Jonah and the whale, and the book itself.

A book that seamingly gives a great deal of controversy throughout Christiandom. Many in Christiandom say that we can not except this book as it stands. That it is not history. That it is any thing but history. Many in Christiandom have joined the unbelievers and have called this book mytholigy, commentry, aligory, and even parable. It is being called anything but what it professes to be, history. Yes, It is history. Any one who reads the book of Jonah should believe it to be the very word of Jehovah. And therefore we haven't got to appoligize for it.

Jesus Christ never appoligized for it, so why should we. The fact is that when we go to the so-called New testament we can see purely the way the Lord Jesus Christ Himself feels about this book. And If we believe in Jesus Christ, then it should be impossible to have any doubt about this book.  It is simple, if many in Christiandom around the world don't believe the facts recorded in the book of Jonah, then they put themselves in the same catagory as those who dis-believe in Jesus Christ.  Then their problem is with the Lord Jesus Christ. And they must take it up with Him. Because it is absoulutely clear that the Lord Jesus Christ showed that Jonah as being a definate person, an historical person. And to make it even more clearer the Lord Jesus Christ likened Himself to Jonah. Which is very powerful in its proof. The Lord Jesus Christ said that Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites in Luke chapter 11 verse 30. Jesus Christ said, "For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation." And Jesus Christ's own death and burial were pre-figured by this prophet Jonah.

Jonah is mentioned by others as well. He was mentioned eighteen times in the Old Testament and nine times in the New Testament. Even though Jonah is mentioned all these times in scripture we realize that there isn't said to much about him. What we do know is that in the book of Kings it proclaims that Jonah was a prophet in a place called "Gathhepher" which is in "Galilee." Which was given to the tribe of "Zebulon" as an inheritance.

2 Kings 14:23 Shows us the following.

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,  ....

Where is Hamath? Hamath is the most northern area of Lebanon (Palistine). And it was the natural gateway from "Nineveh" to "Palistine". Both Babylon and Assyria invaded "Palistine" by entering along that route from the north.

Continuing:

He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, ... (Which is the "Dead Sea") ... according to the word of the LORD Jehovah of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher. This is all that is known of Jonah and his locality. Jonah and the Lord Jesus Christ came from Galilee.

Out of all the prophets that have come and gone, Jonah is the only prophet the the Lord Jesus Christ likened Himself to.

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whatles belly... Our English versions translates the Greek word "ketos" as "whale" which is not accurate not true. This isn't a whale. It is just a "sea monster." We really don't know what kind. It was a special creature specifically prepared for this occassion. So there is no need to bring whales into this. The fact is, we are told in the book of Jonah that Jehovah Himself prepared a great fish. Again, Jehovah deliberately created a fish just for this particular job. This wonderful book of Jonah is full of miracles like this. Jehovah working in His own universe. For example, Jehovah prepared an East wind to blow and more than likely there was no physical reason for this wind to blow. But Jehovah decided that it should. Jehovah also prepared a "gourd" to grow. Jehovah also prepared a worm to eat the "gourd." There is all sorts of creating and preparing going on in the book of Jonah. Jehovah can create and do miracles at anytime He feels the need.

The Lord Jesus Christ is telling us that as Jonah was three days and three nights in the sea monsters belly, just like that. He will be just like Jonah.

....so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.... The Lord Doesn't stop there. He goes on about the men of Nineveh. This is all part of Jonah's prophecy.

Matthew 12:41 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.

The Lord Jesus Christ was THE prophet of all prophets. Yes He was. He was A GREATER PROPHET than Jonah. Now if Jonah was a myth, then what about the people of the Nineveh? Was Nineveh a literal place? Did the men of Nineveh even repent? The fact is if we don't believe in Jonah, then where is a person going to stop. If it is rejected by bits and pieces because some scriptures are not liked then you end up rejecting it all. 

It is much better and simpler to just take Jehovah at His word and believe what He has written for us.  For example, if you knock out the men of Nineveh then you have created a huge delema. Because, you just knocked out the judgment day for that goes with it. The Scriptures say that they are going to rise in the judgment and condemn. This was said by Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So, if there are no men of Nineveh to rise then what about the judgment? Then that may be a myth too. Its a domino effect, one thing goes then another thing goes. We must have our faith firmly fixed in the word of Jehovah that changes not. Jehovah does not add to it. Nor does Jehovah take away from it. It is absolutely true and it is undoubted history.

Lord Jesus Christ is saying to us that, "Now I am going to be three days and three nights in the heart of the ground." Jesus Christ is refering to His burial. Jesus Christ was there literally three days and three nights. Or was He? That now becomes the question. There has been many arguements about this. It has been said by many that three days and three nights don't mean literally three days and three nights. Of course it could mean that, but it also could mean a part of that time. There is really know point in having an arguement about this. Three days and three nights means just what it says, no more and no less. It is just that simple. And we should all be like that, simple. There is never anything  to argue about in these things. If it was less, simply, the Lord Jesus Christ would have said so. If He wanted us to understand that it wasn't exactly three days and three nights He would have said it to be so. The Lord doesn't teach like that. Lets except just what He says.

