2 Samuel 21:1-14

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” ² So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. ³ Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?” ⁴ And the Gibeonites said to him, “We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.” So he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” ⁵ Then they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, ⁶ let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord chose.” And the king said, “I will give them.” ⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ⁸ So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; ⁹ and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the Lord. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest. ¹⁰ Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. ¹¹ And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.¹² Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. ¹³ So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. ¹⁴ They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.

Devotional
In this section of Scripture we see that God does not forsake justice, though it seems delayed for a season. Now the backdrop to this was when Saul was king he not only made war against the enemies of the Lord, in his misguided zeal he (and more to the point, "his bloodthirsty house" meaning those in his own family, vs, 1) thought to purge Israel itself of the foreigners within the boarders of Israel, specially the Gibeonites, who were not just resident aliens, but these were people, Israel in the days of Joshua had made a solemn covenant with (see Joshua 9). And so after Saul's death, along with his own sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchisua (1 Samuel 31:2), there still remained the sons of one his concubines who in all likelihood were apart of this genocide. And so long after his death and well into King David's reign, with David again firmly established on the throne God remembers Saul's killing the Gibeonites. And so it is now the Lord (the Covenanter with Israel) who remembers that Israel has broken their covenant through their genocidal act against them. For though God sometimes is "silent" for a season, He will not allow His people too perpetuate crimes and injustices against others, and thus violate His Holy Name, and then continue on as if no wrong has occurred, simply because of their covenant status with Him. For being in a covenant relationship with God means not only receiving blessing and privileges from God, but also it means fulfilling ones responsibilities to Him, as His Name bearer. And thus it means to be just in ones dealings with all people. And so it is now, that the Lord in the days of King David, brings a famine that lasts for three years on the land of Israel as a ongoing judgment against His people (who were not ignorant of Saul's murderous deeds) indeed some of whom must have also participated in Saul's crime, or were placid observers to it.
And so this famine is given directly by God to bring about justice for the Gibeonites, for the crimes that Saul and his household committed. Thus it is during David's reign, when he is well established, and the house of Saul can no longer pose a threat to the throne, that God brings that famine, knowing that His servant David would be a man who would seek His face, and would seek to do His will to make it right again.

It is then a wake up call to Israel which King David heeds when He understands that it is the Lord's hand who has brought this famine against His people to bring about justice. For the Lord is a God of justice (Deut. 32:4) who always does justice and so He moves His people (by one means or another) to do justice as His representatives in the earth (Gen. 18:19). And so it is when King David understands that it is the Lord who has brought about this famine that he as king and responds in humility and repentance on behalf of the people. And so he personally seeks out the offended Gibeonites, leaving them to prescribe what the atonement should be for the crimes Saul and his household committed again them. Now in this they request neither silver nor gold from Saul's house; nor do they ask for the death of anyone in Israel; though again who knows how many actually participated in Saul's genocide. Rather they ask that seven of his descendants should given to them, so that they might execute judgment on them, for the lives taken from them at his hand. (Something the Law also required, was the death of the offender who took another's life unjustly, and thus no financial remuneration could be taken for blood guilt upon the land, for blood can only be atoned for by blood, Num. 35:33). Now King David in giving up the seven decedents of Saul spares Mephibosheth Jonathan's son, who is different than Saul's own son Mephibosheth, (vs. 7-8). Now David does this for reason of the covenant between himself and Jonathan. Though it is also highly unlikely because of the lameness of Mephibosheth's feet that he had anything to do with Saul's murderous campaigns against the Gibeonites.

And so King David delivers up Saul's concubine Rizpah's sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth, as well as the five sons Michal the daughter of Saul that she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; when Saul gave her to him, rather than too David, as he swore he would (See 1 Sam. 18:17-30; vs. 19; 2 Sam. 3:14; 6:23).Therefore only the surviving heir's of Saul will be put to death. And so it is when they are delivered to the Gibeonites that they are hung before the Lord in the days of the harvest (vs. 6, 9). Now it is during this time that Rizpah the concubine of Saul will day and night stand watch over the bodies, from the beginning of the harvest until the late rains pour down from heaven, allowing neither birds of the air or beast of the field to defile the corpses (vs. 10). Now when David was told what Rizpah, Saul's concubine had done, David went to the valiant men of Jabesh Gilead and took the bones of Saul and Jonathan, Saul's son, whom they had retrieved from the Philistines wall in Beth Shan, when they hung them there after their defeat on Mount Gilboa at their hands, and thus David took their bones and he gathered them together with the bones of Saul's sons whom the Gibeonites had hung, and David gave them all a proper burial place, in their own country, in the land of Benjamin, in Zelah where their father Kish, Saul's father was buried (vs. 10-13). And so only then after justice had been served towards the Gibenonites, as well as the house of Saul, did God then heed the prayer for the land (Vs. 14).

Closing Thought:

When we sin against God and we hurt others, it is incumbent upon us to seek to make things right. To do justice and to make amends where and when it is appropriate to do so. Otherwise we too risk entering into a spiritual famine if you will, where God will not heed our prayers, nor grant us peace and prosperity until we do. Therefore it is far better as children of God to acknowledge our sins and transgressions to each other and trust in the Lord's mercies, rather than try to bury them. If you've wronged someone, than do as Jesus commands go and seek to make it right with them, otherwise you may have to bear your sin's punishment alone (Matt. 5:21-26).

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982

Jonah 4:1-11

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. ²So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ³Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” ⁴ Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” ⁵ So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶ And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. ⁷ But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. ⁸And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” ⁹ Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” ¹⁰ But the Lord said,“You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?


Vs. 1 Opens with a startling declaration given the amazing events that just unfolded. Therefore Jonah though a prophet of God, and himself a righteous man, did not delight in the repentance of the people of Nineveh. Instead the Scripture says “…it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry”. Now the words used to describe Jonah’s being displeased and angry carry very strong connotations; Jonah’s displeasure was such that he thought it evil that the Ninevites were shown mercy by God! Rooted in his anger maybe the fact that the Assyrians were a brutal people in war; who if not inventing, certainly delighted in the ripping open women with children of those they vanquished in battle. As well Israel as a nation was nearing its own judgment from God, which was to come at the hands of the Assyrians. Jonah then did not want Israel’s enemies to receive mercy; Jonah wanted God to judge them. However the Ninevites deep repentance clearly stands juxtaposed to Israel’s own lack of repentance at this time. Just as Jonah’s pagan shipmates actions stood in stark contrast to his own profession of fearing Yahweh. For they by their actions clearly demonstrated a fear of the Lord that Jonah as God’s prophet should have at that time.

