What if the Book of Jonah isn't primarily about a fish—but about the relentless mercy of God?

In today's episode of The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries, Stephanie Hickox walks through the entire Book of Jonah, revealing why this familiar story is far more than a children's Bible lesson. While many people remember Jonah's rebellion and the great fish, Scripture points us to something even greater: God's unwavering love for the nations, His pursuit of sinners, and His plan of redemption that ultimately points to Jesus Christ.

If you're a Christian mom reading through the Bible, this episode will help you understand Jonah in its historical context while encouraging you to trust God's mercy in your parenting, your family, and your own walk with Christ.

In This Episode

• Why the Book of Jonah is historical—not merely a parable or allegory
• The historical setting of Jonah, Nineveh, and the Assyrian Empire
• Why Jonah ran from God's calling
• The surprising compassion of the pagan sailors
• The purpose of God's discipline in Jonah's life
• Jonah's prayer from inside the great fish
• Nineveh's extraordinary repentance
• Why Jonah struggled to celebrate God's mercy
• God's compassion for even the most wicked people
• How Jonah foreshadows the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
• What Jonah teaches Christian parents about obedience, discipline, and extending grace

Key Takeaways

God's discipline is never pointless. Even when Jonah ran, the Lord pursued him with mercy, using hardship to bring him back to obedience rather than abandoning him.

No one is beyond God's saving grace. The violent Assyrian people seemed like the least likely candidates for repentance, yet God delighted to show mercy when they humbled themselves.

Our hearts don't always naturally reflect God's heart. Jonah knew God's character, but he struggled to love the people God wanted to save. This episode challenges us to examine whether we rejoice when God extends grace to difficult people.

Jonah's story ultimately points to Jesus. Just as Jonah spent three days inside the great fish before being delivered, Jesus spent three days in the tomb before His resurrection, providing salvation for all who believe.

Encouragement for Moms

As parents, it's easy to focus on helping our own children follow Jesus while forgetting the lost people God has placed around us. Jonah reminds us that God desires every generation—and every nation—to know Him.

Whether you're raising strong-willed children, praying for prodigals, or simply trying to remain faithful in your own walk with Christ, this episode offers hope that God patiently pursues those He loves and delights in showing mercy.

Scripture Covered

• Jonah 1–4
• 2 Kings 14
• Matthew 12:38–41

Resources Mentioned

• Free biblical parenting resources for raising strong-willed children from Entrusted Ministries
• Biblical archaeology resources exploring Jonah and ancient Nineveh

Subscribe to The Dwelling Place

The Dwelling Place is a daily Bible podcast from Entrusted Ministries designed to help busy moms confidently read Scripture, understand God's Word, and cultivate a Christ-centered home. Journey through the Bible chapter by chapter while discovering practical encouragement for biblical parenting, Christian motherhood, prayer, and faithful living.

If this episode encouraged you, would you take a moment to follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with another mom who wants to grow deeper in God's Word?

Resources Mentioned

• Entrusted With a Child's Heart
• The Again Podcast
• Full-Circle Discipline Resources
• Armstrong article on the Assyrians
• Armstrong article on the scientific aspects of the Great Fish

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

Too many people focus on the great fish that swallowed

2

Jonah and miss the great God.

3

I'm Stephanie Hickox, and this is The

Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

4

Today we'll dive into the Book of Jonah.

5

And as Bill Thrasher reminds us with that

quote, this book begins and ends with God.

6

As with all of scripture, He is the

main character, and you will love what

7

this book reveals about His heart.

8

It doesn't explicitly state that

it was written by Jonah, but it

9

speaks of such intimate details

that only he would've known

10

the fact that it's written in the

third person doesn't negate him

11

from being the probable author.

12

Many prophets, including Moses, Samuel,

and Daniel, sometimes wrote in the third

13

person And I think this is awesome that

Jonah probably wrote the book because

14

it doesn't present him in a great light.

15

He doesn't sugarcoat his rebellion

and defiance against God's

16

commands, but instead highlights the

merciful, steadfast love of the Lord

17

that is available for all people

18

We know this was written before 722 BC

When the Assyrians captured the Northern

19

Kingdom, the 760s BC seemed to be the

most realistic time period for this.

20

Jonah was from an area very close to

where Jesus was raised in Nazareth.

21

But unlike every other prophet in

scripture, God didn't give him a message

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for His own people, but for another nation

23

Do you remember the widow

that Elijah ministered to?

24

Jewish tradition said that Jonah was the

son that Elijah raised from the dead.

25

We can't confirm it, but it's

very fascinating to think about.

