We all know the story,
but have we really
gotten the point?
 God’s requirement,
 Jonah’s rebellion and retreat,
 God reigns him with a raging
storm,
 the sailors’ reluctance,
 Jonah’s repentance and report,
Nineveh’s redemption,
 Jonah’s resentment,
 God’s reminders.
1:3
But Jonah retreated toward Tarshish!
God required Jonah to report to Nineveh,
1:1-2
• God then reigns Jonah
with a raging tempest,
1:4-9;
• Jonah realizes and reports
the resolution, 1:9-12;
• The sailors are reluctant,
but relent, 1:13-15;
• and repent, 1:16.
“So they picked up Jonah, threw him into
the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.”
“And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow
Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish
three days and three nights.” 1:17
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the
stomach of the fish…” 2:1ff
“Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah
up on dry land.” 2:10
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time,
saying,
‘Arise, go to Nineveh
the great city and
proclaim to it the
proclamation which I
am going to tell you.’”
3:1-2
“So Jonah arose and
went to Nineveh
according to the word
of the Lord…” 3:3a
Nineveh’s reception (of the word), repentance, 3:4-9;
God relents, and Nineveh is redeemed, 3:10!
Jonah’s resentment,
4:1-3;
God’s reminders, 4:411.
But what’s the point
of it all?
That God loves all
people and wants all
to be saved?
Sure, Rom.1:16;
1Tim.2:4; Titus 2:1115…
But is that it?
Consider this question:
Why was it so
important that Jonah
go to Nineveh?
Why not let the whale
be the end of it for
Jonah, and send
someone else to
Nineveh, cf. Esther
4:14?
Because the story is
about Jonah’s
salvation as much as
Nineveh’s…
and there was
something yet lacking
(cf. Luke 18:22ff)…
Jonah was doing the
right things, finally…
But his “heart was not
right” (cf. Acts 8:21):
1. He sought pleasure
from the wrong sources,
v.1, Jas.4:1ff, Luke 15:7;
2. He thought only of
himself, vv.2-5, Phil.2:35ff;
3. He didn’t get the value
of others’ souls, vv.6-11,
Matt.16:26; but perhaps
most importantly…
4. He didn’t love his
enemies, v.2 
Matt.5:43-48!
Jonah begged to die,
but was not ready…
He needed God’s
compassion as much
as Nineveh!
Now, here are the big
questions:
“Where is your
Nineveh?”
“Even if your actions
are (finally) right,
is your heart right?”
What does your story
indicate?