Vs. 2-4 Jonah’s prayer here then reveals for the first time why Jonah fled from the Lord. It was simply rooted in his true understanding of Yahweh.  "…for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm." vs. 2
Therefore Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites, for if they repented, Jonah knew that God would pardon them. Jonah's wrath then in verse three, which follows his right declaration of God's Nature and dealings with all people everywhere in verse two, is exceedingly selfish given his right understanding of the graciousness of God. Who is always willing to forgive His enemies if in repentance and faith they turn to Him. Instead Jonah's response to this amazing outpouring of the grace of God is simply to say: ^"Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!" vs. 3 God showing the Ninevites mercy then was such an intolerable evil in the eyes of Jonah that he would rather die than actually see it! Jonah’s words and attitude are extreme to say the least, given Jonah’s own recent restoration that God mercifully had shown him, when he cried out to Him. Yet how much of Jonah’s attitude towards the Ninevites is reflected in our own attitudes when we are faced with the prospect of seeing God’s grace shown those whom we harbour hatred or a deep dislike for? Maybe because they have wronged or hurt us, or someone we love or care about? Especially if we believe that God’s offer to pardon their sins just maybe received by them. Jonah then is hardly unique in his anger. Just as he was not unique in seeking to avoid all contact with the Ninevites, so that he would not be a vessel of God’s reconciliation towards them if they repented. And clearly that’s what the Ninevites did. Though they were exceedingly wicked in their ways. When they heard Jonah’s preaching they heeded the warning and went into a deep repentance; both humbling themselves and putting their sins away. Why then shouldn’t they receive God’s mercy? Therefore that Jonah would rather die, than see Israel’s enemies receive mercy from God, reveals a longstanding error in God’s covenant people. For God does not delight in the death of anyone, rather that all should turn from their wicked ways to Him and live, as He says: "Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord God, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live?" Ezekiel 18:23
Just as the prophet Isaiah boldly cries out to all:
⁶ Seek the Lord while He may be found,
      Call upon Him while He is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way,
  And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
  Let him return to the Lord,
  And He will have mercy on him;
  And to our God,
  For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7

And even more to the point for us as recipients’ of the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us then remember Jesus’ own willingness to bear the wrath of God against all of our sins on the cross so that God could pardon all of our sins the moment we believed in Him (Eph. 1:13-14). It then seems incredibly unChrist like that we who are the recipients of this amazing grace and gift from God (John 3:16), would willfully devise ways to withhold it, punish, or shut others out from it. Yet sadly that is often the case when it comes to obeying Christ’s commandments for us to forgive and or seek reconciliation with those who have sinned against us (Matt. 5:21-26; 44, 6:4; 18:15-35; Luke 17:3-4; 2 Cor. 2:5-11). For though much grace is being preached, when the hurts touch home, how much of it is actually being practiced? Verse four then is God’s response to Jonah's unjust anger at the prospect of the people of Nineveh being shown mercy. ⁴ Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”Now the prayer and conversation between God and Jonah is very intimate and reveals God’s tenderness in dealing with His hurt children. That is the tone expressed in God’s question. Yet Jonah’s response to it is simply not to respond. Instead he again seeks to leave the presence of the Lord, though this time not as drastically as he did the first time. Now on a theological note the Lord’s question touches on the heart of His Sovereignty. For the Word of the Lord is this: … “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” ^{Rom. 9:15}

Vs. 5-8 So Jonah leaves the city goes and sits on its east side; and there he builds a shelter and sits under it “...till he might see what would become of the city.” vs. 5  Jonah then is still hoping for the Ninevites destruction. Nonetheless God’s lovingkindness is again highlighted as He prepares a plant to shade Jonah in his misery (vs. 6). And though Jonah in his heart is thankful for the plant; he is still keeping his heart from God. Now the Scripture says that “… as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. "And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live." ^{Vs. 7-8}
Now God’s lovingkindness for Jonah did not end when these events, which He created, began. For God is dealing with Jonah is just as a loving Father deals with his children when after he gives them time to work out their hurt and anger, but they continue to harbor it. Therefore God’s actions are a response to Jonah’s unwillingness to let his go. They are not designed to punish Jonah in his misery, but rather to get him to reopen the door of communication, and for him to ultimately see his own selfishness. Jonah’s response to these events though is the same as before; ...Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” vs. 8

Vs. 9-11 With Jonah’s unreasonableness God once again initiates dialogue by asking him a question; ⁹ Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” ¹⁰ But the Lord said,“You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock? vs. 9-11
With God’s question to Jonah and Jonah’s angry self justifying response, God’s mercy and patience stands in stark contrast with Jonah’s self centeredness. Now several points are being made by God. The first is that God is the sole proprietor of creation. He creates, nourishes, and sustains all. And He makes this point to Jonah through the analogy of the plant, which He caused to grow and then wither; which Jonah had pity on because it brought him much comfort. Yet Jonah did not have any empathy towards the Ninevites who are far more valuable than a mere plant; which arose in a day and was soon gone. Another is that unlike Jonah who had a true knowledge of God. The Ninevites did not, for they could not even discern between their right hand and their left, and thus that in itself was cause enough for God to be concerned about their welfare. For they had not yet rejected God; they simply didn’t know Him. Now the fact the God mentions even much livestock (vs. 11) indicates that God as Creator of all has an undeniable concern for all His creation; both of man and beast (Rev. 11:18). Those then who would deny God's loving concern for any of His creation no nothing of God, nor His love for all people, as they should know and worship Him.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982,

Jonah 3:1-10

¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” ³ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey^[a]in extent. ⁴ And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? ¹⁰ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.


