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Focus Text: Jonah 3.1-3

I don’t know when the first poet said, “Once burned, Lesson learned; Twice burned, Lesson spurned.” Although I have no reason to believe that Jonah ever heard this poem, I have every reason to believe that Jonah knew what the poet was talking about! The first time God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah ran the other way. However, Jonah learned a life-changing lesson in the belly of a great fish. Because of that experience, the second go-round was entirely different. The Bible simply says, “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.’ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD…” (Jonah 3.1-3a).

The words, “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh…” are telling words. They tell us that Jonah was not about to question God’s instructions a second time; he had learned his lesson. As we consider the profiles of the prophets, we look at their good points as well as their bad points. A negative point regarding Jonah: He rebelled against God’s instructions the first time He told him to go to Nineveh. A positive point regarding Jonah: He did not hesitate to obey God’s instructions when told the second time.

Although not as dramatic perhaps, but other prophets and Bible characters were told things a number of times before they got the message. Moses was also a reluctant prophet who disdained the idea of going back to Egypt. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, actually had to be told quite a few things a number of times before he completely got the message. For instance, he was told that the Gentiles were to be equal heirs within the kingdom (see Acts 10.34-35) but on at least one occasion he was guilty of hypocrisy when it came to personally extending fellowship to them (see Galatians 2.11-13). While Saul (later know as Paul the apostle) waited for instructions necessary to his salvation, Ananias objected to God’s instructions to go to Saul because he had heard of his reputation as a persecutor of Christians. This brief review indicates that Jonah was not alone in his reluctance to accept God’s instructions, yet he has perpetually received criticism due to this trait. If the truth be stated, every accountable person who has ever lived has at one time or another been reluctant or downright rebellious concerning God’s will. While Jonah cannot be excused for his actions, neither should he be judged hypocritically by those of us who have exhibited similar traits from time to time.

The important thing to remember about Jonah is not merely that he rebelled against God, but that he repented of his rebellion and determined to become obedient to the Lord’s will. This is no different than Moses, Elijah, David, Peter, Paul, and multitudes of other biblical and extra-biblical characters. It is significant that the New Testament mentions Jonah and his work but there is no mention of his reluctance to follow God’s instructions. Rather, scripture does mention the fruit of his work in Nineveh, i.e., the repentance of the men of the city. From this account of Jonah, we can gather encouragement; in spite of our failings, God can still use us to perform meaningful tasks that positively influence others for eternity.

Questions:

1. What factors influenced Jonah to react differently the second time to God’s instructions?

2. How was Moses like Jonah? David? Ananias?

3. How was Jonah like every accountable person?

4. Why should Jonah’s story provide encouragement to us?

"'Winging It" from Stan Smith

Inerrancy in History