An outline of the Book of Jonah
Hebrew Name -
Yonah
"Dove"
Greek Name - Ionas (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Jonah (According to Tradition)
Date - 862 BC Approximately
Theme - God's Mercy on Nineveh
Types and Shadows - In Jonah Jesus is the One crying out
Jonah was sent by God to warn the people of Nineveh that God was going to
judge them. Rather than go Jonah chose to flee in the opposite direction,
because the Assyrians were cruel and wicked. Jonah boarded a ship that was found
for the city of Tarshish when a great storm came in a time of the year that the
storms do not happen. The sailors finally agreed at Jonah's request to
throw him overboard, and when they did a great sea monster prepared by God
swallowed Jonah. After a period of three days Jonah repented and agree to obey
the Lord and the sea monster released Jonah on the third morning. Jonah came to
the land of the Assyrians and pronounced God's judgment upon Nineveh, and as a
result the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah and God spare
the city. Afterward Jonah was very upset that God would spare such a wicked city
and that he would show mercy on the Gentiles ( non-Jews). Jonah observed a plant
and learned a lesson about God's love for all mankind.
The book of Jonah is about an event that Jesus said took place in history.
The man Jonah was the main character of the book, he was the son of Amittai
(Jonah 1:1), and a native of Gathhepher, which was a city of the tribe of
Zebulun in the northern Galilee region. Jonah was a prophet of the Lord and he
was called to deliver a message of repentance to the city of Nineveh which was
the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians were among the most wicked
peoples of the ancient world, and they were well-known for their cruelty. Jonah
refused to go and boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, which at that time was the
farthest part of the Mediterranean Sea, Spain. A violent storm emerged out of
nowhere and the sailors had no choice but to cast Jonah overboard, at his
request. Jonah was suddenly swallowed by a great sea monster which had been
prepared by the Lord for this purpose.
Jonah, being alive in the belly of the great sea monster considered himself
in the "belly of Sheol" and finally agreed to obey God. After he was released
from the great fish he came to Nineveh and preached God's judgment crying,
" yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4) and when the
people of Nineveh heard this they repented and God spared the city. Jonah became
very angry at God because a Gentile nation, and such an evil one, would receive
mercy from the Lord. God taught Jonah an important lesson about his love and
mercy for all mankind, by the lesson of the gourd.
God probably chose the Assyrians to receive his mercy because they were the
most wicked, and the lesson needed to be learned that God is a God of mercy to
everyone, even the most wicked.
Later Jesus spoke about Jonah as a type of Christ. As Jonah was in the belly
of the great sea monster for three days and for three nights and was released
the third day (Jonah 1:17 and Jonah 2:10), so Christ was in the heart of the
earth (Hades) for three days and three nights and be raised the third day
(Matthew 12:40-41).
It is interesting that the very place where Jonah boarded the ship was Joppa,
the same city where Peter in the New Testament was called by God to come and
share the good news about Jesus Christ to a Gentile man who lived in Joppa named
Cornelius (Acts 10).
1:1-1:17 Jonah Tries to Run Away from God
2:1-2:10 A Psalm of Thanksgiving
3:1-3:10 Conversion of Nineveh
4:1-4:8 Jonah's Anger
4:9-4:11 Jonah Is Reproved