The Fleeing Prophet

Context: Prophet Jonah (Jonah 1:1-2, 2 Kings 14:23-27, Joshua 19:10-13)

• Jonah is the son of Amittai from Gath Hepher, a territory that belonged to Zebulun
  • So he may be from the tribe of Zebulun and part of the kingdom of Israel?  
• Amaziah (good king) was king of Judah & Jeroboam II (bad king) was the king of Israel
• Justice disregarded, poor trampled and yet Jeroboam II ruled 41 years?
  • And expanded the borders of Israel? Why wasn’t he punished?
    • Because God saw the affliction of Israel
      • Jonah prophesied expansion of borders/power
• Called to preach to the people of Nineveh
  • Jonah choose to flee from the presence of God instead of obeying God
    • Took off to go to Tarshish – ~2000 miles away in opposite direction
      • God sent a mighty storm. But Jonah was fast asleep!
      • Other people had to remind the preacher to pray
      • Asks to be thrown overboard – rather than pray?
        • He would rather die then preach to Nineveh

What was the impact of the storm and the calm, on people around Jonah? (v1:15-16)

• During the storm they were praying
  • And begged everyone to pray to their gods!  Including Jonah the sleeper!
    • In the hopes that some god will notice them
• When the sea stopped raging, they saw the God who would notice –
  • And they feared Him exceedingly. They just threw His prophet into the sea.
    • From their perspective, Jonah wouldn’t survive
• People around Jonah, learnt about the God of heaven who made the sea & the dry land
  • They offered sacrifices and made vows

Who was responsible for Jonah’s affliction? (v2:3-6,1:12)

• According to Jonah
  • God threw jonah into the depths
    • But it was actually Jonah who asked the men to throw him?
  • God banished him from His sight
    • But it was actually Jonah who was fleeing from God’s presence?
• Even though Jonah knew the storm was because of him
  • And that the sea will calm down if he was thrown into the sea

When did Jonah turn back to God? What was God’s response? (v1:17-2:2,2:7-10)

• Jonah remembered God
  • After he was in the belly of the first for three days and three nights
  • When his soul fainted because of his affliction
• God heard Jonah’s voice –
  • Just the way God saw the current affliction of Israel and the future of Nineveh
    • And brought Jonah back from the depths
• God was always with Jonah. God sent and also calmed the storm.  God sent the fish.

Conclusion / Application

• Who do we blame, for our afflictions? God? Others? Ourselves?  
• When do we turn to God? Before the storm or after exhausting all options?
• Psalm 139:7 … where could I flee from your presence?

Main Passage Jonah 1:15-2:10 – World English Bible (WEB)

15 So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging. 16 Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh, and made vows.

17 Yahweh prepared a huge fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

2 Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God, out of the fish’s belly. 2 He said,

“I called because of my affliction to Yahweh.

    He answered me.

Out of the belly of Sheol[a] I cried.

    You heard my voice.

3 For you threw me into the depths,

    in the heart of the seas.

The flood was all around me.

    All your waves and your billows passed over me.

4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight;

    yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’

5 The waters surrounded me, even to the soul.

The deep was around me.

    The weeds were wrapped around my head.

6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains.

    The earth barred me in forever:

    yet have you brought up my life from the pit, Yahweh my God.

7 “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh.

    My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple.

8 Those who regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

9     But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving.

    I will pay that which I have vowed.

Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

10 Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.

Footnotes

1. 2:2 Sheol is the place of the dead.

Notes / Cross References

Jonah 1:1-2 1 Now Yahweh’s word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”

Jonah 4:2 He prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please, Yahweh, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.

2 Kings 14:23-27 23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria for forty-one years. 24 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to Yahweh, the God of Israel’s word, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher. 26 For Yahweh saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for all, slave and free, and there was no helper for Israel. 27 Yahweh didn’t say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the sky; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

Joshua 19:10-13 10 The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance was to Sarid. 11 Their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth. It reached to the brook that is before Jokneam. 12 It turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Chisloth Tabor. It went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia. 13 From there it passed along eastward to Gath Hepher, to Ethkazin; and it went out at Rimmon which stretches to Neah.