Jonah: Who’s in Charge of Grace?

Jonah 1-4

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. David. ELIJAH. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come.

Who's in charge of God's grace? Sometimes we act as though we are, don't we? We want mercy for ourselves and judgment for others. But Jonah's story reminds us that God alone determines where his grace is extended. His grace is not ours to control, limit, or withhold from anyone.

Jonah lived during the reign of Israel's King Jeroboam II (783-753 BC). He is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, and Jesus referred to him as a historical person in Matthew 12:39-41. While most prophetic books focus primarily on the prophet's message, the book of Jonah centers on the person of Jonah himself. It is widely believed that Jonah wrote the book, since he would have been the only one who knew all the details recorded in this account. 

The book begins, "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me'" (Jonah 1:1-2). Before going any farther, it is important to consider several historical facts about Nineveh. 

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire^[1], located in present-day Iraq on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, opposite the modern city of Mosul. The city itself was protected by an inner wall measuring  about eight miles in circumference, fifty feet in width and one hundred feet in height. Beyond it stood an outer wall that enclosed surrounding fields and smaller towns. Even today, the ruins of this once-great city remain visible.^[2]

As Jonah 1:2 indicates, Assyria was infamous for its brutality, especially toward prisoners of war. Ashurnasirpal II (883-859) boasted of staining the mountains with the blood of his enemies, declaring, "The heads of the warriors I cut off, and I formed them into a pillar over against their city; their young men and their maidens I burned in the fire." In another account, he described skinning a captured leader and spreading his skin on the city wall. He also wrote of mutilating captives and piling up their corpses.^[3] Though many more atrocities could be cited, these examples are sufficient to confirm Nineveh's reputation as an exceptionally evil place. The prophet Nahum called Nineveh "the bloody city" (Nah. 3:1). Against this backdrop, Jonah's reluctance to see God show grace to the inhabitants of such a wicked city becomes easier to understand. 

Instead of heading east to Nineveh, as God had instructed, Jonah boarded a ship bound west for Tarshish, a city in southern Spain on the other side of the world, "away from the presence of the LORD" (Jonah 1:3). But, as we have noted before, it is impossible to run from God. 

God "hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up" (Jonah 1:4). Terrified, the sailors began throwing cargo overboard to lighten the load, while Jonah remained fast asleep in the inner part of the vessel. 

Convinced that the gods were against them, the sailors cast lots to determine who had brought the storm upon them "and the lot fell on Jonah" (Jonah 1:7–8). Jonah explained to the crew that he served the "God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9). He admitted that he was fleeing from God's presence and urged them to throw him into the water. When they did, the sea "ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly" (Jonah 1:15–16). 

God saved Jonah from drowning by appointing "a great fish to swallow" him. And from the belly of the fish, he prayed and God delivered him onto dry land. Then Jonah was given a second chance to go to Nineveh. This time, he obeyed. 

God was not only at work on the sea through the storm and the great fish, but also in the hearts and minds of the people of Nineveh. In 765 BC, a major plague struck the city. Then, on June 15, 763 BC, a total eclipse occurred, as recorded in Assyrian history. To the Ninevites, these events would have seemed like signs of divine anger. Then in 759 BC, another plague happened. In that same year, Jonah arrived. God is always at work, preparing hearts to receive his message. 

Jonah called for the people to turn to God, and they did. When God saw "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" (Jonah 3:10). 

So, was Jonah amazed and overjoyed that God had worked so graciously in Nineveh? Not at all. Scripture reveals Jonah's heartfelt complaint: 

Jonah 4:2-3
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. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.

Jonah went outside the city and sat down to see what God would do to Nineveh. He still hoped that God might destroy it completely. But the Lord gave Jonah an object lesson. He caused a plant to grow and provide Jonah with needed shade, and then he "appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered" (Jonah 4:8). As the sun beat down on Jonah's head, he became angry—"angry enough to die" (Jonah 4:9). Then God reminded Jonah that he alone had made the plant grow and wither, and he was also the one who made the Ninevites. Therefore, the Lord had every right to pity them and show them grace. 

In the New Testament, Paul reinforces this same point by quoting God's words to Moses in Exodus 33:19. He writes, "For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion'" (Rom. 9:15). 

From Jonah, we learn that God—not humanity—is sovereign over his saving grace. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on Jonah 1-4. Are there people in your life whom you struggle to believe God can truly forgive and change?

Talking to God: Ask God to soften your heart and remind you that he is in charge of his grace. 

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