Week 12

Hey, teacher. When are you going to teach us something valuable, like how to survive

in the belly of a whale?

Do-OverHave you ever received a second chance to do something you had failed to do, or do properly, the first time?How did that feel?Did you do things differently the second time around?

Jonah’s Deliverance and Prayer

(Jonah 2:4 - 10)

Quick Review of Week 11 ….

Jonah Going Down1:3 “went down to Joppa”

“went down into it” [the ship]1:5 “gone down into inner part of ship”

“lain down”fell “fast asleep”1:7 The sailors “cast [down] lots” “the lot fell [down] on Jonah”1:15 The sailors “hurled him [down] into the sea”

2:3 “you cast me into the deep” [on the surface of the water]2:5a “waters closed [down] over me [in midst of the sea]

2:5d “at the roots of the mountains” [the sea bottom]2:6 “down to land whose bars closed upon me

forever” “the pit”

[Jonah is in “Sheol,” the lowest point he could possibly go]

Jonah’s Resurrection

2:10 “the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon dry land”

2:7 “my prayer came to you, into your holy temple” [mount]

2:6 “you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God”

1:17 “the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah”

Big Picture• Yahweh threw Jonah into the deep, and before the fish

arrived Jonah recognized that he had been cast out of God's sight

• Still, he looked toward God's holy temple in prayer• As time wore on he sank as low as possible before

finally being rescued by the fish• Jonah then contrasts himself with “those who regard

worthless idols,” and contrasts Yahweh with those same idols, expressing his confidence that only those who hold faithfully to Yahweh will be delivered

• Finally, he resolves to demonstrate his permanent fidelity to Yahweh, and summarizes the whole episode in one brilliant line: salvation comes from Yahweh

Theology of the Cross• So the belly of the great fish appeared to be a

knife, but it was really a scalpel• Jonah’s torture is also his treatment, his

imprisonment is also his care• His pain is part of God’s corrective re-education

program• The great fish was not an instrument of God’s

punishment, but rather a vehicle of deliverance• It will enable him to continue

his ministry and also to save the Ninevites

Jonah’s Psalm• God does not expect everyone who praises or thanks

Him will have resolved every doubt or question concerning the nature of the world or of existence

• Jonah still disagrees with Yahweh concerning Nineveh• In his thanksgiving and praise, Jonah concedes God’s

call on his life to be his own and vows to follow that calling• He can continue to protest, but he cannot continue to run In the end, Jonah’s prayer is a witness of hope to us as believers• He gives thanks in spite of the uncertainty of still being at sea• He give thanks knowing that he did not deserve rescue• He gives thanks for a haven in an unlikely place• He gives thanks in spite of deep discomfort• Jonah gives thanks in spite of his unresolved questions & issues• His is a real and hopeful faith

… Now Week 12

“Woe to him whom this world charms from Gospel duty. Woe to him who seeks to pour oil upon the waters when God has brewed them into a gale. Woe to him who seeks to please rather than to appal [dismay]. Woe to him whose good name is more to him than goodness. Woe to him who, in this world, courts not dishonor! Woe to him who would not be true, even though to be false were salvation. Yea, woe to him who, as the great Pilot Paul has it, while preaching to others is himself a castaway.”

Herman Melville, Moby Dick

“We know that the great fish was an Arminian because no sooner did Jonah pray, ‘Salvation is of the LORD!’ than the great fish spat him out of its mouth!“ -- Spurgeon

Jonah 2:10And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited

Jonah out upon the dry land.What was the prophet’s condition after being brought back to land? Sometimes when we sin, God saves us but the experience leaves us a little "smelly." Should we be grateful?Why is it important that Jonah is back on land at the end of chapter 2?

The Structure of the Book of Jonah Scene 1: Jonah’s First Call (1:1-3)

Scene 2: The Storm at Sea (1:4-16)

Scene 3: Jonah’s Deliverance & Prayer (1:17 – 2:10)

Scene 4: Jonah’s Second Call (3:1-3a)

Scene 5: Jonah’s Preaching Converts (3:3b-10) Nineveh & Yahweh Changes His Verdict

Scene 6: Jonah’s Response to Yahweh’s (4:1-3)Change of Verdict to Save Nineveh

Scene 7: Yahweh’s Provisions and (4:4-11)Jonah’s Response

2Gath-hepher

Joppa

NinevehTarsus =Tarshish

The Structure of the Book of Jonah

Chapters 1-2 (At Sea)

• Word of God to Jonah 1:1• Content of the Word 1:2 • Response of Jonah 1:3 • Gentile Response 1:5 • Action of Captain 1:6 • Sailors and Jonah 1:7-15 • Disaster Averted 1:15c • Response of Sailors 1:16 • God and Jonah 2:1-11 • God’s Response 2:11