"As" and "So"
 

As--so, there is an absolute parallel between these words in Matthew 12:40. 
 

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the sea monster's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the ground.

Does that mean as the Lord Jesus Christ died and was buried for three days and three nights so the prophet Jonah died in the sea monster and was raised? The scriptures answers this question for us. 

When we read the book of Jonah we realize that it is a puzzling story in a way. Jonah loved Israel. And becuase of that Jonah was a great patriot. But still, Jonah ran away from Jehovah's will. Jehovah told Jonah to do something. Jonah was to go to Nineveh, chapter 1 verse 2. Jonah was to cry against Nineveh for their wickedness as Jehovah said, "for their wickedness is come up before me".  But instead of doing that, Jonah decided to do the opposite and runs away. Unless Jonah had told us himself why he ran away no one would have ever known. It would have left endless guessing . Fortunately Jonah did tell us.

Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. ...

Jonah was very angry because Nineveh repented and he was not happy that they did. Which is an unusual thing for a man of Jehovah to be very angry when people repent at Jehovah'ss word. That is not the kind of thing that you should be mad about. What was Jonah's reason for being so upset at this? His repetation was gone wasn't it. He was commanded by Jehovah to say, "Now look, in forty days this city is going to be overthrown ". And it wasn't.  Jonah's repetation as a profit was probably gone. That may be a reason why he was angry. But in verse 2 Jonah says,

Jonah 4:2   And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, [was] not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou [art] a gracious Jehovah, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

So this is why Jonah ran away. He knew Jehovah's character was gracious. This seems to get worse and worse. Here is a man of Jehovah, a prophet of Jehovah, he runs away when he sees a wicked nation repents. He runs away and says, "Well I knew your charactor, a Jehovah of grace ."  You would think that would be the thing that Jonah would have welcomed. The trouble is that we don't understand what Assyria meant to Israel.

Assyria was one of the absolute cruelist of all nations that ever existed. They were so fiendish. Their fiendish barbarities meated out to their enemies that they conquered have been recored in history for us. They were a terribly cruel and oppresive foe. And Jonah felt that if Jehovah didn't judge this nation it would mean the end of Israel. They woud anililate Israel. And Jehovah did use Assyria to judge Israel. Jonah thought that if Jehovah spared this nation, their cruelty would show again. Jonah felt that it would be only a temporary repentance and it was more likely that they would repent from their repentence going back to their old ways and the whole problem will start again. Far better that they would be wiped out just like that. Just like Jehovah wiped out the Cananites and the other great enemies.

Because of this, we have got to have a little understanding for this is why Jonah admitted this when he said, "That is why I ran away, because I knew that you would most likely forgive them and they would still be around ."  He felth that they would still be the cruel and feindish enemies of the people of Israel.

In chapter one of the book of Jonah, Jonah ran away to "Tarshish."  He found everything just right for running away. Now there is a lesson here that we need to take into our minds. We must be careful of circumstances. This happens alot but we must not do it. Don't persuade yourself always that just because everything fits nicely, that it is the Lord's will. Because the truth is that sometimes we can decieve our selves.

For Jonah, there was a boat waiting already for him. The fare was taken care of.  And he could have said to himself, "If Jehovah hadn't wanted me to go then there wouldn't have been a boat. I wouldn't have had the fare ." We want to take great care over this. We want to watch it in our own lives. Jonah found everything ready, but it says in verse 4,

Jonah 1:4 But the LORD sent out... Actually, the Greek is much stronger for it says the Lord "hurled "....  a great wind into the sea, ... This was Jehovah really dealing with this man. This was whether he was in the will of Jehovah or not. This great wind was hurled because this man was out of the Lord's will. And he wasn't only endangering his own life but he was endangering the lives of other peoples as well. It is something that we should bare in mind. For we can put others in danger when we get out of the Lord's will. You can be endanger and then that could put indanger some one else. This storm was going to swamp this boat. It might have meant the life of everyone on the boat.

Jonah 1:5   Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his Jehovah, .... Then it says at the end of the verse, ... But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. ... If you have ever read the Septuigent, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. You maybe very suprized to know that the Septuagent has two additinal words. ".... he was fast asleep and snored." And the next verse reads in the Septuagent, "So the ships master came to him and said unto him why snorest thou, ... Not "what meanest thou,"... Why snorest thou, O sleeper? . Here Jonah is, loudly snoring and they say, "Oh my, it is time you have awoken up. It is time that you realize what is happening ."

Jonah realized that he was endanging the lives of everyone on the ship and the only way out was, " to cast me in to the sea ." And that is exactly what they did and then there was a great calm.

Jonah 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish... There is no whale here. .. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. ...

This is the exact time that the Lord Jesus Christ said.

And then Jonah prays to Jehovah out of the fishes belly. Note that Jonah describes the inside of the fish by two very graphic words which are used over and over again in the Old Testament. They give us a clue as to whether this man really died or whether he did not. Or whether he stayed alive for three days.

Jonah 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest my voice.