26

And certainly the question that can't be

avoided with Jonah is, is this allegory?

27

Is it a parable, or is

it real historical fact?

28

Well, in none of the other parables

in scripture do the characters

29

ever have names or are actual place

names listed And Jonah himself is

30

listed in Second Kings fourteen.

31

Jewish tradition accepted him as a real

historical person, and Josephus and other

32

historians of the time referenced him.

33

But what more do we need than the fact

that Jesus himself referenced Jonah?

34

And pointed to the miracle in this

book as foreshadowing His own death

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and resurrection All of this tells

us this is a historical account.

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And though the idea of being

swallowed by a fish seems miraculous,

37

living to tell about it is the

greatest miracle in this book.

38

But none of it is outside the realm

of the God that we've studied,

39

who's performed countless other

miracles Jonah was prophesying

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during the time of Jeroboam II.

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He's considered the most powerful king

that ruled in the Northern Kingdom because

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he so effectively expanded the borders,

extending them to almost where they were

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during the time of David and Solomon.

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But spiritually and morally,

the nation was depraved.

45

And after countless decades of mercy, the

Lord had another plan to bring about their

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repentance, that he would eventually lead

them into captivity by the Assyrians.

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And this is the nation

to which Jonah is sent.

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Assyria was a powerful Mesopotamia nation

Mesopotamia means the land between the

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rivers, and if you think about modern-day

Iraq, where the Tigris and Euphrates

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rivers flow, Assyria was largely to

the north a key city in the Empire

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was Nineveh, and it may have been the

largest city in existence at that time.

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Archeologists have confirmed

how expansive it was.

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And although you've probably heard

about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

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I had the honor of learning from

archaeologist Ted Wright that it was most

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likely the Hanging Gardens of Nineveh

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Nineveh was founded by Nimrod, the

grandson of Noah, all the way back

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in Genesis 10 it mentions it And

historically, there were two plagues

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that happened and a solar eclipse

that perhaps set the stage for these

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incredibly superstitious Assyrians

to respond to Jonah's message

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For today's reading, we'll read a

portion from each of the four chapters

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that help us see Jonah's running

from God's will, submitting to

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it, fulfilling his call, and

then questioning God's purposes

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But as I said, the message we need to

walk away with is the Lord's undeniable

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Love for the Nations

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And that his mercy is available for even

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the vilest of sinners

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Chapter 1 begins, "Now the word of the

Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai,

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saying, ' Arise, go to Nineveh, that

great city, and call out against it.

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For their evil has come up before me.'

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But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish

from the presence of the Lord.

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He went down to Joppa and

found a ship going to Tarshish.

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So he paid the fare and went down

to it to go with them to Tarshish,

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away from the presence of the Lord."

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Jonah is defying God's orders,

and he thinks he can escape.

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Instead of going to the east

where God told him to, He attempts

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to go as far west as he can.

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The Lord sends an intense

storm, more extreme than the

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sailors had experienced before.

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They're terrified and crying out to

their false gods while Jonah takes a nap.

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They wake him up and cast lots to find out

why this wild storm is tormenting them.

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The lot falls to Jonah, and in 1:9

he says, " I am a Hebrew and I fear

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the Lord, the God of heaven who

made the sea and the dry land."

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This description of God is intentional

The MacArthur commentary says that

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these sailors were most likely from

Phoenicia, the center of Baal worship.

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And since Baal was known as the sky god

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claiming that the Hebrew God was the

God of the sea and the dry land pointed

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to his supremacy The sailors say to

Jonah, " What shall we do to you

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that the sea may quiet down for us?"

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For the sea grew more

and more tempestuous.

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He said to them, " Pick me

up and hurl me into the sea.

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Then the sea will quiet down for you,

for I know it is because of me that

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this great tempest has come upon you."

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Nevertheless, the men rowed hard

to get back to dry land, but they

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could not, for the sea grew more

and more tempestuous against them.

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Therefore, they called out to the

Lord, " O Lord, let us not perish

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for this man's life, and lay not

on us innocent blood, for you, O

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Lord, have done as it pleased you."

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So they picked up Jonah and

hurled him into the sea, and

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the sea ceased from its raging.

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Then the men feared the Lord

exceedingly, and they offered a

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sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

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And the Lord appointed a great

fish to swallow up Jonah, and

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Jonah was in the belly of the

fish three days and three nights

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isn't it striking how these sailors

have more fear of God than Jonah does?

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And that they have such compassion

for him, trying to protect his life.

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The Lord in His goodness uses this storm

to turn their hearts to Him as well

107

After those three days and three

nights, chapter two tells us, " Then

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Jonah prayed to the Lord his

God from the belly of the fish."

