1.1 INTRODUCTION
God is described as a compassionate God. In all
his missionary activities in history, he demonstrates his
compassion toward humans. He shows his mercy toward
those in misery and distress. He is always gracious
toward those who deserve only punishment. He is
always patient in withholding his punishment from the
sinners. All these demonstrate that God is always
motivated by his nature of compassion to do good for
humans. He always wishes that all his servants are
compassionate just like himself and be motivated by his
compassion to do his work.
The book of Jonah is regarded as the main book,
which teaches about God's compassion in mission. The
book is therefore considered a handbook of the mission.
From the book, I will argue that all missionary agents
must be compassionate just like God, have an attitude of
compassion and be motivated by God's compassion for
172
Christian mission.
1.1.1 Book of Jonah
The title of the book is derived from its principal
character, Jonah whose name means, ―dove‖.6 The book
of Jonah is anonymous and its authorship is in dispute.
Some scholars argue that the book is post-exilic while
others say that it is the product of the 8th century B.C.
6
R.K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids:
William
B.
Eerdmans
Pub.,
1969),
904
173
Since the book was written by Jonah himself, it would have
been written around 750 B.C. immediately after the event
recorded in the book. At this period, Assyria was a powerful
empire and Nineveh was a great city surrounded by a
complex of lesser cities of villages. Assyria was also a
threat to Israel’s security, therefore regarded as Israel’s
enemy.8
Furthermore, Jonah the prophet was regarded as a
transition prophet representing the shift from the preclassical prophecy model like Elijah and Elisha to that of
Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah.9 Therefore, his work is
interpreted as bearing the stamp of the early universalism
characteristic of the pre-classical prophecy to balance
Obadiah’s work in the 9th century B.C., which
emphasized God's judgment on Edom, Israel's enemy.10
A careful reading of the book of Jonah would then seem
to make clear that the compassion and salvation of God
Steven Barabas, ―Jonah, Book Of,‖ The Zondervan Pictorial Bible
Dictionary, Ed. Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub.
House, 1967), 443.
8
Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Jonah, 2008, in loc,
http//www.soniclight.com/.
7
Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Jonah, 2008, in loc,
http//www.soniclight.com/.
9
C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament
Prophetic Books (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 43.
10
Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, 918.
176
are meant to be extended beyond a chosen race to
embrace the whole of humanity.11
1.2 EXEGETICAL STUDY
1.2.1 God’s Compassion on Jonah (2:7-9[8-10])
1.2.1.1 Biblical Text
Jonah 2:1-10 is about the salvation of Jonah from death
by drowning. God saved him so that his purpose will be
fulfilled through him.
‫ָוה ָז ְּכרתי ֹואותב אליָך תפלתי‬
‫את־יְ ה‬
‫בהתעטף עלי נ פשי‬8
‫שך׃‬
ָ ‫אל־היכל ְּקד‬
‫שוא חסדָ ם י ֲעז ֹבו׃‬
ְּ ‫משם ִ רים הבלי־‬9
‫אשלמה יְ שועתה‬
‫ ואנִי ֹול ת ֹודה אזְּבחה־ לְך ָנ ד ְ ּרתיאשר‬10
‫בק‬
‫ליה ָ וה׃ ס‬
7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the
LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy
temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their
hope of steadfast love.
177
11
Harrison, 918.
178
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to
you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to
the LORD!"
1.2.1.2 Context
Jonah 2:7-9 is found in the pericope of Jonah 2:110, and is linked with Jonah 1:4-16 and Jonah 3:1-4. In
this pericope (Jonah 2:1-10), the focus is shifted to Jonah
and the fish, but God is still in control of the events
throughout the book. This pericope (Jonah 2:1-10) has
two genre categories of narrative prose and poem. Jonah
2:3-9 is the poem and it is sandwiched between 2:1-2
and 2:10 that are prose contexts. Jonah 2:3-9 is the
prayer of Jonah. Jonah's prayer, which is in the form of a
song of thanksgiving, is an interpretative key to the rest
of the book. It is in the narrative to help us understand
the narrative. It is believed to be a later insertion.
