Most Jews deny the book of Jonah in the Old Testament book as being inspired. Such denial is not based on disbelief as much as the undesirable prophetical implication afforded Jesus' resurrection. In Jonah 1:17, we learn Jonah was in belly of the fish for three days and three nights. In Mt 12:39-41 and Luke 11:29-32 Scripture states that Jonah's experience points toward Jesus in the grave for the same period of time. One spit out of the fish belly to preach repentance and the other raised from the dead to give eternal life to those who would repent and trust Him for salvation.

It also enfuriates Jews to be associated with Jonah's hard-hearted reluctance to accept Christ as Messiah. Regardless, Jonah's experience speaks volumes about obedience and disobedience to the Jew and the Gentile, to the lost and the saved. God told Jonah to go to Ninevah and he ran the opposite way toward Tarshish. It seemed Jonah would rather die in the belly of the fish rather than admit his error. Eventually, he gave in and confessed his sin, or should I say he confessed some of it and did what God called him to do. But his attitude stunk more than the tangled rotten seaweed that covered his body.

Jonah's experience teaches us a lot about redemption. For example, God used the redeemed prophet who demonstrated parital repentance, but totally forgave the Ninevites even though Jonah thought them unredeemable. Such a message should be an encouragement to us. God loves us enough to give us opportunity after opportunity to repent. He even loves us when we are hard-hearted and rebellious. Our God is truly a long-suffering and patient God with amazing grace, but his grace has limits. If the people of Ninevah pushed the limit of God's grace, Jonah tried to unrun it.

Friend, have you heard God's call and hardened your heart, running away from Him as fast as possible? His call is to confess your sin, agree with Him regarding your spiritual condition and ask for forgiveness. It might be as complex as ignoring God's word or as complex as refusing to go where He directs you.

If Jonah taught us anything, it's that there is no sin so grievous that God's grace won't cover it. If we humble ourselves and confess our sin, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) And we should praise God for the fact that there is no valley so low God can't reach down and pull us up. There is no temptation so unbearable that God won't make a way out so we can stand up under the stress.

If Jonah showed us anything, it was hatred toward the Ninevites. You may not realize this, but God's requirement was for the prophet to preach against the city he hated. It would seem such a request would be welcomed by Jonah but instead the prophet rebelled and ran. It seemed he would rather the people of Ninevah die in ignorance rather than even hear the truth and respond.

From this lesson, I pray we'll learn that rebellion is a "root" sin, but it was made evident by Jonah's refusal to obey God's word. He made the right choice when he said, "What I have vowed I will make good." (Vs. 2:9) But his root sin came back to haunt him as he failed to do what the Ninevite's eventually did - repent!

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( Jo. 1:1-4:11 Rv. 5:1-14 Ps. 133:1-3 Pr. 29:26-27 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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