son of Jonah.” Peter’s dad’s name is Jonah! In Acts chapter 10, Peter son of Jonah is sent to witness to the Gentiles in Joppa and they hear and respond to the word of the Lord! It’s an amazing recapitulation of the Jonah story.