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Saying, "I called out to the Lord out

of my distress, and he answered me.

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Out of the belly of Sheol I

cried, and you heard my voice."

111

To which I need to say, " Then, Jonah?

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Then?

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You were three days and three

nights in the pitch-black putrid

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stomach of a sea creature before

you cried out to the Lord?"

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It seems God chose one of the

most stubborn people He possibly

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could to carry out His mission.

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It may have taken a while for Jonah

to pray, but when he did, he prayed

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to the Lord his God I'm going to

link an article by the Armstrong

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Biblical Archaeology Institute.

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They break down the science of how it

is certainly possible for Jonah to be

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swallowed by this great fish And here's

a side note, but I'm astounded that

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the Assyrians actually worshiped a fish

goddess named Nancy and Dagon, who was

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represented as half man and half fish.

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Isn't that an interesting connection?

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That the God of heaven and Earth would

use a sea creature to preserve and humble

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Jonah So he could deliver a message

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sparing these people from their worship

of fish gods and goddesses after Jonah

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describes his circumstances in the belly

of the creature, in verse seven he

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says, " When my life was fainting away,

I remembered the Lord, and my prayer

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came to you into your holy temple.

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those who pay regard to vain idols

forsake the hope of steadfast love.

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But I, with the voice of

thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.

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What I have vowed I will pay.

134

Salvation belongs to the Lord."

135

And the Lord spoke to the fish, and

it vomited Jonah out onto the dry

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land Some credit Jonah with repentance

here, and some say he really didn't

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own his choice to run from the Lord.

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But he certainly does commit to obey now

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and in chapter three, Then the word

of the Lord came to Jonah the second

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time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh,

that great city, and call out against

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it the message that I tell you.

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So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh.

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Jonah began to go into the city,

going a day's journey, and he

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called out, Yet forty days, and

Nineveh shall be overthrown.

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And the people of Nineveh believed God.

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They called for a fast and put

on sackcloth, from the greatest

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of them to the least of them.

148

The word reached the king of Nineveh,

and he arose from his throne,

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removed his robe, covered himself

with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

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And he issued a proclamation and published

through Nineveh, " By the decree of the

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king and his nobles: Let neither man nor

beast, herd nor flock taste anything.

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Let them not feed or drink water, but let

man and beast be covered with sackcloth,

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and let them call out mightily to God.

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Let everyone turn from his evil way and

from the violence that is in his hands.

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Who knows?

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God may turn and relent, and turn from his

fierce anger, so that we may not perish."

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When God saw what they did and how they

turned from their evil way, God relented

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of the disaster that he had said he

would do to them, and he did not do it

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what is Jonah's response to

the Assyrians' repentance?

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Chapter four states, " But it displeased

Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

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And he prayed to the Lord and

said, ' Oh Lord, is this not what I

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said when I was yet in my country?

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That is why I made haste to flee to

Tarshish, for I knew that you are a

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gracious God and merciful, slow to

anger, and abounding in steadfast

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love, and relenting from disaster.'"

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Therefore now, O Lord, please

take my life from me, for it is

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better for me to die than to live.

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And the Lord said, " Do

you do well to be angry?"

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Doesn't this make you think of God's

intervention with Cain in Genesis four?

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Next, Jonah leaves the city to

watch and see what will happen

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the Lord provides a plant that

grows, giving him shade, and

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it makes Jonah very happy.

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But then the Lord sends a worm

to eat it up next he sends

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wind and sun to weaken Jonah.

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And Jonah is so angry about

the plant dying, he once

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again begs God to let him die.

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And the Lord again says, "Do you

do well to be angry for the plant?"

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Jonah responds, " yes, I do well

to be angry, angry enough to die."

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And the Lord said, "You pity the plant

for which you did not labor, nor did

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you make it grow, which came into being

in a night and perished in a night.

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And should not I pity Nineveh, that

great city, in which there are more than

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a hundred and twenty thousand persons

who do not know their right hand from

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their left, and also much cattle?"

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Don't you love God's

heart for these people?

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We saw the absolute defiance of Jonah,

god's discipline that led to his

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obedience his eventual submission And

even though he understood the goodness

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of the character of God, he didn't

share God's heart for the Assyrians

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We can be really inspired

by God's faithfulness to not

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give up on Jonah in this book.

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God had to discipline him in an

extreme way, but it was effective.