However, it is certain that the prayer was not the
verbatim production of Jonah's prayer. The song would
have been modified by Jonah by the time he was penning
down the book.
1.2.1.3 Word Study
Here the Hebrew word ‫חסד‬, ḥeseḏ will be studied.
‫ – חסד‬God’s Compassion for His Covenant People
The root ‫ חסד‬occurs once in this passage (Jon.2:8).
It literally means ―covenant loyalty‖, ―faithfulness‖,
179
―goodness‖, ―kindness‖ or ―steadfast love‖.12 Most often,
the root is operated in association with the covenant. It
indicates an actual divine or human obligation to be loyal
within the covenant relationship between God and his
people or between humans.13 The root is used in Jonah
2:8 to show that ‫ חסד‬is not made available to those who
worship worthless idols, but to those who are in
covenant relationship with Yahweh and turn to him in
faith and repentance for salvation.
1.2.1.4 Exegetical Notes
Jonah 2:7 – As Jonah was feeling that his life was
ebbing away, his thoughts turned to the Lord and he
prayed to Him. Here the prayer of help which Jonah
uttered in the belly of the fish is considered to result in
God's demonstration of his ‫ – חסד‬covenant loyalty
(compassion) – to Jonah.
Jonah 2:8 – Jonah proceeded to affirm that everyone
who makes an idol his or her god abandons the source of
his or her covenant loyalty (compassion). The source of
‫ חסד‬is Yahweh. This shows that Yahweh only makes
‫ חסד‬available to those who are in covenant relationship
with him and who turn to him in faith and repentance
and not to those who worship worthless idols.
12 D.A. Baer and R.P. Gordon, ―‫חסד‬,‖ New International Dictionary
of Old Testament & Exegesis, Edited by Willem A. VanGemeren et
Al. (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 1996), 211.
13
D.K. Stuart, ―Steadfast Love,‖ International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, Ed. by Geoffrey W. Bromiley et Al. (Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Pub., 1988), 613.
180
Jonah 2:9 – Here Jonah affirmed with faith that
"salvation comes from Yahweh." He then promised to
offer a sacrifice of praise and confession when Yahweh
delivered him from his great trouble. He also promised
to respond to God's salvation through the offering of
thanksgiving and sacrifice and through fulfilling his
vows.
1.2.1.5 Explanation
In actual sense, Jonah deserved to die and not to
experience Yahweh’s salvation but Yahweh graciously
(‫ )חסד‬saved him by his special intervention so that Jonah
could not but recognize the greatness of Yahweh’s
compassion, praise him for it, and recognize his reliance
on Yahweh alone.14 This motivated Jonah to cry to
Yahweh while he was still inside the belly of the fish and
Yahweh saved Jonah out of compassion and not because
he deserves it.
1.2.2 God’s Compassion on Ninevites (3:5-10)
God’s compassion on the Ninevites is explained in Jonah
3. God’s compassion was shown in the obedience of
Jonah to go and preach in Nineveh.
1.2.2.1 Biblical Text
‫ְּראו־צ ֹום ְּליִובשו שקים‬
‫ויִ ְּק‬
‫אנְ מינו שינִינְ ֵ ּוה באֹלהים‬
‫ וי ֲא‬5
‫מ ְ ּגד ֹולם ועד־קטמָם׃‬
Douglas Stuart, Word Biblical Commentary: Hosea – Jonah, vol.
31, Ed. David A. Hubbard et Al. (Waco, Tex: Word Books, 1987),
14
181
479.