With Jonah’s repentance the Word of the Lord again came to Him. For God will not use a preacher or anyone else who is not repentant of their own sins. Notice too that God’s original purpose for Jonah did not change, nor did the message change. God’s judgment was still looming over Nineveh and God's given purpose for Jonah was to warn them all of it so that God could avert taking punitive action against them if they repented. Now that notion of warning people that there is a judgment to come, (both of eternal rewards for those who turn from their sins and believe and obey the gospel and punishments for those who do not); all which will be handed out at the Lord Jesus Christ's Judgment seat. Is just as much a part of the Gospel's Message as God's love and salvation is. For it was God seeking to avert our coming under His eternal wrath and judgment which caused Him to first judge all our sins on His Son Jesus Christ. Who in obedience to the Father's Will was willingly crucified in our Place so that we might all have God's salvation when we repent and believe in Him. For it is Jesus Christ's Person and His obedience alone, and God's grace exclusively given to us because of Jesus Christ's obedience, that makes salvation possible, and ultimately happen in the lives of everyone who believes (Rom. 3:19-28). Thus God again commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, that great city, and to “…preach to it the message that I will tell you” (vs. 2). Not a message that Jonah had preached in times past, but a message that God would give him specifically for Nineveh. For God does indeed speak into all the circumstances of life through the mouth’s of His servants who obey Him. Sometimes consoling, sometimes exhorting, sometimes encouraging, sometimes even rebuking, but always instructing people everywhere to turn to Jesus Christ while they can for it is Christ alone who is the answer for every human need (John 6:35; 6:51). And so with Jonah's repentance, and having been commanded by God, Jonah now willingly yields to the will of the Lord and takes up the original journey that God intended for him, and goes straight to Nineveh “…according to the Word of the of the Lord.” Thus Jonah's preaching to Ninevah is his obeying the Divine mandate given him. Now the rest of verse three says that Nineveh “…was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.” That is a three day journey on foot to circumnavigate or walk through. Thus Nineveh was no small city. Indeed Nineveh was an ancient city, one of the four cities that Nimrod the mighty hunter founded in Assyria (See Genesis 10:11). The fact that Jonah spent three days and nights in great fish and that it would take him three days to cover the entire span of Nineveh seems no coincidence. For the Lord Jesus Christ called Jonah a sign to the Ninevites while equating His own being three days and nights in the heart of the earth a sign to a “wicked and adulteress generation” (Matt. 12:28-45; 16:4; Luke 11:29-30) who instead of repenting at His preaching and believing in Him only sought signs from Him. That is they sought an experience of God through Christ, but did not seek Him as God Himself! Yet those who souls are truly hungering and thirsting for God when they like Jonah come to their senses and seek God, or cry out to God in their distresses, as Jonah did, will do so with open hearts and minds. Not wanting to keep their old lifestyles or even their agenda's. But instead they want to cast their sins and rebellion away. They've had enough of the consequences of serving sin, self and Satan and instead having come to the end of themselves they want Jesus Christ to be their Savior, Lord and Master.

Maybe that's you today? Maybe you've lived your life in independence of God and apart from Jesus Christ and reaped a life of only emptiness, sorrow and regret and thus isolation from all that is God and is Good. If so please come home now to God through Christ, simply open your heart to Jesus who lovingly awaits your calling out to Him so that He might save you, and begin a new life within you (Rev. 3:20). All it takes is child like faith and humility before God, acknowledging ones sin and need for Christ, and Jesus will come into you and He will both save you, forgive you, and change you and begin His life by His Spirit, within you (John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:17).

Now the results of Jonah’s preaching repentance according to the will of the Lord are stunning. The people though thoroughly pagan “…believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them” (vs. 5). Even the king of Nineveh repented, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes (vs. 6). In fact the king went on to command a national time for fasting and repentance, from both man and beast; nothing in his domain was to be excluded (vs. 7). Neither man, nor beast, herd, nor flock was to eat or drink water. Instead every living domesticated thing; both man and beast was to be covered with sackcloth and everyone was to turn from their evil ways and from the violence of their hands (vs. 8-9). A national day of fasting and repentance outside of Israel is unheard of in the O.T. Scriptures. Yet these people; both individually and collectively all repented mightily at the warning of God’s judgment that Jonah according to the Word of the Lord preached to them. And with their repentance; when God saw their works that everyone turned from the evil of his hands; the Scripture says that God relented of the disaster that He said He would bring upon them (vs. 10).

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982

Jonah 2:1-10

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. ² And he said:

     “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,
     And He answered me.
     “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
     And You heard my voice.
³     For You cast me into the deep,
     Into the heart of the seas,
     And the floods surrounded me;
     All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
⁴     Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight;
     Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’
⁵     The waters surrounded me, even to my soul;
     The deep closed around me;
     Weeds were wrapped around my head.
⁶     I went down to the moorings of the mountains;
     The earth with its bars closed behind me forever;
     Yet You have brought up my life from the pit,
     O Lord, my God.
⁷     “When my soul fainted within me,
     I remembered the Lord;
     And my prayer went up to You,
     Into Your holy temple.
⁸     “Those who regard worthless idols
     Forsake their own Mercy.

⁹     But I will sacrifice to You

     With the voice of thanksgiving;
     I will pay what I have vowed.
     Salvation is of the Lord.”
¹⁰ So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Vs. 1 From the time of His receiving God’s command to go up to Nineveh to the time Jonah went down to Joppa, bordered a ship, and headed west across the Mediterranean Sea in the opposite direction, Jonah never prayed once. Not even when the captain requested his supplications, when he thought all was lost, did Jonah pray. But here in the belly of this great fish, in the midst of the sea, in what was literally a type of death, Jonah prays. Now Jonah is again personally identifying Yahweh as his God.

Vs. 2 Verses two through eight then are Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the great fish that God commanded to swallow him up.

“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,

             And He answered me.
            “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
            And You heard my voice.


Now Jonah cried out to the Lord because of his affliction. No other reason is given. Yet it was while Jonah was being afflicted for his disobedience that God heard him. Indeed the passage says God not only heard him, God answered him. If you search the Psalms this theme of being afflicted for ones transgressions, and then being heard by God when one cries out to Him, is an essential part of how God deals with us (Psalm 22:24-25; 25:15-18; 32:1-6; 38:1-22; 66:10-12; 69:1-36; 85:1-13; 107:1-43 etc.). For God does not chastise or discipline anyone without opportunity for reconciliation. Indeed the whole point of a believers chastisement is that God might keep us in a right relationship with Himself (Consider Heb. 12:3-11). Only when people or nations continually refuse to heed Him does God give them over to judgment (Hosea 7:12; Jer. 30:14; Luke 13:5; Rom. 1:18-36). So when Jonah hardened himself and refused to do the Lord’s will as he was commanded to do. Instead choosing to flee from the presence of the Lord. (Since Jonah did not want to preach repentance to Israel's enemies in Nineveh for then God would spare them if they did indeed repent). And thus Jonah though a prophet, instead of obeying the Will of the Lord, though he clearly knew it. Chose to shut out the Lord's voice and  literally travel as far away from the Lord and Nineveh as he could go. Therefore the Lord as a last resort (to turn Jonah away from the error of his ways) gave Jonah over to what an existence would be like apart from Him. Now Jonah likened being in the belly of the great fish to death. The word Sheol he uses is the Hebrew word for that, where one has conscience existence after being physically dead. Not that Jonah had actually died, but that he likened himself as being as those who are dead. Indeed Jonah’s being in the belly of the great fish is about as close as a living man can get to death without actually experiencing it. Now Jesus likened Jonah’s experience to what His own death would be like when He would taste death for everyone (Matt. 12:40). And spend three days and nights in the heart of the earth, after being crucified for our sins. And thus having purchased our redemption from sin and death (John 3:16). The Lord Jesus Christ now restores each and every believing individual back to life, and union with God, when we repent and believe in Him through the gospel (Mark 1:15). Therefore God had not given Jonah over to the grave, as Jesus would be given over to it. Though Jonah’s experience foretells Christ’s death, as Jesus says it does, it in no way mirror’s it. For Jonah’s taste of “death” is from this side of living; that is the place of utter despair and hopelessness that sadly some men and women experience in this life so that God might mercifully redeem then and restore them to Himself when they repent and cry out to Him (Consider Job 33:12-30). While Jesus’ taste of death was from death itself, which no one who goes to, without having first come to a personal faith in His Person before dying, ever returns.

