JONAH 1:4-6 - JONAH SLUMBERS WHILE THE SEA SWIRLS

JONAH 1:4-6

JONAH SLUMBERS

WHILE THE SEA SWIRLS

John 1:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Susan: God in His sovereignty controls all forces of nature. In the case of Jonah’s narrative, the focal point was a violent, rushing wind.

Psalm 104:4 Who makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His ministers.

Jeremiah 10:12-13 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

Susie: The Lord hurled that mighty wind to stir up a tempest. We read tempest and think, “Oh, a storm;” but seasoned sailors would not fear a regular storm. This was far more than some rain and slightly larger than normal waves.  We went to our favorite dictionary to get a better understanding of the word “tempest.”

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language:

Tempest - An extensive current of wind, rushing with great velocity and violence; a storm of extreme violence.

Susan: The sailors were trembling and were terrified the ship would be reduced to a pile of toothpicks, and they would become like Egypt’s army in the Red Sea, overwhelmed and overtaken by the waves, never to see land again as they would become fish food.

John 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

Susie: Each man cried out to whatever deity he believed in or even half-way believed in to save them. They sprang into action throwing all the valuable cargo overboard to lighten the ship in hopes of keeping it afloat.

Susan: Jonah, after his intense sprint to catch a ship at Joppa, was exhausted, physically spent. He felt the stress of running from God. The load of guilt on Jonah’s shoulders felt like something even Atlas could not carry. Jonah’s sound sleep was a result of his disobedience to God. When Jesus stayed sound asleep in the boat despite a sudden storm, it was because He was secure in His Father’s constant care and purpose for Him.

Matthew 8:24-27 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Susie: Therefore, Jonah lay snoring in the hold of the ship while it was all hands on deck and panic filled the air.

Jonah 1:6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

Susie: The captain of the ship realized that Jonah was the only man who was not simultaneously shouting prayers to his God and dumping excess cargo overboard.

Susan: The captain, in great haste, awakened Jonah and entreated him to pray to whatever God he worshipped to spare them. What a wake up call!

Susie: All of these pagan men recognized that this storm was of such magnitude that it must be a supernatural event. Because of the nature of their false gods, their immediate assumption was that a god was punishing someone. As they each examined their own lives and repented to their gods, Jonah had been sleeping through his “wake-up call” from God!

Susan: Jonah knew full well that he was the disobedient party who was fleeing God’s sovereign command.

QUESTIONS

1.        Who controls all of nature?

2. What did God use to literally and figuratively wake up Jonah?

3.        What was the response of the sailors to the tempest?

4.   Has God been giving you a “wake-up call?” Are responding in faith and obedience or are you trying to sleep through what He is going in your life?

OUR TESTIMONIES OF GOD INTERVENING TO SEND US TO OUR ENEMIES

Susie: Jonah feared and probably even hated the Ninevites. Therefore, he certainly did not want to warn them of God’s imminent judgement. Susan and I have both had the situation of having to extend grace in one way or another to an “enemy” of our country. I will share first because mine happened first historically.

I grew up during the “cold war.” Russia was the enemy and to be feared and even hated. We always lived near Air Force Bases because my dad was a technical representative to the Air Force from General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin). I remember duck and cover drills where we scrunched down under our desks with our hands behind our heads to protect us from flying glass if bombs landed nearby. I remember drills in which a teacher escorted a group of students down the main road and watched as we each headed down the side streets to our homes in order to unite families to go into a nuclear shelter (pretty dumb one since the shelter was at the school!).

Russians were, in my child’s mind, clearly all evil, godless people. Of course, it is not that simple. Many years later, in 1997, God impressed a dear friend to completely pay my expenses for a two-week mission trip to Russia. There I found loving brothers and sisters in Christ who had survived communism, even some who had been imprisoned and tortured for their faith in Christ. I found lost, weary people, many of whom had turned to drugs and alcohol to escape their fears and the past that haunted them. I found people just like me who needed a Savior like mine. God changed my heart toward the Russian people. 