182
‫‪ 6‬ויִ גע‬
‫אל־ נִינְ ֵ ּוהמלְך‬
‫ָדברה‬
‫ויְ כס‬
‫ְּרת ֹוא מעליו‬
‫מכסא‬
‫ד‬
‫ֹו ֲעברוי‬
‫ָקםוָי‬
‫ויֵשבשק על־ה אפר׃‬
‫‪ 7‬ויזְעק ֹאמרוי‬
‫ו ְגד ֹ ָליו הםלְך ֹרלאמ ָהאדָ ם‬
‫ֵ ּוה מטעם‬
‫נִנְבי‬
‫והבהמה הבקר ֹאן אל־יִ ְ ּטוהצ עמו‬
‫אל־יִ ְ ּרעו* ומאומהמי ִם‬
‫שתו׃‬
‫אל־י ִוְִּי ְּ‬
‫ְּת ‪ 8‬כןו ש קים ָהאדם והבהמה ְ ּראו אל־אֹלהים‬
‫ויִ ְּק‬
‫ו ָישבו איש ְּרכ ֹומ עה ומן־החמס אשר בכפיהם׃‬
‫ד ָרה‬
‫‪9‬מי־י ֹ וד י ָשובע ונִחם הֹאלהים ושב‬
‫‪ 10‬וי ְ ּרא הֹאלהים את־מעשיהם כי־שבו‬
‫ָקה‬
‫ב ְחז‬
‫מחר ֹואפ ֹולא נ ֹאבד׃‬
‫ֹון‬
‫ְּרכםמ ָרעה וי ִמָחם‬
‫ד‬
‫הֹאלהים על־ה ָ רעה אשר־ ִדבר ֹות־לעש להם ֹולא עשה׃‬
‫‪And the people of Nineveh believed God. They‬‬
‫‪5‬‬
‫‪called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the‬‬
‫‪greatest of them to the least of them.‬‬
‫‪The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose‬‬
‫‪6‬‬
‫‪from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself‬‬
‫‪with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.‬‬
‫‪183‬‬
7
And he issued a proclamation and published through
Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles:
184
Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste
anything. Let them not feed or drink water,
8 but
let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and
let them call out mightily to God. Let every one turn
from his evil way and from the violence that is in his
hands.
9
Who knows? God may turn and relent and
turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish."
10
When God saw what they did, how they turned
from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that
he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
1.2.2.2 Context
Jonah 3:5-10 is a pericope of its own, but it is
linked with the pericope before it (Jonah 3:1-4) and the
one after it (Jonah 4:1-11). The prose narrative which
was resumed in Jonah 2:10 continues into Jonah 3, but in
Jonah 3 the prose narrative takes up a new subject. The
event here is set in Nineveh. Jonah had arrived in
Nineveh.
1.2.2.3 Word Study
Here I shall study the Hebrew word ‫נָחם‬, nāḥam
‫ָנחם‬, nāḥam - God’s Compassion for Non-Hebrews
The root ‫ נחם‬appears twice in this passage (Jonah
3:9, 10). The root appears in the niphal form. The niphal
form of the root literally means ―be sorry‖, ―repent‖,
185
―change one’s mind‖, or ―have compassion‖.15 God is
most often the subject of the root. The root is used in
Jonah to demonstrate God’s compassion for the nonHebrews.
1.2.2.4 Exegetical Notes
Exegetical notes will be made on Jonah 3:5-10.
Jonah 3:5 – At Jonah’s preaching that God will destroy
Nineveh in forty days’ time the Ninevites responded
with faith and put their trust in God. They proclaimed a
fast and put on sackcloth. It is worthy of note that fasting
and putting on of sackcloth are the outward signs of the
sincere and wholehearted repentance of the Ninevites.16
They are the expressions of humility. This is a common
practice in the Ancient Near East.
Jonah 3:6 – When the king of Nineveh heard about
Jonah’s message, he believed, rose from his throne, put
off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and
sat on ashes. These actions of the king also expressed
humility in the face of the coming destruction ‫ הפך‬or
contrition with the hope of calling forth help from
God.17
15 Mike Butterworth, ― ‫נחם‬,‖ New International Dictionary of Old
Testament & Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemeren et Al. (Carlisle:
Paternoster Press, 1996), 82.