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If Jonah's stubbornness is reminding

you of your strong-willed kiddos,

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we have some free resources on our

Entrusted Ministries homepage that I'll

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link in the show notes That can guide

you how to lovingly and effectively

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move our kids towards obedience What's

important to understand about the Book

195

of Jonah is that God's heart is for

the nations, and that no one is beyond

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His grace If I told you to think of

the most evil people on the face of the

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earth right now, who would you think of?

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Maybe there's someone in your life who

has inexplicably and painfully harmed you.

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If God asked you to go share the

gospel with them, how would you feel?

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It's possible that Jonah lost

family members due to the Assyrians.

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We just don't know the backstory here.

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But I can understand him a little bit

more as I read more about the Assyrians.

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Historically, these were one of

the most violent and gruesome

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cultures that ever lived.

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It makes a bit more sense why Jonah was

reluctant to go there, and he may have

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been terrified of what they would do to

him if they didn't receive his message.

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They were known for their torturous

treatment of their victims.

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They would engage in psychological

warfare, cutting off limbs and appendages,

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and skinning their victims alive.

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They wanted to be feared and revered,

and torturing their prisoners was

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their way of producing this terror.

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What archeologists have uncovered

of their own depictions of their

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treatment of enemies is horrific.

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and I'll link another article if

you'd like to dig into that more

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But in fitting with this timeline

of Jonah being in 760 BC, there

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is what historians note as a period

of stagnation with the Assyrians.

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Just like Chronicles tells us what

the biblical kings did, the Assyrians

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have a record of the kings going out

to war and conquering nations, and all

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of a sudden this activity tapers off.

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It's possible that Jonah's call to repent

set off a chain of events that weakened

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and tamed these gruesome warriors.

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See, God knew that his own people

were idolatrous and wayward, and

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the best way to return their hearts

to Him was through letting them

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fall into captivity and he used the

Assyrians to accomplish this purpose.

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Because the Assyrians were so gruesome

and treated their prisoners so horribly,

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the fact that God led them to repent

a generation or so before they took

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Israel captive may have greatly

influenced the way they treated them

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in captivity Jonah's message may

not have been just for the Ninevites.

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It may have helped protect the

nation of Israel later so that their

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captivity wouldn't be as extreme

as the Assyrians historically were

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Back to chapter four, when Jonah quotes

God's very words about Himself back

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to Him, " I knew that you were a God,

a gracious God and merciful, slow to

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anger, and abounding in steadfast love."

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God's pursuit of those who will humble

themselves is incredible, and Nineveh's

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repentant response is beautiful.

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We should never count anyone as too

far from the saving grace of the Lord.

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But another pivotal message from the

Book of Jonah is what it foretold

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about Christ In Matthew v- beginning

in verse 38, some of the scribes

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and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign

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He answered them, " An evil and

adulterous generation seeks for a

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sign, but no sign will be given to it

except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

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For just as Jonah was three days and three

nights in the belly of a great fish, so

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the Son of Man will be three days and

three nights in the heart of the earth."

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The men of Nineveh will rise up at

the judgment with this generation

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and condemn it, for they repented at

the preaching of Jonah, and behold,

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something greater than Jonah is here

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Jesus was saying, " Wake

up, the Assyrians repented.

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But I, the Messiah, am here,

and you can't even recognize it

249

Paul Reynolds explains that Jonah being

thrown into the sea was a symbol of

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Jesus' death, and his being swallowed

by the big fish represented Jesus'

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burial When he was in the fish until

the third day, that symbolized Jesus

252

being buried from Friday until Sunday.

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And finally, when Jonah was spat out onto

land by the big fish This points us to

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Jesus coming out of the tomb again alive

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Let's go to prayer now that we

would have hope for the lost

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And in the merciful God who saved us

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Heavenly Father, we thank

you For the forgiveness and

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grace you have extended to us

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Thank you that you chose us

before the creation of the world.

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And Lord, we confess that at times

we can be so focused on the spiritual

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condition of those in our home

that we neglect to reach the lost

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I pray that as we dwell in your word,

that our hearts would break for those

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that are far from you, and that we would

not discount anyone as too far gone to

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receive your grace Give us a boldness to

winsomely preach a message of repentance.

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I pray that we would see lives transformed

and eternities changed We pray for

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our kids to testify lovingly about you.

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We know you are willing to use

witnesses of every age, and we ask

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that they would be salt and light

instruments of drawing others to you.

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We also pray they would submit their wills

to you, and that you would provide us with

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the energy and endurance to discipline

them faithfully and consistently

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when they are set on defiance and

disobedience and running from your good.

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Thank you, Jesus, that you modeled

submission to the Father's will so

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perfectly, and we pray we would become

more like you in your name, Jesus.

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Amen