Susan: After 9/11/2001, it was really difficult not to paint every Muslim person with the same broad paint brush. Muslims had flown airplanes as weapons into the twin towers and the Pentagon. A third plane crashed in a field because brave men on board sacrificed their own lives to keep it from its intended target which may have been the White House. Muslims had plotted against our nation and found the best way to wipe out as many innocent lives as possible. Muslims tried to paralyze our nation by hitting the financial capital, New York City, the military command post, the Pentagon, and the dwelling of our President, the White House. Then our sovereign God placed this thought in my mind, “Pray for Osama Bin Laden and his children.” Logically, I felt I was to pray for his salvation. I prayed he would have an encounter similar to that of Paul on the road to Damascus. I didn’t WANT to pray for the leader of the radical Muslims, but I obeyed. Years later, God taught me a lesson about lumping all Muslims into a category marked “evil.” After my surgery to amputate both legs above the knees, I had a day when I was totally losing it. The infection diseases specialist, a Muslim, was in the room to look at the wounds. As the physician’s assistant removed the bandages, I was in excruciating pain, crying despite my best efforts to hold it in. This Muslim man showed me the greatest compassion, patting my shoulder and speaking soothingly to me with the saddest look in his eyes. I invited him to visit me when I moved to another facility for rehab. He not only came there, but he brought along his wife to meet me. This Muslim couple asked me to pray they would be able to conceive a child. I pray my interactions with them is a seed planted by the Lord that someone else will water until it grows into their surrendering their lives to Jesus. 

JONAH 1:1-3 - Jonah Tried to Circumvent God’s Will

We plan to post our verse by verse study of Jonah three days per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Of course, you can look at it on whatever day(s) work for you. Let's begin!

JONAH 1:1-3

Jonah Tried to Circumvent

God’s Will

Jonah 1:1-2 Now the word¹⁶⁹⁷ of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Susan: The name Jonah means “dove” and Amittai means “true fearing.”

Susie: I find it ironic that the man who did not want to take God’s message to the enemies of his people was named “dove” a symbol of both peace and the Holy Spirit.

Susan: The Lord gave Jonah a command to declare God’s judgement against the people of Nineveh.

Susie: Jonah was instructed to leave where he was and travel north east to the city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Why was he to pronounce judgement on Nineveh?

Susan: God, in His sovereignty, knew the evil behaviors that the people of that city had given themselves over to.

Susie: God saw how they treated the nations they conquered, how cruel they were to captives, and how they worshiped false gods and idols rather than Him, the One True God.

Susan: God is a jealous God and does not kindly to His creation filling the space in the heart meant for Him alone with anyone or anything else.

Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

See also Deuteronomy 4:24, Deuteronomy 5:9

Susie: The exact message Jonah was to take to the Ninevites is not revealed until later because Jonah didn’t wait around to hear the rest of what God had in mind for him!

Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Susie: Jonah headed off to run not in a north-easterly direction but the other way, first to Joppa and then by ship to Tarshish on the southern coast of Spain, about as far west as he could imagine going.

Susan: Jonah thought he was sailing away from the Lord and all his problems by heading as far in the opposite direction as he could possibly go.

Susie: However, is there anywhere we can go to hide from God?

Susan: There are no secret places hidden from God. He is the maker of all hiding places, but there is no place that is hidden from our Creator, our First Love.

Psalm 139:7-10 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Susie: Jonah was soon to find out what David had expressed so well in Psalm 139. God is everywhere! And God is especially present with His people. Also, God is sovereign, and even when we try, we cannot thwart His plans.