16
Julius A. Bewer, ―A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on
Jonah,‖ in A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi and Jonah (The International Critical
Commentary), Ed. by Hinckley G. Mitchell et Al. (Edinburg: T & T
Clark, 1951), 53.
17
James Limburg, Jonah: A Commentary, Ed. James L. Mays et Al.
186
(Louisville, Ky: Westminster Press, 1993), 82.
187
Jonah 3:7-8 – After the king had set an example, he sent
out an edict and he had it proclaimed all over Nineveh.
The decree commands that everybody in Nineveh,
including the domestic animals, should fast, put on
sackcloth, call urgently to God, repent of their evil ways
and turn to God.
Jonah 3:9 – The king, not too sure, hoped that God
would respond with compassion ‫ נחם‬and turn ‫ שוב‬away
his anger and wrath from them. The king of Nineveh
thought that compassion is part of God’s nature.
Jonah 3:10 – God saw their repentance ‫ שוב‬from their
wicked ways and he had compassion on them and he
changed his mind from destroying them. This shows that
the God that Jonah proclaimed is a compassionate God
who also shows his compassion toward those who are
not in covenant relationship with him.
1.2.2.5 Explanation
In this text, Jonah proclaimed Yahweh’s message.
He only declared that wicked Nineveh will be destroyed
in judgment. At Jonah's message, the Ninevites
responded with faith, humility, repentance, and prayer.
When God saw their actions, he responded with
compassion and turned away his anger and wrath from
them despite the fact that they were not in covenant
relationship with him.
1.2.3
God’s Motivation for Mission in Nineveh (4:1-2;
10-11)
Jonah 4 presents what motivated God to send Jonah to
Nineveh.
188
1.2.3.1 Biblical Text
‫רעה גְ ד ֹולה וי ִ חר ֹלו׃‬
‫ֹונָהאל־י‬
‫ ו ֵי רע‬1
‫ ויִ ְ ּת פלל אל־יְה ָ וה ֹאמרוי יְ ה ָ והמָאה ֹהלוא־זֶה‬2
‫עד־‬
‫ִרידב‬
‫תרשישה ָי דע תי כי‬
ְּ ‫ֹחלבר‬
‫יכ‬
‫מתי‬
‫היוֹ תי על־אדמתי על־כן‬
‫דק‬
‫אתה אל־חמון רחוםו ְֶרך אפי ִם רב־חסדו ונִחם על־ ָרה עה׃‬
‫א‬
‫ וי ֹאמר יְ ה ָ וה אתה חסת על־הקי יק ֹון אשר ֹלא־עמלת ב ֹו‬10
‫ֹולא גִ ד ֹולת שבן־ ָלהיְל הָיה ובן־לי ְּ ָלה ָאבד׃‬
‫ֹולההְּגד אשר יֶש־בה‬
‫ֹלא־ ָי דעאשר ִמינ ֹוביןיְ־‬
‫ֵ ּוהעלנִ־נְי העיר‬
‫ ואנִ י ֹ לא ָ אחוס‬11
‫שרה רב ֹו ָאדם‬
ֵּ ‫ה ְ ּרבה משתים־ע‬
‫לשמ ֹ אֹ לו ובהמה רבה׃‬
1
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
2 And
he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not
this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is
why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you
are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and
abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
10 And
the LORD said, "You pity the plant, for which
you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which
189
came into being in a night and perished in a night.
190
11
And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in
which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not
know their right hand from their left, and also much
cattle?"
1.2.3.2 Context
Jonah 4:1-2, 10-11 is found in the last pericope
(Jon.4:1-11) of Jonah. The focus of Jonah 4 now shifts to
Jonah’s reaction and the lesson he learns from Yahweh.
The pericope is divided into 4:1-4 in which Jonah pours
out his bitter frustration to God and 4:5-11 in which the
object lesson of the growing plant exposes Jonah’s
narrowness.18
1.2.3.3 Word Study
The following keywords: ‫חמון‬, ḥannûn, ‫ ﬧחום‬, raḥûm,
‫ָאﬧך‬, ʼārēḵ, ‫אף‬, ʼap, ‫חוס‬, ḥûs will be studied for the
understanding of our passage.