Chapters 3-4 (At Nineveh)• Word of God to Jonah 3:1• Content of the Word 3:2• Response of Jonah 3:3-

4a • Gentile Response 3:5 • Action of King 3:6-9 • Ninevites and God 3:10 • Disaster Averted 3:10c• Response of Jonah 4:1• God and Jonah 4:2-3• God’s Response 4:6-11

Depicts Yahweh’s power beyond Israel’s territory and across the sea

Depicts Yahweh’s power beyond Israel’s territory … into Nineveh

Jonah 3:1-3a

3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3a So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

SCENE 4

When and where did the LORD’s second call to Jonah take place? After Jonah’s disobedience and attempted flight to Tarshish, God could have called a different prophet to do His will in Nineveh. Why didn’t He? What application does this have for us as believers?

• Jonah is the only biblical prophet who must be given his assignment a second time because of his prior disobedience• Moses twice is given the assignment to ascend Mount Sinai and receive the 10 Commandments, but that was necessitated by Israel’s disobedience

• At this point in the narrative, Jonah has been to hell and back; he has experienced Yahweh’s gracious deliverance from Sheol• The “salvation” that “belongs to the LORD” has given Jonah a new start• The bedraggled, seaweed-draped, vomit-stained, and traumatized prophet was likely a bit more receptive to the Word of God this time!

Plane Crash in Jungle• Imagine a plane transporting criminals forced to crash land in a

tropical jungle• One hundred criminals and one warden survived• Once the plane crashed, all of the criminals fled the scene and hid

out in the jungle• The warden determined to take the initiative to hunt down the

others to bring them to safety• He began by finding one man and told him that he would pardon

his offence• He then enlisted him to help find the others• One by one the warden and the

former criminals hunted down many of the other men

• Eventually the warden had rescued a large number who returned to their homes to live good productive lives

Warden and Criminals• Some, however, refused the offer of pardon; they instead chose

to cower in the wilderness where they eventually died of starvation, disease or animal attack

• God is seeking fallen men and women … He tracks some for most of their lives

• He saves them by forgiving their offences; He then enlists them as means in that great work of rescue

• Obedience should never be separated from the great rescue mission of God to which we have been called

• God sought Jonah that he might bless others; that is why he tracked him down

• If he has sought you, please understand it is for no other reason than that you might bless others

• Jonah had a false contentment as he slept in the belly of the ship• You will never know true contentment until you are living out

that purpose for which God has sought you

Jonah 3:1-3a

3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3a So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

SCENE 4

Yahweh was gracious to Jonah by bringing him the word of the LORD a “second time.” In what others ways was God’s grace displayed?• God makes no reference to Jonah’s previous failure• God does not remind him of his deliverance from Sheol, nor of his promise, “what I have vowed I will pay” (2:9)• God’s words carry no rebuke for Jonah and no warning of what will happen if he fails to respond once again

1:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it (qara’ ‘al), for their evil has come up before me.”

3:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it (qara’ ‘el) the message that I tell you.”What is the same in these two passages? What is different? • Our ESV text doesn’t catch the subtle difference in 1:2 to “call out against it” (qara’ ‘al, with connotation “to denounce”) compared with 3:2 to “call out to it” (qara’ ‘el, meaning “to proclaim to”)• The content of what Jonah was to preach isn’t given in 1:2, but the construction makes it clear that it was to be a message of judgment• In 3:2 Yahweh commands Jonah to announce “to” Nineveh an as-yet unspecified message

Jonah 1:2 and 3:2

What does God say at the end of verse 3:2 about the message Jonah is to deliver in Nineveh? • The message he is to communicate is not his own; it comes from God … the focus is on the need for him to simply obey• When he gets to Nineveh, God will give him the message that he has for the city … but has Jonah learned to get on with doing what God says?What admonition should pastors take from this?

What nuance in Jonah’s prophetic status is potentially signaled here in comparing these two verses?• Verse 1:2 might suggest that Jonah was given a measure of freedom in how to word his judgment oracle• Verse 3:2 specifies that Jonah is to be completely dependent on Yahweh for the wording of his prophetic statement … It will not even be given to him until it is time to preach it

1:3a But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD

3:3a So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

What is the difference between Jonah’s response in chapter 1 and chapter 3?What are some possible reasons why Jonah obeyed the LORD’s second call?

Jonah 1:3a and 3:3a

Why does Jonah go to Nineveh this time?