Vs. 3 Jonah then acknowledges in his prayer and supplications to the Lord, that it is the Lord who has brought him to this grave place:

 “For You cast me into the deep,

              Into the heart of the seas,
              And the floods surrounded me;
             All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.” ^{Vs. 3}


Jonah then was literally shut up on all sides, as Jonah describes his alienation from God. Not a spiritual alienation, Jonah knew God, but a literally one . Now it should be mentioned the Tenor of Jonah’s words is also the tenor of Temple prayer, as recited in psalms (Psalm 42:7; 88:6-8). And thus Jonah returns to Lord according to God’s Word, not his own. Verses two and three then open Jonah’s declaration of the saving mercies of Almighty God. For though He afflicts, He heals and restores people when they repent and return to Him. While Jonah’s declaration of looking towards the Temple in Jerusalem (vs.4) was in the Old covenant economy where God was to be sought. Where sacrifice for the sin was to take place; both for the nation of Israel and God’s people individually. As well where the Gentiles could seek God (1 Kings 8:41-43). Now in the New Covenant we do not look to a Temple when we sin, since God has provided something far better and far more enduring for us. God has commanded that we all look to Jesus Christ’s cross, whether Jew or Gentile, for that is where God has made the finial and everlasting sacrifice for all our sins (Heb. 10:14). God’s mercies are found freely there for all who trust In Jesus Christ and His crucifixion death for the atonement of their sins (John 3:15-16).
Now returning to Jonah's state verse five to seven presents Jonah trapped in the belly of the great fish; a literal watery grave; for the word-translated pit in verse six is being used as a metaphor for Sheol. Thus it presents to the reader a word picture of being literally trapped in the pit of death. Something no one can escape from, for man universally having sinned is destined to it; to never return from it; unless they repent and believe in this life (Mark 1:15). For there is no ressurection life apart from repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ. Now Jonah’s prayer closes with an strong exhortation against idolatry by saying:
"Those who regard worthless idols
Forsake their own Mercy" vs. 8
For God will not give His glory to another (); nor will He be worshiped alongside of any other (). Therefore if you remember no other verse from the Book of Jonah remember that one, for it will take you far with God, and far away from those who worship Him in error. And thus in contrast to the multiplicity of "gods" of this world, Jonah's declaration is singly directed to the One True God who alone is Sovereign over all of His creation, and thus who alone is able to save anyone, from any circumstance of life.

"But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.
Salvation is of the Lord." vs. 9

"So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" vs. 10

Therefore Jonah's prayer/song closes with the bold declaration that salvation is of the Lord. For there is no other God who can deliver us from the grave and the eternal judgment found there (See Rev. 1:18).

Scripture Quotations

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Jonah 1:4-16

4 But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” 7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. 12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, “We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.


Now as Jonah’s ship headed in the opposite direction God commanded him to go, so the Lord in His perfect timing responds to Jonah’s move away from Him. "But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up." vs. 4
Notice first that it is the Lord who causes the storm to arise. This was no random act of "nature". This was the direct hand of Almighty God stepping into Jonah's life to stop His servants ongoing disobedience to Himself. Therefore as we will see perils in our lives can be the means by which God draws us to Himself, or back to Himself, as will be the case with Jonah. And so the ships men fearing for their lives; being exceedingly terrified of this mighty tempest that was threatening to destroy the ship and them with it; each one cries out to his “god”, that is their idols, but their “gods” did not lesson the tempest. Which is a lesson for us all now. For whoever or whatever is our "god" now, better be able to save us when our lives storms arise.
The Scripture also says in desperation that the ships crew threw its cargo overboard into the sea to lighten the ship, to keep it from breaking up, and they going down with it. And thus in a last ditch effort to save themselves, the men throw out the ships cargo, and with it any chance they would've had to profit from it. For when it's all said and done, all of one's worldly pursuits and pleasures will mean nothing but suffering eternal loss if one was never reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus Christ in this life. In this Jesus warns us all to examine our lives before Him, in this life, while we can.  36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:36-38
Maybe it's time then to seek the Lord and call upon His Name (Isaiah 55:6-7). For in the Lord Jesus Christ's Name there is salvation from sin, judgment and eternal damnation for all who turn to God and in faith receive Him (John 1:12). "For whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved!" Rom. 10:13

Now in contrast to the ships fearing crew who was discarding the ships cargo in attempt to save themselves. Jonah from the onset had gone down into the depths of the ships hull. "But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep."  vs. 5  Again the same Hebrew word that was twice used in verse three is used here again to describe Jonah’s having gone down. Yet Jonah seems neither worried, nor inclined to seek the Lord at this time, even while the ship and its crew was in peril of being taken by the sea; the cargo already being lost to it. Now this word is also Scripturally used to describe death or going down to the grave. Jonah’s "going down" then was not only bringing him near to it, but also those around him. For secret sins never have secret consequences (Num. 32:23). The idea then that by my sinning "I'm not hurting anyone" as the cliche goes, is never the reality. Sin always has consequences, and it always has ripple affects that inevitably harm others.
Verse six then opens with the ships captain coming to Jonah and saying: …“What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” The captain's words then are a stern rebuke to the stubborn prophet who seems bent on having his own way and having nothing to do with the "pagans" whom God wants him to preach too. While verse seven says that the ships men in desperation to find out who amongst them was the cause of this trouble coming upon them, cast lots. For there is a general belief amongst all peoples that troubles in one's life must have an origin: "For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground" Job 5:6  And thus these men with their lives on the line sought out an answer the only way they knew how by casting lots, an ancient practice, to see who was the cause of this trouble. Now casting lots is also a Biblical means to understanding God's will (1 Chr. 24:31; 25:8; 26:13; Acts 1:26 etc.). However before you start cast lasting lots as a means to discern God's will for you. It should be noted that for us in the church after the selection of Matthias as an Apostle to replace Judas Iscariot there is no more mentioning of casting lots amongst Christ's disciple's. For with the Holy Spirit's outpouring it is now the Spirit of God who sets His seal and approval on those whom Christ has chosen and called (Acts 13:2-3). And thus we as followers of Jesus Christ are to be Spirit led and guided by God; by His Word and His Spirit in our lives, especially regarding church affairs. Though here these men don't yet know God. Yet it was for Jonah whom this storm had arisen. And thus the Lord in His Providence answers them by lot (Prov. 16:33). And so verse seven concludes by saying that the lot fell to Jonah. If Jonah than thought that as a prophet of God he could avoid obeying the will of God to warn the people of Nineveh of God's imminent judgment, and thus avoid being realized by these men as a servant of God, by hiding in the depth’s of a ships hull, he was gravely mistaken. For just as a Christian can no more conceal their true identity in the world, even though they seek to hide themselves in the depths of it, so it is here with Jonah. For what we truly are always comes out (Acts 1:8). And so Jonah once previously unknown to the ships crew, is now at the center stage, with the men asking Jonah: …“Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” vs. 8