‫חוּנּן‬, ḥannûn - God’s Parental Compassion for Those
in Need
The root ‫ חנן‬appears only in Jonah 4:2. The root
literally means ―be gracious‖, ―favor‖, ―feel sympathy‖,
―have compassion‖, ―pity‖ or ―show mercy‖.19 The word is
usually used in collocation with ‫ﬧ חם‬and is more or less
synonymous with it. When the root is used with
Stuart, Word Biblical Commentary: Hosea – Jonah, 31:500.
19 Edwin Yamauchi, ―‫חנן‬,‖ Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), in loc.
18
191
‫ חם‬,‫ﬧ‬it carries a parental sense (that is fatherly or
motherly love).20 The root depicts a heartfelt response
by someone who has something to give to one who has a
need.21 The root also stresses the stronger meaning of
―to pardon‖.22 It is used in Jonah 4:2 as one of the moral
attributes of God to demonstrate his fatherly compassion
to all people.
‫ ַﬧחוּם‬, raḥûm - God’s Parental Compassion for Thosein
Need
The root ‫ﬧ חם‬appears only in Jonah 4:2. The root
is in an adjectival form. It literally means compassionate.
The root is related to the word for ―womb‖.23 The
adjectival form signifies a warm compassion which is
ready to forgive sin, to exchange judgment with grace.24
God is always the subject of the root. The root is used in
Jonah 4:2 in line with all the descriptions above.
‫ָא ֵﬧך‬, ʼārēḵ, and ‫ַאף‬, ʼap - God’s Patience
The roots ‫ אﬧך‬and ‫ אפי‬are used together in Jonah
4:2 to mean longsuffering. They emphasize that Yahweh
withholds his judgment on sin, "suffering long" or
patiently enduring as he gives sinners the opportunity to
20 Terence E. Fretheim, ―‫חנן‬,‖ New International Dictionary of Old
Testament & Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemeren et Al. (Carlisle:
Paternoster Press, 1996), 204.
21 Yamauchi, ―‫חנן‬,‖ in loc.
22
Merill F. Unger, ―Gracious,‖ Nelson’s Expository Dictionary of
the Old Testament,(Vines’ Complete Expository Dictionary of Old
and New Testaments Words) (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publisher,
1985), 100.
23
Kohlenberger III, Jonah, and Nahum, 116.
24
Kohlenberger III, 116.
192
repent.25 In Jonah 4:2, Jonah understood this attribute
with God.
‫חוּס‬, ḥûs - God’s Attitude of Compassion
The root ‫ חוס‬appears twice in Jonah 4 (10, 11).
The root literally means ―pity‖, ―look upon with
compassion or regret‖.26 The root is used in Jonah 4:10 to
show Jonah's attitude of compassion for the plant's loss.
It is also used in 4:11 to show God's attitude of
compassion for the Ninevites. In Jonah 4 generally, the
root is used to compare Jonah's attitude to the plant with
God's attitude towards the Ninevites. The usage of the
root here does not refer to an attitude based only on
perspective but on the stance that motivates and initiates
actions on behalf of the needy.27
1.2.3.4 Exegetical Notes
The exegetical notes will be made on Jonah 4:1-2, 10-11.
Jonah 4:1 – When Jonah saw the response of the
Ninevites, he became angry because he knew that
Yahweh could indeed spare them.
Jonah 4:2 – Jonah prayed to Yahweh. In his prayer,
Jonah stated the reason for his present reaction and his
past disobedience. He did not actually wish that the
Ninevites be spared. This might have been because of
25
Kohlenberger III, 116.
26 Mike Butterworth, ― ‫חוס‬,‖ New International Dictionary of Old
Testament & Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemeren et Al. (Carlisle:
Paternoster Press, 1996), 50.
27 S. Wagner, ―‫חוס‬,‖ The Theological Dictionary of the Old
Testament, Ed. by G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Green,
translated by David E. Green (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Pub., 1990), 272.
