Jonah
4 chapters · Old Testament · Berean Standard Bible
The prophet who ran the other way. God sends him to the enemy — and when they repent, Jonah is furious. A masterclass in God’s scandalous mercy.
Chapters
God calls Jonah to preach against Nineveh, but Jonah flees the opposite direction to Tarshish. A violent storm strikes the ship, and the pagan sailors prove more God-fearing than the prophet. Jonah is thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish.
From inside the fish, Jonah prays a psalm of thanksgiving — even from the depths of Sheol, God heard his cry. Salvation belongs to the Lord. After three days, the fish vomits Jonah onto dry land. Jesus cites this as a sign of His own death and resurrection.
Jonah preaches a one-line sermon — Nineveh will be overthrown in forty days — and the entire city repents, from king to cattle. God relents from the planned destruction. The greatest mass repentance in Scripture comes from the most unlikely audience.
Jonah is furious that God showed mercy — he wanted Nineveh destroyed. God teaches him through a plant that grows and dies: Jonah pities the plant but not 120,000 people. Should I not have concern for this great city? The book ends with God's question unanswered.
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