Five questions, in a sort of fearful rapid succession, are now fired off at Jonah by the ships crew.
“For whose cause is this trouble.” Or as the NIV puts it: "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us?" In other words they are saying to Jonah, what have you done to bring all of this trouble on us? And thus their questioning Jonah is more of an indictment of Jonah's person than an inquiry. Though it's not Jonah's person or character that needs to be called into question. It's his disobedience to the Will of the Lord, which these men are unaware of as of yet.

“What is your occupation?” Probably the most common question men first ask each other, and or use to asses another. Though it is no measure of ones person or character. Consider that Jesus Christ never regarded the "person of man" as if by these the true man, or the truth, would be made known (Matt. 22:16). Therefore whether one is a President or policeman, or even a priest or pastor, one cannot know the nature of the man, or his guilt or innocence regarding anything, simply by his occupation.

“Where do you come from?” Another frequently used question by men to asses another, and or their character. This is especially true where geographic locals or one's socio-economic standing has come to mean that someone has two strikes already against them! However one's stature in life, or anywhere else, never reveals one's character or person. For good and evil men (and women) are found amongst poor and rich, and in low and high places. Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan was given to shatter God's people's unjust biases (Luke 10:29-37).

“What is your country?” Another faulty “character test” which all to often leads to showing partiality, something God does not do (Acts 10:34). For nationalism is not the means by which God's people, or even Godly and righteous people are known. People are not inherently just or unjust simply because they belong to a certain nation (Rom. 3:23). Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ didn't just die for one nation, or to exalt one nation. He was crucified and rose from the dead so that He might gather all nations, people's, tribes, tongues (i.e. languages) to Himself. If you got biases then towards one, or against another, throw them out! For there not fitting the Kingdom of Heaven and it's citizens.

“And of what people are you?” Probably the most discriminatory and useless way to asses a person’s character. This can be anything from ethnicity, to even religious, or non-religious affiliation.

Now in response to their questioning him Jonah responds by saying: “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Vs. 9 Jonah’s declaration then is simple and to the point. Not that he is a Jew from a certain religious, social or geographical segment of it. Rather he indeed is a Hebrew who fears the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. Jonah then unequivocally identifies himself with the one true God and nothing else. Now with Jonah’s reply the Scripture says: “Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.” Vs. 10

Now there are two different words used to describe the crews and Jonah’s fear of God. And though they are linked a distinction in this case should be made. Their fear of God was from a polytheistic outlook; which grew exceedingly as Jonah declared to them that it was his God alone, who made the sea and the dry land, who made this storm arise, a storm that none of their “gods” could quell. Therefore their fear was not only of the storm, or the consequences it presented to their lives, but more directly of the God whom Jonah had offended by His disobedience, which brought these events about. While the word Jonah uses to describe his own fear of the Lord is far more frequently the Word used to describe a relational fear of the Lord, especially in the Psalms (Ps. 22:23, 25; 25:12, 14; 31:19; 33:18; 34:7, 9; 60:4; 61:5; 66:16; 85:9; 103:11, 13, 17; 111:5; 115:11, 13; 118:4; 119:74, 79; 128:1, 4; 135:20; 145:19; 147:11) where it is exclusively used that way. Nonetheless Jonah’s profession of fearing the Lord is seriously marred by his actions in fleeing from the Presence of the Lord; for which he is rebuked by these men. Since it is Jonah’s sin, which has put their very lives in danger. However with Joanh's revelation of Yahweh to them, the men realize if there is any hope for their lives it must be by obedience to Jonah’s God and not their own “gods.” Therefore Jonah’s shipmates ask him: ...“What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. 12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” Vs. 11-12

In the midst of this ferocious storm Jonah’s words must have seemed surreal to them. For to throw a man into the seas raging waters would surely mean his end! Yet the ships crews supplications to their own “god’s” did nothing to calm the sea, and they were now aware that it was Jonah’s God who was the source of their peril. Nonetheless instead of heeding Jonah’s words the Scripture says that the men (likely fearing Jonah's words) rowed hard and tried to make for land. But the “…sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, “We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows. Vs. 13-16

Notice that five times that the men to whom Jonah just revealed the Covenant Name of God too, used that very Covenant Name to appeal to Him! Since these men were in the midst of having a first hand encounter with the Living God they responded as men do who encounter God, with great fear! For when the Eternal God manifests Himself or His Power to mortal man there is always a quickening of one's person and ones obedience towards Him. Now several other things also took place that we should consider. First before they did this God did not relent. The storm continued to rage and grow more tempestuous even after Jonah confessed the name of the Lord. Only when Jonah was thrown into the sea did God cause the storm to cease. Thus not until God's Will was obeyed did the sea cease to rage. Therefore repentance always precedes deliverance. Whether this is an acknowledgement of ones sin, disobedience or even ones own helplessness. Repentance; that is a changing of ones mind, which leads to a changing of ones will, is where God meets us before He ceases our storms. For it is God, in His great love for us, who allows or creates circumstances that cause our own strength, resources or resolve to run out. That is one of the many and great mercies of our Heavenly Father that He draws many to Himself through the many distresses of this life (Ps. 117:23-31). For it is the Lord alone whose Mighty hand saves those who cannot save themselves (Consider Deut. 32:36; Psalm 7:1; 31:2, 16; 44:6; 54:1; 55:16; 57:3; 59:2; 69:1; 71:2, 3; 86:16; 108:6; 109:26; 116:16; 119:94, 146; 138:7; Isaiah 38:20; 45:22).

