Jonah, The Prophet who fled from the Call

When we think of Jonah, what comes to mind is a rebellious and disobedient prophet who rather than going towards the direction ordered by God, chose to march to the opposite direction. Have you ever wondered why Jonah fled the call? What might have gone through his mind when he made that fateful decision?

Jonah prophesied in a time when the Assyrians were the super power of the then known world. They were a cruel nation to any opposing kingdom. They are accredited for the invention of a form of torture to death whereby one was skinned alive and left to die.

When a nation rebelled against their rule, the Assyrians severely punished the nation to serve as an example to others. They used to spear people from the rear through the head and left the bodies hanging on the spears for days. They created pyramids with the severed heads of their enemies, they simply were a cruel and dangerous nation.

Jonah probably had witnessed or heard about this cruelty and knew how godless they were. He probably could not wait for the day that judgment would rain on the nation. Jonah might have been very bitter towards that nation and strongly believe that he had the right to do so, I think Jonah is justified in being bitter towards this nation. When Jonah was sent to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, he opted for a different direction.

It is amazing that God, rather than let Jonah go his way, he miraculously took him to where he was supposed to go and the dramatic arrival of Jonah might have strengthened his message. The Bible states that everyone repented and the whole city turned to God. This was contrary to Jonah’s expectation. Jonah hoped for judgment upon the city but God averted the destruction of the city. This made Jonah very angry that he wished to die.

The book of Jonah ends with God trying to open Jonah’s eyes to the fact that He is not God of the Jews only but God of the whole world, that He is not God of the righteous only but God of the unrighteous as well. That God is full of mercies and gracious enough to forgive whoever will humble and surrender to him. There is no race, no creed, no partiality with God, He is God of all creation.

I strongly believe that the book of Jonah is not more about the prophet Jonah but rather about God, who is sovereign over all nations of the world and whose mercies are ever present. It is about a God who is ready and willing to reconcile all peoples back to Him.

Do you know that you are in the plan of God for salvation? God cares for everyone, it is His desire that everyone will come to the knowledge of Him. Do you know that God provided a solution to keep you from perishing? He provided His own lamb slain for the redemption of whoever believes in Him. That lamb is Jesus Christ. My prayer to you is that you accept God’s offer for your redemption, that you will accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. May the Lord give you the grace to call Him God.