QUESTIONS

1.        What did God command Jonah to do?

2.   Why might Jonah be reluctant to obey God’s instruction? (See Historical Background)

3.     Have you ever tried to run away from God or a specific thing God told you to do? How did that turn out for you?

SUSIE'S TESTIMONY OF BEING INTERRUPTED

Susie: I was my mom’s full-time caregiver for six years until she went to be with Jesus on April 30, 2014. My plans were to get a good job, have my own place, and do exactly what I pleased—be more active in the local church, work out and swim on a regular basis, bake all my own bread, and go out with friends. First interruption was that I could not find a full-time job. I had no desire to go back to teaching elementary school, but you would think an M.Ed. and seven years in accounts receivable would get you somewhere. I thought I was being called to be a hospice or hospital chaplain and even went forward in church to declare this. Then I was asked to transcribe for Susan as she did sermon background research for our pastor. I saw this as a temporary arrangement until I got a full-time “real” job. As we began to work together, I realized I could help her develop a web-site and write a book. Eventually, she suggested that we could get more work done if we were roommates. My initial reaction was, “No way! Not unless you hired someone to take care of you. Not going to be a full-time caregiver ever again!” She later shared with me that her uncle asked why we didn’t move in together and she told him that would take a “parting of the Red Sea miracle.” You know the rest of that story and mine as well. Just as the Lord parted the sea for the Israelites, He changed my heart and mind toward working with and caring for Susan. I cannot even tell you the moment I turned around and realized the Lord was truly calling me to be a co-minister with Susan. I just gradually realized that I NEEDED to bring her home with me. The Lord has blessed us in so many ways since we became roomies. Are there still difficult aspects to rooming with someone with “special needs?” Yes, of course. But God has enabled us to reach people all over the world via our blogs. We would not have time to accomplish all we do if I were only able to spend a few hours a week with her. God just had to redirect me from chaplaincy to being Vice-President/Secretary of Precious Jewels Ministries and Susan’s “tater” (short for facilitator)!

SUSAN'S TESTIMONY OF INTERRUPTION

On this blog, we plan to study Jonah verse by verse in our ping-pong discussion style and will not necessarily be following the Priscilla Shirer study. However, we may share insights we received from her study along the way, giving her credit as we do. We encourage you to purchase the study guide for Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted. If you study with Priscilla and with us, you will come away with a well-rounded view of the life of Jonah and what the Lord would have you apply in your life. In keeping with Priscilla’s theme, we will each share a testimony of a time when the Lord intervened in our lives to change our direction.

Susan: The Lord called me to ministry in 1982 while I was still living at the Bob Hope High School in Port Arthur, Texas. After graduation, I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to pursue a degree in English to prepare me for a career in writing. However, God interrupted my plans. When I received my class schedule, instead of ENG, it had written on it ENG-BIB for English Bible. Immediately after my first English class, I aimed my power chair toward the registrar’s office to have this mistake corrected. I heard the Lord say, “I have you right where I want you and where I need you.” I looked around to see if there was a person nearby who had said that. There was not. I said aloud, “Come again?!” Then to myself I thought, “I hope God knows what He’s doing! I’m a woman and ministry is a boys’ club.” Ultimately, I obeyed God and did not ask the registrar to change the major even though I was confused about God’s plans. Why would He choose a woman with cerebral palsy in a power chair to represent Him as His megaphone? It still floors me. By His power, God enabled me to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in English Bible with minors in Modern Hebrew and Pastoral Counseling.  The Lord kept me at Oral Roberts University to complete a Master’s degree in Biblical Literature. After many interruptions that I thought were keeping me from fulfilling my calling, I am now President of Precious Jewels Ministries, Inc. When Susie shares her testimony tomorrow, you will see how the Lord intervened to bring that about. Stay tuned.

JONAH BACKGROUND - SEEING JESUS IN THE BOOK OF JONAH

SEEING JESUS IN THE BOOK OF JONAH

The obvious picture of Jesus in the book of Jonah is pointed out by Jesus Himself:

Matthew 12:39-41  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Jonah’s deliverance from the belly of the fish after three days and nights foreshadowed Jesus resurrection from the tomb on the third day. Note that Jesus also rebukes the Jews for their rejection of Him, someone far greater than Jonah, when the Ninevites who were Gentiles repented when Jonah gave them God’s message.

This leads us to another way we see Jesus in the book of Jonah. Once Jesus was resurrected, He made it clear to His disciples that the Gospel, the good news of salvation through His work on the cross, was for ALL nations, not just the Jews. Jonah was sent to preach to Gentiles which was a part of why he was reluctant to go.