The second very noticeable thing is that it was the ships mariners who realizing that they could'nt outrun the storm, cry out to the Lord, and pray to the Lord, using the Lord's Covenant Name, not Jonah. Jonah though a prophet of God is noticably silent. Yet they having done all they could do to avoid throwing Jonah into the sea, they were the ones charged to do this through Jonah’s word. And thus they were exceedingly fearful of the Lord charging them with shedding innocent blood for doing so. For truly this was an unorthodox way to bring about a prophets obedience, and their deliverance from the storm. Therefore their petition of the Lord is to not to charge them with innocent blood for what they were about to do; that is throw Jonah into the sea, and thus to a certain death “…for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.” Vs. 15

The third thing that that they yielded to will of the Lord, something Jonah had not yet done. Though it might be said that they were coerced into taking that course of action. It was the Lord’s will for them, and they obeyed it, which is never unwise. While Jonah was not yet submitting himself to will of the Lord. He had to have the men throw him into the sea! Jonah though is not unique in his actions. People who know the Lord can refuse to do the will of the Lord. God having granted us all, as His image bearers a free will, makes that a very real possibility. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can refuse to do the will of the Lord when God reveals His will to them. Clearly then Jonah presents that attitude here, which again is not unique to him. Nonetheless God’s plans are never thwarted by mans. God always accomplishes His purposes. And He accomplishes them even when His own children disobey Him. Indeed God already knew how Jonah was going to react to His command even before He sent him to preach to Nineveh. And thus these events are not so much a reaction to Jonah’s disobedience, but a anticipation by God, which He Himself weaves into His salvation plans for humanity. And thus they will be used by Him to reveal the future coming of the Son of Man. Therefore God having forced their hands, He will bring Jonah to the place where they can meet and where Jonah's pride can be broken. For truly God (in spite of Jonah's ongoing defiance to His will) provided a fearful and powerful witness for Himself to these men whom Jonah's path had crossed, even while he was trying to flee from the presence of the Lord. And thus the Lord brought about a Witness for Himself and good for others, in that these men had an encounter with the Living God even as His chastening hand was upon Jonah.

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Note: This is an ongoing study of the Book of Jonah and it may undergo changes as I edit it. It will chronologically continue in the next blog entry.

Jonah 1:1-3 (Extended Commentary Version)

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 cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose 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 from the presence of the Lord.


Vs. 1-2 Jonah was a prophet of God from Gath Hepher; a town in the tribe of Zebulon in Northern Israel during the divided Kingdom era; when King Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.), an ungodly King (2 Kings 14:24) became king in Samaria, the capital of Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 14:23) and reigned from Tirzah, the former capital, which Jeroboam I reigned from, King Solomon’s servant who became the first king of the ten northern tribes when God divided Israel (1 Kings 11:26-40). Now Jeroboam II aligned himself with the sins of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:25-33) just as his father’s before him did (2 Kings 10:31; 13:1-2; 13:10-13). So King Jeroboam II was Israel’s thirteenth king (of the nineteen before their captivity by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.) and he was the great grandson of Jehu; Israel’s commander under king Ahab, the king whose house God said He would destroy forever to avenge the blood of the prophets whom Jezebel his wife murdered. Therefore by the hand of Jehu; whom God foretold through the prophet Elijah that He would do this (1 Kings 19:15-18) raised up during the prophetic ministry of Elisha, Jehu whom He commanded to destroy the house of Ahab forever (2 Kings 9:1-13). And so God raised up Jehu a treacherous man to avenge the treachery done in Israel by the house of Ahab. Now for Jehu’s obedience towards Him in destroying the house of Ahab, and putting an end to Baal worship in Israel. Jehu was promised by God that he and his sons would sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30). Of which king Jeroboam II was the third (Zechariah would be the fourth and final king in the legacy, 2 Kings 15:11-12). Yet even with that promise Jehu took no heed to follow the Law of the Lord; neither him nor his sons after him (2 Kings 10:29-31). Now back to King Jeroboam II’s reign. The nation of Israel was prospering. His father and grandfather under the prophesying of Elisha had been shown great mercy by the Lord God for the oppression done to the nation by the Syrians (2 Kings 13:14-23). And this grace continued towards the nation down through the lineage of Jehu to King Jeroboam II, right up to the prophesying of Jonah the son of Amittai (2 Kings 14:23-29). Thus King Jeroboam II’s tenure would be one of great prosperity and growth as his military campaigns according to the Word of the Lord caused Northern Israel to reclaim many of its territories back from the Syrians to the farthest extent not seen since the days of King Solomon, just as God said He would do for them. “He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.” 2 Kings 14:25
Now the entrance of Hamath was the northern boundary that God originally assigned for Israel (Num. 34:8), which came up to the foot of Mount Hermon (Josh. 13:5). This year round snow covered mountain marked Israel’s northern extremity, which itself is within eye shot of Syria and Lebanon. While Hamath (outside of its surrounding territories) was an ancient fortified city located on the Orontes River, about 115 miles north of Damascus (Syria’s capital) that King Solomon in his reign conquered and built storage depots in (2 Chr. 8:3-4). Now Hamath at various times was ruled by the Hittites, Syrians (Or Arameam’s), and the Assyrians. Its importance was that it was on a major trade route, which linked Near Eastern trade and traders with those of Egypt. Thus Jeroboam’s II recapturing it according to the Word of the Lord around 780 B.C. paved the way for the immense prosperity his reign had. Its strategic location also provided an excellent military outpost for northern Israel to guard against Syrian aggression. While the Sea of Arabah is synonymous with the Dead Sea in the south marking the Northern Kingdom’s boundaries with Judah, the Southern Kingdom.
Now the Dead Sea is fed from Mount Hermon whose highest point exceeds 9200 ft. whose snowy peak feeds a stream system that begins the Jordan River and which ultimately empties into the Dead Sea. Their mention here is simply to indicate that Northern Israel had recovered all of its territories from north to south.

Now though the nation was immensely prospering under King Jeroboam II, this prosperity was severely polluted by the moral corruptions within. The idolatrous sins of Jeroboam I; that is the golden calves by which he made Israel sin; were still being worshipped. The poor were being severely oppressed, even as the upper classes grew proportionately and more affluent, often at their expense (Amos 4:1-2). For there was institutional bribery, greed, oppression, immorality, arrogance, and blatant idolatry (Amos 2:6-8; 11-12; 3:9-10, 15; 4:1-5; 5:10-13; 6:3-7), even while God chastened the land to turn them back to Himself (Amos 4:6-13). And especially during the tenure of King Jeroboam II these sins were heightened. It is against that backdrop of false worship and God’s nation being devoid of true justice, righteousness, and holiness (Amos 4:4-5; 5:4-9; 21-24) that Jonah’s contemporaries Amos and Hosea also prophesied. In this Amos prophesied against six foreign nations or their capitals that surrounded Israel and Judah, then Judah herself. But the bulk of his prophesying was against the arrogance and corruptions within Israel. Declaring a spiritual famine on the land, of hearing the Word of the Lord, that would conclude with God’s judgment on all those who swore by the sin of Samaria; that is the golden calves that Jeroboam I set up for it (Amos 8:1-14). Thus Jeroboam’s II prosperous tenure was illusionary; a calm before the storm; an Assyrian storm that was rising up in the east to bring God’s judgment on the whole house of Jeroboam II; and ultimately end the Northern King’s dynasty forever. As the nation itself would be taken into captivity (Hosea 1:4; Amos 7:7-11) and it's kingdoms dynasty permanently abolished. That’s the backdrop against which Jonah the son of Amittai was called to go and preach to Nineveh.