The word "hell" is the Hebrew "sheol ."  And the margin tells you that it is the "grave ." The Holy Spirit, which chose the words for this man, describes the inside of the great fish as the grave.

That is not the only thing.  In verse 6 Jonah says:

Jonah 2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my Jehovah .

The magin tells you that it is the "pit ", which is another word used for the grave in the Old Testament over and over again. That is two words that the Holy Spirit has picked to represent the inside of this fish as the grave. That is what it was to Jonah. And incidently Jonah was a man who knew the "word" because he quotes five psalms in this prayer. Psalms 31, 69, 77, and Psalms 3 . Jonah was steep into the word. That is what we all should be, steep in the word of Jehovah.

If the prophet was alive in the great fish then we have a very startling exception to the meaning of the Hebrew word "sheol." This would be the only place in the entire Old Testament where this word means a place of life. It is always a place of death. Same with the word "pit ", it is a place of death. It is clear then that Jonah died. And then you have an exact balance, the Lord Jesus Christ died and was raised the third day. It is truth that Jonah, after uttering this prayer, died. And then the Lord can say,  "Jonah is the perfect type of my death and resurection." As Jonah was, So shall the son of man be. You don't have a complete balance if Jonah didn't die. And the very fact the he uses those two words under the guidance of the Holy Spirit clinches it. It was "sheol." It was the grave. It was the "pit ." It was death for Jonah after he had prayed this prayer.

Afterwards, the miriacle worker goes on working,

Jonah 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry [land].

And then the Lord and His mercy gives this servant of His a re-commision. Our Father is good to us isn't He. There is no second chance for the sinner after death. That isn't found in the word of Jehovah. But in the day of opportunity He is kind to His servents. He gives them fresh opportunity when they fail. You can think of one in the New Testament and that being Peter. Three times in denying his Lord, Chirst could have said, "Now Peter I am finished with you. You have proved yourself unworthy. I am not going to use you." But did He say that? No. He commisioned him. Three times He brings him back into service. "Feed my sheep." And when Peter was brought back, he did. He faithfully fed the sheep of Jehovah. Peter had the second opportunity for service. This is not saying that Jehovah is going to let us have opportunity after opportunity if we run away from His will. But He is a gracious Jehovah. Jonah said that, "I knew you were like that Lord ." A gracious Jehovah that forgives. And so He is, for He has never changed. The changeless Jehovah. The same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Jonah arose and went to Nineveh. Jehovah says, "Go to it, preach the desire I shall give you ." He gives us opportunity for His servants. And so Jonah goes to this great city.

Jonah 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

We are thankful to some of the historians for they tell us just how huge this city was. It was a city that was sixty miles around. It was twenty miles across. It included large areas for cultivation. It wasn't all built up. You will read in the book of Jonah that the city had much cattle. There was places for cattle to feed. It was a tremendous city with tremendous walls that chariouts could drive along three across around it. And to that great city, Jehovah said to Jonah, "Now you go there preach to them what I tell you ." Jonah goes, and this time he is faithful.

Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Did Jehovah mean it? Yes. Did it happen? No. Because there is always a contengency that men may respond. Men may repent. And what seemed to be absolutely and utterly impossible, that very thing happened. That hard and cruel people repented.

Jonah 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

It goes to show what power there is in the word. There is no one that is really too bad or too hard to be touched by the word of Jehovah. If Nineveh could respond, any one could. This city did come to repentence and Jehovah then didn't judge them, He repented. He changes His mind. And it was this thing that Jonah did not want to believe in chapter 4. He was afraid yet that this city would sit back and slip back to its old ways, being a destroyer of the people of Israel. That is why he says that he was angry.

The Lord asks Jonah a question,

Jonah 4:4   Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

Are you right Jonah for being angry over this?

Jehovah teaches in a very gentle and loving way on whether Jonah should be angery because of Nineveh's repentance.

The day was obviously very hot. It would have been very hard for Jonah to exist under that hot eastern sun.  And so Jehovah prepared a gourd, which is a caster-oil plant. These plants grow very quickly, some 10 feet high. 'Jehovah prepared that to give Jonah cover. 

Jonah 4:6  And the LORD Jehovah prepared a gourd, and made [it] to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.  

And Jonah was very pleased. But Jehovah prepared a worm.

 Jonah 4:7 But Jehovah prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.  8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that Jehovah prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, [It is] better for me to die than to live.  

Jehovah was working all through this book.  

Jonah 4:9  And Jehovah said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, [even] unto death.

Jonah is not going to give way yet. Jehovah speaks to Jonah and says

..... Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 


A thing almost of nothing. You have pitty on that, but you wouldn't have pitty on all these hundreds of thousands of human beings? You wouldn't have pitty on all the cattle that were there that would have died?   

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and [also] much cattle?

What a wonderful answer. Here is the so-called revengeful Jehovah that many call Him. This is the real Jehovah of the Old Testament whom is concerned about animals even.  That is hardly the idea that many have dreamed up in there own thoughts is it? No. This book gives a look in the very heart of Jehovah. And it is the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Jehovah, of course, of the Old Testament.