Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (28.3)

The Book of Jonah

Jonah Chapter 2:8-10, 3:1-5 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

v8.  Here is a piece of advice from Jonah: They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.  What do we mean by lying vanities?   It means vain superstitions, as those that make gods out of idols.  Those who worship idols will not find salvation, for that is what is meant by forsake their own mercy.  The sense then is that as soon as men depart from God, they depart from life and salvation, and that they retain nothing, for they wilfully cast aside whatever good that can be hoped and desired.

Lying vanities can also mean man’s own fleshly thoughts or inventions.  Jonah thought he could flee from the presence of God by going to Tarshish, but that is useless.  By going forward on such lying vanities, Jonah forsook his own mercy in that he lost the fellowship with the merciful God.

What value then do we attach to all superstitions, to all those opinions of men, when they attempt to set up religion according to their own will?  Nothing, for Jonah calls them lying or fallacious vanities. There is only one true religion, the religion of the God of the Bible. The Bible records how men in vain weary themselves when they follow their own inventions; for the more strenuously they run, the farther they recede from the right way. When men wander beyond the word of God, they in a manner renounce God and thus they deprive themselves of all good things; for without God there is no salvation and no help to be found.

v9.  But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving.  Here Jonah is giving praises, glory and honour to God.  He said he would honour God with his sacrifice of thanksgiving.  In those days, this would be in accordance with the Mosaic Law, but today, we offer sacrifice of thanksgiving with our lips.  Hence learn that we must not rob God of His glory and honour by keeping silent.  Rather we should praise Him with our lips, in prayer and in conversation, thanking Him for what He has done for us.

Next Jonah said: I will pay that that I have vowed.  Hence learn that God takes our vows seriously and He expects us to pay that which we have vowed.  Exactly what Jonah vowed in the fish’s belly we are not told, but judging from the way the events unfold, it is likely that he vowed to God that he would obey His command, even if it means going back to Nineveh, if God would spare him his life. 

And in connection with this vow, he said: Salvation is of the LORD.  Yes, He is the God of salvation, for there is no other way to be saved except by His appointed way. We see how absurd and insane men are, when they transfer praises to another, as every one does who invents an idol for himself.

v10. This verse tells of Jonah’s deliverance.  How was Jonah delivered from the fish’s belly?  By God’s command.  And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Notice once again that God speaks once to the fish, and it is done.  Contrast that to sinful men.  God the Holy Spirit strived with such sinful men many times, and the word of God speaks to them, yet the vast majority of them simply will not obey God in the Gospel call. How did the fish come near to shore and then vomit Jonah out, except it be at the divine command of our God?  Yes, our God is the God of all things for He created all things.

Jonah Chapter 3:1-5 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

v1.  And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time. Notice the emphasis on the second time. God is merciful and graceful to restore Jonah to his old office of prophet again. This itself is proof that Jonah is now reconciled to God.  God indeed speaks to each of us individually and in different ways, but He speaks to His prophet directly, for that is what is meant by the word of the LORD came unto Jonah. Are you hearing the voice of God? 

v2.  Here is the divine command given to Jonah the second time: Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. Here is the test of whether Jonah would disobey God yet again, for it is the same divine command upon which Jonah rebelled and fled before the presence of God earlier.  Notice once again the emphasis on the command, Arise, go.  Would Jonah go this time, to Nineveh, that great city?  

v3. We are told here specifically that this time round, Jonah did not hesitate to obey God.  So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.  We too should arise and go according to what the Holy Spirit tells us to do.  Are you sensitive to the prompting of the blessed Holy Spirit of God? 

We are told once again that Nineveh was a great city. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.  In size, Nineveh has a land area of approximately 211 sq miles (a city slightly smaller than the whole of Singapore). If a person were to walk through its streets and countryside, it would take three days to traverse it lengthwise. It is likely that Jonah meandered around in order to speak to as many people as possible. Nineveh had 120,000 babies in it according to verse 4:11.  Another source described this great city as follows: It was about 18.75 miles long and 11.25 miles broad (area approximately 211 sq miles), and 60 miles in circumference; the walls 100 feet high, and so thick that three chariots might go a-breast upon them; on them were 1500 towers, each of them 200 feet high. Nineveh was bigger than Babylon.

v4.  Now Jonah entered into that great city of Nineveh. Earlier in Jonah 1:2 Jonah was told simply to cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. In Jonah 3:2, Jonah was not told what to preach: preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. This signifies that God would be with Jonah to tell him what to preach at the appropriate time.  Now in this verse we hear the message to Nineveh from God: Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. God is going to destroy Nineveh, but there is a fixed time for them to repent, a reprieve of 40 days. This is not a pleasant message to preach, and Jonah was an unknown person to the Ninevites. Today we have a similar message to declare: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18). There is a fixed time for unbelievers to repent, for time stops at death.  Are you ready, willing and able to declare this message to the world of unsaved people?

v5.  What was the result of Jonah’s preaching? So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. Yes, mountains of men’s false confidence fell and masses moved to God at Jonah’s preaching. Jonah must have preached repentance, having denounced them of their sins, and perhaps Jonah’s own experience was preached as an example to the Ninevites. Anyway, the appearance of Jonah, after surviving 3 days and 3 nights in the fish’s belly, being all white as a result of the acidic activity in the fish’s belly, probably convinced the Ninevites that Jonah was truly a prophet of God, and that God is merciful and longsuffering, and will forgive them if they truly repent of their sins. Anyway, the Holy Spirit so touched them that they fully repented of their sins.