We see the sovereignty of God at work in both the story of Jonah and the story of Jesus. God chose Jonah as his messenger, gave him the message to present, and told him to whom he was to preach. Even though Jonah ran away, God miraculously turned him around. Satan tried to thwart God’s plan to save us through Jesus, but the Lord miraculously delivered Him until the appointed time for the perfect Passover Lamb to sacrifice Himself for us.

Take a look at this comparison/contrast chart of Jonah and Jesus at:

http://www.leadershipresources.org/seeing-jesus-christ-in-the-old-testament-book-of-jonah/

Concise chart of the typology of Jonah and Jesus:

http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/charts/The%20Typology%20of%20Jonah%20and%20Jesus.htm

Article about seeing Jesus in the book of Jonah:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-gospel-according-to-jonah

THANKSGIVING FROM THE BELLY OF THE FISH

Jonah gave thanks to God even though he was still in the belly of the fish with seaweed wrapped around his head hanging on to life. When he remembered the Lord, he gave thanks. No matter how dire your circumstances seem to be give thanks to God. He knows, He sees, He cares.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF JONAH - WHAT IDOLS DID THE NINEVITES WORSHIP?

WHAT IDOLS DID THE NINEVITES WORSHIP?

Nineveh was a center of worship for Ishtar, a goddess of war and sexuality. This makes sense when one considers the fact that the Assyrians were fierce and vicious warriors. They worshipped the fish god Dagon and his female counterpart, Nanshe. It was no mistake that God had a giant fish spit Jonah out on the shore. That part of his experience probably helped to get the attention of people who worshipped a god that was supposed to be part man and part fish!

For further reading on the gods of Nineveh, follow the links below:

http://www.bible-history.com/past/dagon.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/who-Dagon.html

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nanshe

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ishtar

JONAH 2:7 - MEMORY VERSE

Possible memory verse from the book of Jonah. 

You may have thought there weren't any, 

but we found a couple. 

In his moment of desperation, 

Jonah remembered the Lord. 

Most of us can probably relate to that!

MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION - KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH DURING THE TIME OF JONAH

KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH DURING THE TIME OF JONAH

As we have pointed out before, Jonah was a prophet to Israel (the ten northern tribes) during the reign of Jeroboam II. During this same period, first Amaziah (2 Kings 14 & 15) and then Uzziah (a.k.a. Azariah), his son who became king at the age of 16, reigned in Judah (2 Kings 15 & 2 Chronicles 26). A chart showing the overlap can be found here:

http://liveholy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Timeline-Kings-and-Prophets-of-Israel-and-Judah1.jpg

Another interesting chart lists the kings of Israel and Judah and labels them as good or bad. Jeroboam was rated as bad, Amaziah as mostly good, and Uzziah as good. That chart can be found here:

http://www.biblestudy.org/prophecy/israel-kings.html

ISRAEL DURING THE TIME OF JONAH

ISRAEL DURING THE TIME OF JONAH

Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II. We read a brief account of his reign in 2 Kings.

2 Kings 14:23-29 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, and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.

This Jeroboam followed in the footsteps of his ancestor, the first Jeroboam, who was made king over the 10 northern tribes called Israel, dividing them from the rest of the kingdom. This fulfilled the prophecy that Solomon’s kingdom would be divided. This occurred during the time that Rehoboam ruled Judah. Jeroboam led Israel into sin, especially idol worship. You may read his story in 1 Kings chapters 11-14 and 2 Chronicles chapters 9-13. The prophets Hosea and Amos ministered in the northern kingdom during Jeroboam’s reign.

Jeroboam II also led Israel into sin. Despite the king’s evil deeds and the idolatry and unfaithfulness of the people, the Lord God graciously allowed Jeroboam to restore the borders of Israel, and there was a time of relative peace. The books of Amos and Hosea, prophets in Israel during this time, show that the people did not respond to God’s grace with repentance. However, Assyria was in the process of trying to expand their borders as well, so eventual war with Assyria was inevitable.