• One answer might be that Jonah realizes he cannot escape Yahweh• This God has pursued him from Israel, across the sea, into the ocean

depths, met him in Sheol, then out onto the land again• At this point Jonah may simply be giving in, crying “uncle,” passively

acquiescing to what Yahweh wants• Perhaps he hopes or anticipates that the Ninevites will not

respond, in which case they will be destroyed• If Jonah is given any freedom in crafting his sermon, he might attempt

to steer the Ninevites to destruction• He could deliver a very short sermon containing no call to repentance

and saying nothing about escape or salvation• Perhaps Jonah goes because of his renewed faith

• Yahweh had provided a great fish for his deliverance, not abandoned him in Sheol, raised him up to new life, and reinstalled him into the prophetic office

• God has come “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10)

• At last, Jonah “went” (halak) – literally, he walks to Nineveh• In Hebrew thought, halak is walking through life following the way

of God’s teaching• This verb is often used to describe a person’s life of faith in

response to God’s word• The LORD called Abraham, saying, “Walk (halak) before me, and

be blameless” (Gen 17:1)• This was not simply an instruction concerning Abraham’s mode of

transport! • Nor was it to do with the number of miles he covered• It’s about his way of living … He was called to walk in God’s way• Jonah’s response to God’s second call was to walk in God’s ways in

response to Yahweh’s grace• In the NT, Paul uses “walk” (peripateo) to convey a similar

meaning (Rom 6:4; Gal 5:16; Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12)

Jonah 3:3a – So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

1:3a But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD

3:3a So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

Jonah 1:3a and 3:3a

• When God gives us a second chance to obey Him, it's tempting to think that this means God doesn't mind much whether we live His way or not• But a second chance isn't a sign of God's disinterest: it's a sign of God's mercy, giving us another opportunity to be part of His plansAre there areas of your life where you feel God is giving you a "second (or third or fourth!) chance"? Will you gratefully obey Him this time? And are you the kind of person who is like God in giving others a second (or third or fourth!) chance?

John 21:15-19When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son

of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

How do we see God's compassion here? What are the similarities with what happens in Jonah 3?• Peter had denied Jesus three times (John 18:15-18, 25-27); here, Jesus gives Peter the same number of opportunities to pronounce his love for Jesus• Peter's betrayal is met with Jesus' compassion: the one who turned his back on his Lord is restored by Him, and given a role in His plan – just as Jonah is in Jonah 3

After He rose from the dead, Jesus went for a walk with His disciple Peter … it was the first time the two had spoken since Peter had denied knowing Jesus while his Lord was on trial for His life

Does God have to have compassion or offer a second chance?• No. See the example of the case of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)What will Peter's second chance to serve Jesus lead to? • Martyrdom. Jesus is giving Peter a second chance, but that doesn't mean the second chance is easy! It still requires costly commitment.

The Structure of the Book of Jonah Scene 1: Jonah’s First Call (1:1-3)

Scene 2: The Storm at Sea (1:4-16)

Scene 3: Jonah’s Deliverance & Prayer (1:17 – 2:10)

Scene 4: Jonah’s Second Call (3:1-3a)

Scene 5: Jonah’s Preaching Converts (3:3b-10) Nineveh & Yahweh Changes His Verdict

Scene 6: Jonah’s Response to Yahweh’s (4:1-3)Change of Verdict to Save Nineveh

Scene 7: Yahweh’s Provisions and (4:4-11)Jonah’s Response

Revival!Great revivals have occurred throughout history:• Among the Jews in the first century• The tribes of Ireland in the fifth century• The Protestants in the sixteenth century• The people of Wales in the twentieth centuryYet one of the greatest revivals of all time occurred hundreds of years before any of these – the amazing revival in Nineveh in the 8th century BCIf a genuine revival were to occur in this country, what results would you expect to see?If God answered right now, in one fell swoop, every prayer you prayed last week, would anybody new be in the kingdom?

Jonah 3:3b-10SCENE 5 3:3b Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days'

journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Jonah 3:3b-5

What information are we given about the city of Nineveh?In Hebrew, the city is literally “a great city of God” as seen in the ESV footnote. What does this lead us to conclude about God’s attitude toward the inhabitants of Nineveh?Based on what we know about the Assyrian Empire, why do you think God was so concerned about the cruel and sinful people who lived in Nineveh?

3:3b Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The City of NinevehGenesis 10:8-12 – “Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.”

The Hebrew word gadol (“great”) occurs several times in the book of Jonah. This word is used to describe the city of Nineveh in Genesis 10:11-12, Jonah 1:2, Jonah 3:2, and Jonah 3:4.In what ways was Nineveh great?

GreaterNineveh?

• In the 8th century BC, Nineveh was one of three royal cities in the Assyrian Empire, the two others being Calah and Ashur

• Adad-Nirari III (810-783) had even built a royal palace there just a short while before Jonah came on the scene

• Thus, the city was very closely associated with Assyria’s monarchy and all that went with it

Neo-Assyrian Empire