The book of Jonah has been traditionally read in some circles on the Day of Atonement, what could these two have in common? The answer may surprise you as well as offer some prophetic insight and give us a great big question that we need to prepare an answer for.
Why is the book of Jonah there for us today? [most other minor prophets are dual] We are going to do a bit of a deep dive today and perhaps look into some things that you have never heard about.
We are going to look at this in 2 separate but meaningful and interrelated parts.
Who Jonah Represents
Jonah means “dove”
yônâh Probably from the same as H3196; a dove (apparently from the warmth of their mating): – dove, pigeon.
Dove: is positively associated with peace, affection, purity, holy spirit; but it also has negative connotations associated it with it such as a symbol of silliness (see Hos. 7:11). But notice here that it also can represent to the church:
Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart is awake; It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, “Open for me, my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.”
Jonah’s Duty
Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jereboam II reigned 792-750 BC
Fall of Israel 722 – 718 BC
Fall of Assyria 612 BC (612 destroyed by Medes / Persians and Babylonians primarily)
At this point in time, and possibly playing into the psyche of Jonah, was the fact that Assyria was conquering and expanding its empire all around Israel. As we can see from the timeline of events it was not too long after Jonah that the Assyrian empire took the northern tribes of Israel into captivity.
Jonah 1:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
They were a very cruel people as history attests to.
What Jonah Did
Jonah 1:3 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.
There are no other examples in the Bible of a prophet acting like this. He did not want to do the job God gave and he ran away from it on top of that.
Tarshish… is the west and the wrong direction.
Jonah 1:4 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.
Jonah 1:5 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.
Jonah 1:6 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.”
Jonah 1:7 cast lots…and the lot fell on Jonah.
Jonah 1:8 [who are you]…
Jonah 1:9 …I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God …
Jonah 1:10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid…
Jonah 1:11 …What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?…
Jonah 1:12 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.”
Jonah knew God was doing this because of him and this was his solution?
I am sensing despondency here. He would rather die than preach repentance to the Assyrians for their wicked ways.
Why Jonah Did What He Did
Jonah preached during the reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 792-753 B.C. and Israel’s Captivity 721-718 BC was at least 30 yrs later; Assyria, their captor, fell in 612 BC.
Pul (king of Assyria) came around 743 BC seeking tribute. May have already been some rumblings beforehand that Jonah was aware of BUT that withstanding, he knew about the prophecies of Assyria coming against Israel since he was a contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah.
Hosea 11:11 They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, Like a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will let them dwell in their houses,” Says the LORD.
Isaiah 10:5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
Isaiah 10:6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
The other reason that Jonah did what he did was because He knew how God was:
Jonah 3:10 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.
Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
Jonah 4:2 So 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.
Because he didn’t want God to show mercy to others
What Assyria Did
Jonah 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
the people of Nineveh believed God … This is one of the greatest miracles there is. It far exceeds the supernatural physical events.
from the greatest to the least of them…. Everyone, a humbling of them all; they were serious about it!
Jonah 3:6 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.
Sackcloth… it’s texture is rough, a symbol representing contrition.
Jonah 3:7 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.
A fast to cast off their wants and desires and rather put God first and seek His will!
Jonah 3:8 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.
They SAID they were wrong and theyACTED in a different way with contrition
They beseeched God as much as they could with only a carnal understanding of God and what He wants.
turn… (shûb) word used for repentance. They not only said they were sorry, but showed it in their actions as well.
from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands… This would have to include the northern nation of Israel who were threatened by the Assyrian empire. The problem was that Jonah only saw that Nineveh was being spared, but in reality Israel was being give more time to turn from it’s ways.
Jonah 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
Who can tell if God will turn (shûb) and relent (nâcham), and turn (shûb) away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
This is the root of God’s message; the messages of the prophets; and as we see here the Ninevites received the message of repentance from Jonah loud and clear.
Jonah 3:10 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.
Then God saw their works, that they turned (shûb) from their evil way; and God relented (nâcham) from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
We see this principle in:
Jeremiah 18:7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it,
Jeremiah 18:8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.
The main reason for prophecy is not the foretelling of the future, but the repentance of everyone.
This was a great work that had been accomplished! All should rejoice!
This is What the Day of Atonement is About!