Here is a link to an excerpt from The Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian.

http://biblehub.com/library/josephus/the_antiquities_of_the_jews/chapter_10_concerning_jeroboam_king.htm

Another good article on the historical background for the book of Jonah is found at:

http://gracecommentary.com/jonah-historical-background

HISTORY OF NINEVEH - WHAT HAPPENED TO NINEVEH AFTER THE TIME OF JONAH?

WHAT HAPPENED TO NINEVEH AFTER THE TIME OF JONAH?

If you put “Nineveh” in a Bible search engine such as www.biblegateway.com, you pull up the book of Jonah. After that you come to the prophecies of Nahum and Zephaniah against Assyria and specifically, Nineveh.

Nahum 1:1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

Nahum 2:8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.

Nahum 3:7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

Zephaniah 2:13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.

The repentance we will read about in the study of Jonah was short-lived. Jonah preached to them in 760 b.c., and the city was destroyed in 612 b.c., only 148 years later. The city was conquered and reduced to rubble by her enemies.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Nineveh-destroyed.html

It would not be until the 1800s that archaeologists would excavate portions of the ancient city. Nineveh had indeed been “hidden,” as Nahum predicted long ago (Nahum 3:11).

Nahum 3:10-12 (CJB) Still she went captive into exile, her infants torn to pieces at every streetcorner. Lots were drawn for her nobles, and all her great men were bound in chains. You too, [Nineveh,] will be drunk; your senses completely overcome. You too will seek a refuge from the enemy. All your fortifications will be like fig trees with early ripening figs;

the moment they are shaken, they fall

into the mouth of the eater.

From these verses, we see the ultimate end of Nineveh was to reap the violence and cruelty they had sewn.

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

HISTORY OF NINEVEH - NINEVEH DURING THE TIME OF JONAH

NINEVEH DURING THE TIME OF JONAH

The first mention of Jonah in the Bible is a prophecy he made during the reign of Jeroboam II, the son of Joash:

2 Kings 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.

During the reign of Jeroboam II, Assyria was not as powerful as it had been in the past and would be in the future. Therefore, Jeroboam was able to take back some of Israel’s land as prophesied.

However, the Assyrians were well known for their cruelty. For example, the following inscription is ascribed to King Ashurnasirpal II whose reign began in 883 BC, before the time of Jonah:

Their men, young and old, I took as prisoners. Of some I cut off the feet and hands; of others I cut off the noses, ears, and lips; of the young men's ears I made a heap; of the old men's heads I built a minaret.

Assyria, the capital of which was Nineveh, was well known for its cruelty to those taken captive when they conquered nations. No wonder Jonah feared them and had the attitude that they did not deserve a chance to repent!

For those interested in reading more see:

http://www.bible-history.com/biblestudy/nineveh.html

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Assyrians-the-Lords-of-the-Massacres-77262.shtml

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/463982/jewish/The-Prophet-Jonah.htm

HISTORY OF NINEVEH PART 1 - THE FOUNDING OF NINEVEH

HISTORY OF NINEVEH

This may take a few days because we want to make each post readable in just a few minutes, but we want to give a thorough background. So hold onto your hats as we explore a bit of history.

THE FOUNDING OF NINEVEH

Genesis 10:6-11 (AMPC) The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt [Mizraim], Put, and Canaan.

The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first to be a mighty man on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord. The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [in Babylonia]. Out of the land he [Nimrod] went forth into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah

Nimrod, a mighty hunter, founded the city of Nineveh. He was the son of Ham who was the son of Noah. You may remember that Ham was the son who saw Noah naked and instead of covering him up went and told his two brothers. They walked in backwards so as to not see their father in his drunken, naked state; and they covered him. Therefore, Noah pronounced a curse on Ham’s son Canaan (father of the Canaanites, a people God would later tell the Israelites to destroy.) (Genesis 9). Nimrod was one of Ham’s other sons, but he was father of the entire Tower of Babel fiasco. So, Nineveh had problems from the get-go.

WHERE WERE JOPPA AND TARSHISH?