193
the Ninevites' relationship with the Israelites which had
become sore. Jonah expected God to bring his judgment
on the Ninevites without any need of warning them to
talk less of sparing them. Jonah then quoted from
Exodus 34:6. This quotation highlights God's nature.
Jonah knew that God pardons or shows his parental
compassion (‫ חנן‬or ‫ )ﬧחם‬to the needy.
He is capable of patiently enduring and giving the sinner
the opportunity to repent. He is capable of demonstrating
his compassion (‫ חסד‬and ‫ )נחם‬toward those who are in
covenant relationship with Him and toward those who
are not. God can also change his mind from destroying
people if such people turn away from their sin.
Jonah 4:10-11 – In these verses, God drew the
unanswerable lesson for Jonah. Yahweh compared
Jonah’s attitude of compassion to the plant with his own
attitude of compassion toward the Ninevites. Just as
Jonah looked upon the loss of the plant with regret, so
God looked upon the Ninevites who were more than one
hundred and twenty thousand and many cattle with
compassion. The one hundred and twenty thousand
people ―who cannot tell their right hand from their left‖
were referring to the whole Nineveh both adults and
children who were ignorant of Yahweh.28
1.2.3.5 Explanation
Here we find the reasons why God extend his hand
of salvation toward the Ninevites. The first reason is that
it is part of God’s nature to have compassion for all
humans and to save them (4:2). The second reason why
28
Kohlenberger III, Jonah, and Nahum, 72.
194
God saved the Ninevites is deduced from Jonah 4:10-11.
God has an attitude of compassion which is stemmed out
of his nature. God’s attitude then enabled Him to
understand their condition and act on their behalf to save
them.
1.3 DOCTRINE
JONAH
OF
GOD’S
COMPASSION
IN
1.3.1 God’s Compassion is the Divine Attribute
Compassion is one of the numerous attributes of
God. Jonah 4:2 teaches that compassion is part of God’s
nature. This implies that by nature God is
compassionate. Compassion can never be removed from
God. God’s attribute of compassion is classified under
the moral attributes of God. Moral attributes of God are
those qualities of God’s character involving the exercise
of his will.29 God in his own volition chooses to be
compassionate on all people. He demonstrates his ‫חסד‬
(compassion) toward those who are in covenant
relationship with Him and ‫( נחם‬compassion) toward
those who are not in any covenant relationship with Him.
He always demonstrates his ‫ נחן‬and ‫(ﬧ חם‬parental
compassion) toward those who are in need. As a father,
God welcomes the sinful people back to himself with
overflowing yearning, love and forgiveness.30 God is
also always patient in destroying the sinners. He usually
29
Herbert Lockyer, All the Doctrine of the Bible (Grand Rapids:
Lamplighter Books, 1964), 27.
30
E.R. Achtemeier, ―Mercy,‖ The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the
Bible, Ed. by George Arthur Buttrick et Al. (New York: Abingdon
Press, 1962), 352.
195
withholds his punishment toward them and is willing to
relent from sending calamity on them. In fact, it is part of
his nature to save all people and to turn away his anger
and wrath from them.
1.3.2 God’s Compassion is Communicable
The book of Jonah teaches that God’s compassion
is communicable. It is one of the attributes classified
under communicable attributes. Communicable attributes
are those which are finding some limited resemblance in
humans.31 God's compassion can, therefore, be shared
with humans especially with God's children and servants.
God's compassion is to be imitated in their lives. God is
willing to share his compassion with them. God knows
very well that for them to represent him well in the world
they must be compassionate just as he is. In imitating
this communicable attributes of compassion, God's
children and servants are expected to demonstrate this
compassion to all kinds of people. They should render
help to those who are in need. They are to be patient in
suffering as they do God’s work.32
1.3.3 God’s Compassion is Compelling
God's compassion is compelling. This attitude of
compassion always results in God' understanding of the
condition of the needy and consequently moves him to
act on their behalf. In the book of Jonah, God was
motivated by his compassion to send Jonah to go and
explain the sin of the Ninevites to them so as to save
31
Lockyer, All the Doctrine of the Bible, 27.