The reconciliation of the rest of mankind to God! The church has been preaching: gospel, Christ, Kingdom of God, repentance for this very reason. This has been in the time leading up to the return of Christ The church has been lifting up its voice like trumpet; crying out in the wilderness.
But when the Great Tribulation is here – what do we do THEN?
- Do we go to sleep in the middle of the storm;
- Do we wish death so that we do not have to do what we are supposed to do
- Do we take pleasure at the death of our adversaries OR
- Do we pray for a change
Who Assyria Represents
Captors:
Assyria / Germany
Gentiles
Genesis 10:8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.
Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.”
Genesis 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel [Babylon], Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Genesis 10:11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,
Nineveh in the day of judgment
Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
Matthew 12:39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
What are the Lessons that we are to Learn
If they were to repent in the future?
Knowing how they will be in the future, what if they come into power and repent? We know that they will still be some of the most cruel captors in the very end – would we begrudgingly bring a message of repentance to them?
Would we be in the right frame of mind to do this personally knowing how the Assyrians are and would be?
This is the big question that we need to answer now!
How Do We Get into the Right Mindset
This future is inevitable!
Understand God wants All to Repent
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
2 Corinthians 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
God Extended us the Same Mercy while we were yet Sinners.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
We Can Not Run Away from our Calling
Jonah is representative of the church – that’s us now
Justice will be executed
Who was this written for if Israel was already in captivity 722-718 BC? The book of Nahum was written between 663 and 612 BC.
The name Nahum means “Comfort” and I think that this is what it was meant to convey to those that put their faith and confidence in God – He will protect!
Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
Slow to anger… He gives everyone enough time to come around. In this case how much time did He give Nineveh – from the time of Jonah until this point – 90-140 years? That was a sufficient amount of time.
will not at all acquit the wicked… God’s judgment will come and it will be just and thorough.
The Assyrians are now back to their old tricks and old ways – the ones that Jonah undoubtedly warned them about. So in this sense there was a stay of execution for Jonah’s prophecy since Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes. But ultimately, Nineveh was overthrown as God said through Jonah that it would be.
Nahum 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs.
Nahum 3:2 The noise of a whip And the noise of rattling wheels, Of galloping horses, Of clattering chariots!
Nahum 3:3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. There is a multitude of slain, A great number of bodies, Countless corpses— They stumble over the corpses—
Nahum 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies [not the truth] and robbery. Its victim never departs. [in particular Israel and Judah are still being abused in captivity].
Nahum 3:2 The noise of a whip And the noise of rattling wheels, Of galloping horses, Of clattering chariots! [They are engaged in war here and the beginning of :3].
Nahum 3:3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. [and now the effects of their fighting] There is a multitude of slain, A great number of bodies, Countless corpses— [so many] They stumble over the corpses—
Nahum’s Message Will Go Out to Them Again in the End
Nahum 1:1 The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
There is no evidence that this specific prophecy was actually communicated to the Assyrians. This not particularly important considering that Jonah had already done that, conveyed to them their need to repent and turn from their ways about 90-140 years before.
We know that the core message of prophets is REPENTANCE. Assyria is told that this would happen to them if they continued in their sinful ways and did not repent.
Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
Who [people are the subject] can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
We continue to see this Day of the Lord imagery and “His indignation” or “My indignation” is another term for Day of the Lord and it is found throughout the Bible
Isaiah 10:5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. [Day of the Lord].
Isaiah 10:6 I will send him against an ungodly nation [Israel and Judah], And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
the day of trouble… Day of the Lord
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.
Zephaniah 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Zephaniah 1:16 A day of trumpet [shofar; sound of war] and alarm [teruah] Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.
Zephaniah 1:17 “I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse.”
Our Essential Purpose and Mission to the World
Do we see people as our enemy or an enemy of God; Do we see them as the tool that they are and will be used for in the future? Assyria and Germany attacking, killing, enslaving, abusing you (Nahum 3:1) – what will you want for them in the future.
If Repentance then Forgiveness (Atonement)
Fasting drawing closer to God. IF repentance and “turning” around, you draw near to God through the fast and casting off their desires of this life and seek God’s will. Forgiveness is THEN given. Atonement comes after repentance, the forgiveness is given with the washing of the blood of Christ.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Luke 17:4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
In the End God’s Purpose Will be Accomplished
Here is the true “comfort” – it all works out in the end!
Isaiah 19:23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.
Isaiah 19:24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land,
Isaiah 19:25 whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”