“Now THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JONAH the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 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. 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. 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 1:1-5)
While the Book of Jonah is not a prophetic book, the writer Jonah was a prophet, and he gave a prophecy. The very interesting thing is that the prophecy he gave DID NOT COME TRUE. Yet I have never heard a critic find fault with him for giving a prophecy that didn’t come true. Jonah said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). But it was not destroyed in forty days. It was a hundred years later that the city of Nineveh was destroyed. However, may I say that Jonah was speaking by the Spirit of God when he said what he did; therefore, it was fulfilled according to the Word of God. That will become clear near the end of the story.
“Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly…I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I WILL PAY WHAT I HAVE VOWED. Salvation is of the LORD.” So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” (Jonah 2:1,9-10) The amazing context of this poetic prayer is Jonah’s gratitude while inside the fish. He fully expected to die in the water. His thanksgiving within the belly of a fish is a proclamation of joy, with the realization that God has DELIVERED HIM IN SPITE OF HIS RUNNING. Jonah does all of this covered in whale vomit!!! “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!” So the people of Nineveh BELIEVED GOD, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them…God saw what they did. They stopped doing what was evil. So God took pity on them. HE DIDN’T DESTROY THEM as He had said He would.” (Jonah 3:4-5, 10)
Because Jonah obeyed God, He saved the lives of 120,000 souls…
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham