At a glance, it appeared as if Jonah was being unreasonable. But given the intense brutality the Ninevites enacted against Israel—Jonah’s kinfolk—his disdain was understandable. It made perfect sense that Jonah wanted nothing to do with warning his enemies of impending destruction. Added to that was Jonah’s awareness that God might be merciful to them. His feelings didn’t emerge in a vacuum; they were rooted in painful history. He knew exactly who these people were. He also knew exactly who God was.
Jonah knew God was merciful toward those who heeded His warnings, and that irked him. Why should people with such a history of abusive behavior be given the opportunity to repent? Why should they receive mercy after showing so little of it themselves?
Today, let’s camp out in this uncomfortable place in Jonah’s life. God called Jonah to minister to people he believed deserved nothing but annihilation. He ran because he had issues with God’s directive and the potential mercy concerning “them.” Jonah’s escape plan and refusal to complete the assignment were driven by history. He knew God was merciful, and that was the last thing he wanted Nineveh to receive.
It is easy to read Jonah’s story through the lens of a Sunday School lesson for children. But there are hefty realities beneath the surface. God wasn’t only addressing Nineveh’s wickedness; He was also addressing Jonah’s heart.
God took Jonah to the very place that hit him hard. Why? Because God is not afraid to take us down difficult roads. Healing is found down those roads, but we must confront the ugly truths within our hearts. Yes, He will send us on assignments that grate against our very nerves.
God would not allow Jonah’s hatred and anger to remain untouched. He intentionally selected Jonah, knowing exactly where his heart was. God doesn’t give our prejudices, bitterness, and resentments a hard pass. He will bring us face to face with them.
If heaven is our final destination, then we must allow God to deal with our hearts here on earth. We don’t know whether Jonah ultimately let God change his heart because the book ends without giving us that answer. But we do know this: having a good reason to hate doesn’t justify holding on to hate.
I don’t want my ugly prejudices, bitterness, or unresolved wounds to hinder my walk with God. That’s easy to say and much harder to live—but necessary nonetheless. Jonah’s story is so much bigger than him being thrown overboard and surviving by God’s grace to live and preach a hard message. It reminds me that God doesn’t have tunnel vision, as though He’s only concerned with the people He’s sending us to. He is also working on us—the ones He is sending. So yes, we can run, but we will still need to come clean with ourselves and walk in the forgiveness He has for all of us.
And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. Jonah Chapter 3 KJV
In the Master’s Service,
Author/Pastor Michele D Robertson
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 (KJV)