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical
Doctrine (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press [u.a.], 1994), 201.
32
196
them (Jonah 1:2). So it can be seen that God's
compassion usually motivates him in all His missionary
activities in the history of salvation. God is always
looking for all people with compassion because they are
many, ignorant of him and valuable in his sight (Jonah
4:10-11). Since God's compassion is communicable, it is
also mandatory for as many that possess this attribute of
compassion to always have an attitude of compassion
which will become a motivating factor to do God's work.
1.3.4 God’s Compassion is Conditional
God's compassion is conditional. Jonah had to
acknowledge God's compassion, repent of sin and call on
Yahweh before he experienced God's compassion (Jonah
2:7-9). The Ninevites also had to humble themselves,
repent of their sin, have faith in God and call on God
before they experience God's compassion (Jonah 3:510). By implication God's compassion is conditional. For
God to show his compassion, he expects to see faith,
humility and true repentance. God usually turns away his
anger and wrath from those who exhibit such characters.
1.3.5 God’s Compassion is Global
God demonstrated His ‫( חסד‬compassion) on those
who are in covenant relationship with him (Jonah 2:7-9)
and ‫( נחם‬compassion) on non-Hebrews (Jonah 3:5-10).
So God’s compassion can be said to be global. God
exercises his compassion on all peoples of the earth, on
both Jews and Gentiles, on both Christians and nonChristians, on both men and women and on both children
and adults. God is compassionate toward all. He wishes
to save all. He cares for all. He wants all to know his
197
loving concern. Though the sinners stand condemned in
their disobedience and disbelief, God’s compassion is
available if they will believe and repent. Even to his
children who are in one difficulty or the others God’s
compassion is available if they will humble themselves
and cry to Him in prayer.
1.4 GOD’S COMPASSION IN CHRISTIAN MISSION
1.4.1 Mission in Jonah
The book of Jonah is a missionary book. God (a
missionary God and sender) sent Jonah to Nineveh with
a purpose of saving the Ninevites from destruction. God
was aware that there were many people in Nineveh who
were ignorant of his Person. For this reason, God sent his
servant, Jonah with a message to the Ninevites. This is
an example of a centrifugal pattern ("an expansive force,
beginning at Jerusalem and a going out, being sent out to
the nations"33) of mission in the Old Testament. The
mission was to be carried out in Nineveh which was one
of the royal cities in Assyria. This implies urban mission.
Jonah would also have to cross cultural boundary and
preach in another language different from his own. This
implies the cross-cultural mission. God sent Jonah with a
message. God instructed him to proclaim against it
because of its wickedness. This message was intended to
bring the Ninevites to the knowledge of salvation.
Therefore God sent Jonah with the aim of saving the
Ninevites from destruction.
Alan Neely, ―Sovereignty of God,‖ Evangelical Dictionary of
World Missions, Ed. by A. Scott Moreau et Al. (Grand Rapids:
Baker Book, 2000), 900.
33
198
It is then clear that God was motivated by his
compassion to send Jonah to Nineveh. God is gracious,
compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love and
relenting from sending calamity (Jonah 4:2). It can also
be said that God was motivated because of the condition
of the Ninevites. They were sinners and if they refuse to
repent they will be destroyed. To achieve God’s purpose,
Jonah would have to adopt the methods of going and
preaching. Jonah would have to go to Nineveh and
proclaim God’s word to the people of Nineveh.