Now Nineveh was an ancient city founded by Nimrod, the mighty hunter who also built Babylon (Gen. 10:10-12). It was located on eastern bank of Tigris River, opposite present day Mosul, Iraq. Later Sennacherib, the Assyrian ruler (705-681 B.C.) in the days of King Hezekiah would make it his capital. And though the Assyrians as a people cover a wide span of Old Testament history, Nineveh’s mention outside of Genesis in the Scriptures is silent until the time of Jonah, when it was at the height of its prosperity. In many ways than Nineveh’s importance to the Assyrians will revival that of Babylon to the Babylonians. Now Nineveh was an incredible achievement, of engineering and beauty, whose partially excavated site supports the Biblical account of Jonah. While Assyria at the time of Jonah was an expanding world power, whose increasing campaigns into Judah and Israel were the cause of a deep seated hatred by God’s people. For the Assyrians were known for their fireceness in battle and brutality towards those whom they captured. Now they first came up to Northern Israel beginning with King Jehu (841-813 B.C) and would continue to do so until the Israelites were according to Word of the Lord taken into captivity by Assyria in 722. B.C.
Therefore the Word of the Lord to Jonah, which was go and warn Nineveh to repent of their wickedness, for God’s judgment was imminent to fall upon them, but that was not something Jonah wanted to do. For God wanted the Ninevites to repent so He could spare them His judgment. And this was looming at the height of their prosperity; which in many ways parallel’s Israel’s own prosperity around this time. Thus Nineveh’s later repentance in many ways could be said to model what God wanted for His own people, as Jonah would later declare of the foolishness of idolatry, after being delivered from the belly of the giant fish; which became literally, as well as symbolically, a place of death, as Jesus would later cite Jonah in regards to His own (Jonah 2:8-9; Matthew 12:39-40). However God does not make people obey Him, not even His own people, He offers conditions of peace, but ultimately leaves the choice up to us all. Still Jonah wanted God to destroy Israel’s enemies without first offering conditions of peace. Not send him to go and preach repentance to the Ninivites so that they might be spared if they did indeed repent.

Vs. 3 Therefore instead of obeying the command of the Lord to go and preach to Nineveh so that they might be given a chance to repent. Jonah (likely in great anger) arose to go from the presence of the Lord. Going down to Joppa a beautiful city on the Mediterranean Sea coast where he found a ship heading to Tarshish, another city renowned for its wealth and trade (2 Chr. 9:21). Now Nineveh was a land journey located near the Tigris River northeast of Jonah’s hometown, readily accessible by trade routes to him, while Tarshish was a major ships voyage in the opposite direction heading west across the Mediterranean Sea! And so Jonah, after paying the ships fair to go to Tarshish “…went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”
Take note thn that Jonah after fleeing from the presence of the Lord “went down” to Joppa, a seaport city on the Mediterranean coast. Then he “went down” into bowls of the ship heading west for Tarshish. The word used in the Hebrew to describe Jonah's "going down" is quite literal meaning just that, “to go downwards” and it used twice to describe Jonah’s “progress” after fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Which stands juxtaposed if he had gone “up” to Assyria, which was the Lord’s command to him. The point is that in defying the will of the Lord Jonah was basically on a self-directed downward spiral. By outward appearances Jonah may have been heading to some beautiful Mediterranean locals where he thought he could flee from the presence of the Lord, and or would see no more of the Assyrians, Israel’s enemies; but apart from the Lord, and obeying His will for him, Jonah’s chances at success were nil. And as we will see the Lord can, and will, move heaven and earth to motivate His children to obey Him.

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982

Resources consulted for geographical and historical information:
Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary: An authoritative one-volume reference work on the Bible with full color illustrations [computer file], electronic edition of the revised edition, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995.

Jonah 1:1-2 (Short Commentary Version)

Jonah 1:1-2
1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

Vs. 1-2 Jonah a prophet of God, was from Gath Hepher, a town in the tribe of Zebulon in Northern Israel during the divided Kingdom era when King Jeroboam II an ungodly King (793-753 B.C.) reigned in Samaria. While Nineveh was an ancient city founded by Nimrod (see Genesis 10:10-12), which was located near the Tigris River, and eventually became the capital of the Assyrian empire, (885 B.C. to roughly 625 B.C.). Now Assyria at the time of Jonah was a growing world power, which frequently threatened Israel, beginning with King Jehu's reign, and would continue to do so until the Israelites were according to Word of the Lord taken into captivity by Assyria in 722. B.C. Now the Word of the Lord which came to Jonah was go and preach to Nineveh; but that was not something Jonah was willing to do, given their enemy status with Israel, though Jonah had already been a faithful preacher to his countrymen (2 Kings 14:25). Therefore when God commanded Jonah to go to and preach to Israel’s enemies at Nineveh, so that they might be given an opportunity to repent and be spared. Jonah hardened himself and refused. And thus Jonah’s hardness of heart is seen throughout the Book. For Jonah didn’t want the people of Assyria to receive God’s mercy, he wanted God to punish them. Which is an attitude that can easily frequent us as well if we harden our hearts to God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ to all people as well, especially those “we have a history with” and or who have sinned against us? Indeed if we grew up in the faith and have been "obedient" to it all our lives, we can also rather easily become like the older brother in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son who was quite unwilling to receive even his own brother, and thus became very upset at their Father for receiving and celebrating the return of His own repentant son (See Luke 15:11-31). Nonetheless God does not deal with people that way, for He wanted to show the people of Nineveh mercy, as He does everyone, for the Lord God takes no delight in the harm, death, or destruction of anyone or anything (Ezekiel 18:23), only Satan does (John 10:10). Therefore God never brings judgment on anyone without first seeking reconciliation. Offering conditions of peace by which He may bring forth our well being when in repentance and faith we turn to Him  (John 3:16). Again that the wickedness of the people of Nineveh had come up to God indicates God’s longsuffering towards all people, even His enemies. But even that has an end as the Apostle Peter warns us of those who now foolishly scoff at the Lord Jesus Christ’s Second coming and are not reconciled with Him while they can be (see 2 Peter 3:9-17).