Instead of traveling north-east to Nineveh, Jonah headed to Joppa (beauty) which was about 30 miles north-west of Jerusalem. The modern city Jaffa is located on the site of ancient Joppa. You may remember that Simon Peter was staying with a tanner in Joppa when the Lord gave him the vision of the unclean animals coming down on a sheet. Joppa was a seaport, and Jonah’s intention was to take a ship and sail as far in the other direction from Nineveh as he could. He boarded a ship for Tarshish which means “contemplation or examination” or could refer to a precious stone, perhaps yellow jasper.

There are differing views on where Tarshish was located, but all the possibilities have it being extremely far west from where the Lord had commanded Jonah to preach. Many historians believe it was actually a seaport on the southern tip of Spain. For an overview on its location see:

http://biblehub.com/topical/t/tarshish.htm

The map below supposes the location in Spain and shows it in relation to both Joppa and Nineveh.

WHERE WAS NINEVEH?

Nineveh was not only the center of Jonah’s story, but is found in the Bible as early as Genesis. We looked up Nineveh at www.biblegateway.com and found it mentioned in the following verses:

1.                Genesis 10:11-12

2.                2 Kings 19:36

3.                Isaiah 37:37

4.                Jonah 1:2, 3:2-7, 4:11

5.                Nahum 1:1, 2:8, 3:7

6.                Zephaniah 2:13

7.                Matthew 12:41

So exactly where was this city to which the Lord commanded Jonah to go and preach? Nineveh (abode of Ninus) was named the capital city of Assyria by King Sennacherib and was one of the most populous. It was on the bank of the Tigris River and located strategically where two trade routes met. To view a map, go to:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Nineveh-ancient-city-Iraq

There is another map, showing Nineveh in relation to Jerusalem, as well as an excellent article here:

http://www.bible-history.com/biblestudy/nineveh.html

Nineveh was to the north and east of Jerusalem and north of Babylon. Nineveh was eventually completely destroyed in fulfillment of what Nahum prophesied against that city. On a modern map, the site where Nineveh once stood would be surrounded by Mosul and Basra in Iraq. Tomorrow, we will look at the location of Tarshish.

WHEN DID JONAH LIVE AND WHERE WAS HE FROM?

The prophet Jonah, best known for his encounter with an extremely large fish, is first mentioned in relation to a prophecy he made which was fulfilled when Jeroboam II (ca. 793–753 B.C.) was able to expand the borders of Israel:

2 Kings 14:25 He (Jeroboam) restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.

We know this is the same Jonah because of the mention of his father Amittai in 2 Kings and in the book of Jonah. The 2 Kings passage also tells us that he was from the town of Gathepher (meaning winepress of the well) located about 14 miles west of the Sea of Galilee about 5 miles from Nazareth where Jesus would later spend his boyhood. 

NOTE ABOUT THE CONCORDANCE USED FOR THIS BLOG

NOTE: As we move forward in our study of Jonah, a word may occasionally have a superscript number, that is a reference to the numbering system in The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible which is an excellent resource for looking up the meanings of the Hebrew or Greek words. For example, Lord³⁰⁶⁸ would be the reference for the Hebrew word used for Lord in Jonah 1:1. You would look in the Hebrew dictionary in Strong's to see the precise meaning of the word. 

If you do not own a copy, you may access Strong’s Concordance online at http://www.biblehub.com/strongs.htm

A TINY TASTE OF JONAH

A TINY TASTE OF JONAH . . .

Jonah 1:1-2 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Susan: The name Jonah means “dove” and Amittai means “true fearing.”

Susie: I find it ironic that the man who did not want to take God’s message to the enemies of his people was named “dove” a symbol of both peace and the Holy Spirit. 

WE SUGGEST THAT YOU PREPARE FOR THE STUDY BY READING THE ENTIRE BOOK OF JONAH IN MORE THAN ONE TRANSLATION.  INCLUDING THE INTRODUCTION, IT'S ABOUT 3 1/2 PAGES LONG, SO THAT'S VERY DOABLE BETWEEN NOW AND SEPTEMBER 21ST!