1.4.2 The Motivation for Christian Mission
Motives are ―heart allegiances that lead
missionaries and ministers into action and sometimes
result in inaction.‖34 In the book of Jonah, it is noticeable
that God was motivated by his compassion to send Jonah
to Nineveh and he later forgave and saved them from his
judgment by his compassion. It is then very clear that
compassion can be regarded as God's dominant attribute
(Exod 34:6-7; 1 John 4:16) in his missionary activities. It
is God’s compassion that motivated Him to intervene in
the affairs of humankind in both the Old and New
Testaments. Noah and Moses are said to have found ‫חנן‬
(compassion) in the sight of the Lord (Gen 6:8; Exod
33:2). It was the Lord who caused Joseph to also find ‫חנן‬
(compassion) in Egypt (Gen 39:21). God even
understood (‫ –ידע‬a word that is related to ‫ )חוס‬the
condition of the Israelites and sent Moses to go and
34
Gailyn Van Pheenen, Biblical Foundations and Contemporary
Strategies Missions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1996),
37.
194
deliver them from the Egyptians’ oppression when they
cried to him (Exod 2:23-24). In spite of Israel’s sin, God
still had compassion (‫ – חמל‬a word that is more or less
synonymous with ‫ )חוס‬on his people by delivering them
from the exile (2 Chron 36:15). Even in the postexilic
period, Ezra acknowledged God's ‫( חנן‬compassion) in
the survival of a remnant (Ezra 9:8). God sent His
servants to proclaim his message to the kings and even
the people in the Old Testament (Ezek 3:17; Jer 1:5-6)
on the basis of his compassion. In the New Testament,
God gave his Son to die for humankind (John 3:16) on
the basis of his agape love.35 Jesus Christ even was
motivated by compassion (έσπλαγχνίσθη – a word that
is more or less synonymous to οικτιρω which is a
Greek word equivalent to ‫ חנן‬and ‫ﬧ חם‬in Hebrew) to
preach the gospel, heal the sick, teach the people and lay
down his life for humankind (Matt 9:36).
In the same vein, the motive of God’s compassion
should be the first and foremost motivation for
missionary agents today for Christian mission. It should
even be one of the primary qualifications of missionary
agents. Missionary agents should first and foremost be
compassionate. Compassion should be their dominant
attribute in their missionary activities. They should
possess God’s nature of compassion before they embark
on mission work. They should put their trust in Jesus
Christ alone. They should repent from all their sin. They
should always be in constant fellowship with the Holy
Spirit. They should always accept God’s discipline to be
35
Pheenen, 38.
195
compassionate. They should willingly learn his
compassion and appreciate it in the lives of other people,
even in the lives of their enemies.
Second, the missionary agents should have the
attitude of compassion before they go for mission work.
This correct attitude of compassion will then become a
motivating factor for their missionary activities.
Consequently, they will be motivated to go to mission
fields whether in the rural or urban area and demonstrate
God's compassion on both the reached and the unreached
in the fields. Furthermore, the attitude of compassion
will help them to understand the conditions of the people
in the field. They will understand that all humankind
without Christ is temporally unfortunate, morally
depraved and spiritually lost.36 They will, therefore, be
touched by the spiritual and physical needs of the people
in the mission fields. They will even be able to provide a
solution to the needs of these people. They will preach
with a passion for the conversion of souls. They will
disciple the people until the people come to the
knowledge of God their Creator and Redeemer. They
will labor to provide education and development projects
for the people. The missionary agency should also note
that the basic qualification that they should look for in
their missionary agents is compassion. The missionary
agents that possess God's compassion and have an
attitude of compassion probably with other important
qualifications should be sent to the mission field.
Consequently, God's white field will be bountifully
harvested.
36
Robert Hall Glover, The Progress of Worldwide Missions (New
York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1924), 23.
196
1.5 CONCLUSION
All that has been presented in this seminar paper
has proven the need for the missionary agents to be
compassionate just like God, have an attitude of
compassion and be motivated by God’s compassion for
Christian mission. To arrive at the significant
conclusion, what the scholars said about God’s
compassion in Jonah has been discussed; the background
of the book of Jonah has been presented; the exegetical
study of some passages on God’s compassion in Jonah
has been provided; the doctrine of God’s compassion in
Jonah has been drawn out; finally, the doctrine of
compassion in Jonah has been related to Christian
mission in order to show that one of the primary
qualifications that every missionary agent must possess
is God’s compassion
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