Have you then come to the place of grace, of acknowledging your sins to God, and asking Him because of the crucifixion  death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross to save you from them? For repentance towards God begins with a humble heart (James 4:8-10); of being poor in spirit as Jesus said, which opens the doors of the Kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3). For Jesus can and does save us from God's wrath and judgment to come when we believe in Him (John 3:35-36). Trusting His death on the cross and Resurrection from the dead apart from anything we do or have done He then brings us into God's favor and peace. And this He does by bringing us into a relationship with Himself and God the Father by His Holy Spirit who indwells us all who believe, by which we experience His life and peace. For these things always begin on the inside, and are an outworking of Christ in our lives. They are not something we are to try to do for ourselves. They are something God does in us and through us when we repent and believe (Mark 1:15). If you would like to receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life (Rev. 3:20) and become a child of God (John 1:12) just pray a simple prayer like this, in repentance and faith: Dear Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner and that apart from you I have neither life, nor peace with God. Therefore I repent of my sins and self directed living and invite you into my heart and life to be my Lord and Saviour, in Jesus' Name amen.

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

John 1:5

John 1:5
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

That the darkness did not comprehend the light (or overcome it) as the margin reading gives it, is that it is of the Sovereign God that all those who do not believe and receive the love of the truth will neither prevail or prosper against the truth. For though the Lord Jesus Christ’s light shines everywhere and upon every person, there are those who simply do not comprehend it, as neither the Jews, chief priests or the Roman governor Pilate who acquiesced to their desire to crucify Jesus did not (see John 18:28-38; Acts 13:26-41). And thus they do not believe the revelation of the Living Word of God Jesus Christ, neither receiving God's gospel nor His redemption work done through it, for them, and us all. Yet that is exactly what God desires for everyone, to personally know Him, by receiving the love of the truth, the glorious gospel, the only Good News and hope for humanity, to mentally and emotionally grasp all that is about His Son Jesus Christ sent to save and redeem us all from our sins and death. To take firm hold of it like a thirsting man would a pitcher of water; or a starving man a loaf of bread. For only in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is found the grace of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes (Titus 3:4-7). That profound reality that God loves us all and has already atoned for our sins by Jesus' death on a cross, and now wants to restore His life back into us all (John 3:3-5), and thus by doing so restore us back to Himself, and thus save us all from the judgment to come, must never be lost on us (John 3:16-21). For the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not some “mystery” that one acquires by observing religious rites and rituals; nor is the gospel a message for only a select “obedient” few who think themselves worthy of it (Mark 2:15-17). The gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is for everyone who sees their need for the salvation of God and believes in His Son Jesus Christ as the sole means and Person charged with bringing it to us all. For it is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ who came down from heaven to earth as a Man to redeem us from our sins (Isaiah 59:2). And by doing so restore us to a right relationship with God the Father, by what He has done, not by what we have done (Eph. 2:8-9). Therefore By His own birth, life, crucifixion death, then resurrection from the dead and finally His ascension back to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God has made the way to God the Father possible for everyone and anyone who simply believes in His Person (John 6:29). For that is the light of Christ God shines on all of His creation, to come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ as the sole means of being reconciled back to Himself (John 14:6; 2 Cor. 5:21). To do so while the hour of grace is upon us all. For when you do, new and everlasting Life, Jesus Christ’s Resurrection Life will come within you, and thus the Holy Spirit by whom this life comes to us all who believe in Jesus, will seal you for all eternity (Eph 1:13-14). And thus Jesus having secured you forever (John 6:39), you have both physical life now, but also Spirit life by which one enters the Kingdom of heaven (John 3:3-5). No longer then separated from God by sin and death; and thus under the wrath of God, which is now reserved only for those who don’t believe in, nor obey His Son (John 3:35-36; 2 Thess 1:8). Instead having been born-again by the Spirit of the Living God, you and I are the children of God, because we believe and received the love of truth about Jesus, God’s only Son. For "...as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13


Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

John 1:4

John 1:4
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

Daily Devotional
In Christ was the life (that is the life of God that everyone one of us desires and needs) for it is the life in Jesus that is the light of men. That is what draws men and women to Jesus, the life of God within Him and. For that is the purpose that Jesus came forth from God to restore the life of God within us. Something that humanity lost when Adam; the first man who sinned, and thus sin entered the world through him, hence all of us being descended from him are born into that separated state from God. Spiritually dead and in need of life, God's life restored within us (Gen. 2:15-17). For the Scripture says "the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 6:23 And so it is for that reason that Jesus Christ came forth, stepping into our world as a Man, to not only restore us to life; the life which Adam lost when he sinned, and thus sin entered the world through him.
But to bring life, and to bring it more abundantly, which we all receive when we believe in Him (John 10:10-11; 3:16). For it is the Lord Jesus Christ's death on the cross by which first atonement for our sins is made, and thus His sacrificial death becomes the justification by which God through His Spirit imparts Jesus Christ's Resurrection life with us. And so it is Jesus Christ's life within us which likewise illuminates or gives light to all men, if we are in a relationship with Him (Matt. 5:14). For it is the life of Christ that is the light by which people find God and experience new and everlasting life (2 Cor. 5:17). We don’t impart the life, we are just partakers of it, and vessel’s by which Jesus (if we are living in a right relationship with Himself) illuminates Himself and brings true and everlasting life to others (2 Tim. 2:19-21). Again it is Jesus’ life that speaks to the very heart and souls of men and women and says: ...“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Proverbs 4:23

Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

Daily Devotional
What you give your heart over to eventually will rule your behavior and life. That is what this proverb is warning us about. For as a man’s feet are lead by his eyes. So the human heart is lead or mislead by what it embraces. And thus ones heart (that is the desires within it) often dictates what one's person and life will be like. Therefore keep your heart with all diligence is an exhortation for us to be discerning and careful about we embrace as truth and this we can do by keeping it solidly grounded in the Word of God. For it is only by knowing the Word of God that sin and error can be rightly exposed. For in this world there are many philosophers and philosophies, many “religions” and "belief" systems, and many if not all are contrary to the truth of God’s Living Word and thus God's Living Son Jesus Christ. Likewise popular culture in unending forms and mediums daily expounds various sins, vices and pleasures as the purpose and pursuit of our lives. Many subtle and not so subtle things to appeal to or entice the sinful nature of us all are bound up in this world; yet are so easily and readily justified by popular opinion and or assimilation. (Nonetheless consider what the Lord Jesus says in regards to these Matt. 18:7-9). Therefore my exhortation to you is guard your heart with all diligence and do not build your faith upon the transient values and "evolving" opinions of unregenerate men and women. Rather guard your soul by building your faith upon the Rock: that is the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead and learn obedience to His and His Apostle’s commandments. For that is the only safeguard against falling into the deceptions of Satan, who is the "god" of this world who ensnares and deludes all those who are ignorant, disobedient; or worse in their unbelieving pride make light of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word sent to save them and all who will believe in Him, from eternal destruction and the judgment to come. Therefore as a child of God be watchful and circumspect in all things, for there are many things (moral, spiritual, even doctrinal things) that believers can easily stumble into if they are ignorant and unaware of the dangers that are both in the world; and sadly, inside the house of faith as well (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.