Bible Study

Studies in Jonah by Neil Foster
Lesson 4


    • Jonah 2:10-3:5
    • Jonah 2:10
      • Matthew 8:8 & 13
      • Matthew 8:26
      • Matthew 21:21
      • 2 Peter 3:5
    • Jonah 3:1-2
      • Romans 10:11-14
    • Jonah 3:3-5
      • Matthew 3:7-8
      • Matthew 12:38-41
      • Matthew 23:37-38
      • 2 Chronicles 36:15-23

"The Lord spoke to the fish --- and it was so." To me the simple consistency of the Scriptures is marvelous, and fascinating. The Lord, "spoke" and is was so.

Remember the centurion whose servant was ill and the centurion came to Jesus for help. Jesus said he would go and heal the servant. But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come, but speak the word, and my servant will be healed.

Then there was the time (just a little bit later) when Jesus was in a boat with His disciples on the Sea of Galilee and there was a terrible storm.

In John's Gospel we find these words -- "Lazarus, come forth" and Lazarus came forth from the grave.

And remember the fig tree of Matthew 21?

You may ask "why" -- and I will say if there were no other reason it was to teach that when the Lord "spoke" it was so -- These disciples had been with him a pretty long time -- but still, here they marvel that the fig tree withered away so quickly.

And, of course, you remember the creation account of Genesis 1. "And God said, Let there be light." And there was light. God said, and it was so.

Look at

God spoke and it was ----

The Bible shows consistency as to how God performs things. He spoke and it was so. This is pointed out from cover to cover. The Book is its own proof that it is from God.

From this Book we learn to accept things that God says happened, because he has spoken, even though they sometimes are things that we cannot see nor prove in any direct way.

Jesus said to the penitent thief: "This day shall thou be with Me in Paradise --"

And this was the same Jesus who spoke so many things and "they were so" --- winds quieted, people healed, fig trees withered, dead raised.

This same Jesus said that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. No human can prove that the penitent thief was "that day" in Paradise. That is, unless one accepts God's Word recognizing that it is in His Power to perform and in His nature to do so.

Then, and only then, when we read or hear such as

we can know that it is an assured fact -- as certain as if it has already happened -- in fact, the Bible says that for the believer, it already has --

We need to remember that eternal life is not in the future for the believer. The believer is already in it.

Here, in Jonah we find that the Lord spoke to this special fish that He had prepared and the fish vomited out Jonah upon the dry ground -- Obviously alive -- Either kept alive, or brought back to life. Either is possible here from the scripture, either would certainly be no more like "child's play" to the Lord who created the universe.

The Lord had assigned Jonah a task to perform. It was for him to go and preach --- Go and proclaim -- not just any old thing ---

Jonah was to carry the Lord's word to the people of Nineveh.

I don't know exactly why it is, but this is God's way. He uses human messengers to carry parts (important parts) of His word. When God wanted Cornelius, the Roman Centurion, to hear how he should be save, He had him send for Peter.

The idea is expressed in Romans:

God had a message for the people of Nineveh -- and He chose Jonah to be His messenger. Jonah was already a preacher. He was already a preacher, a prophet to Israel. Could we learn something here? God's call doesn't end with the call. A person's call to be a preacher -- or just a good Christian is only the beginning of God's call.

Jonah went this time, as the Lord told him to.

Nineveh was a big city.

Remember in Jonah 1:2, Jonah was told to go to Nineveh, "that great city."

Archeological findings show that the city was one of the largest that has ever existed. There apparently was a walled in portion that contained gardens and groves as well as houses for people.

The city outside the wall apparently extended out to where the diameter (distance across) was about 30 to 60 miles (3 days journey at 10 to 20 miles a day).

Dallas, Texas is about 20 to 25 miles across.

Anyway you look at it, Nineveh was a big city.

Jonah came about one third of the way or about 2/3 of the way to the center. This possibly would be about where the inner city walls would be -- and he began to preach.

He might have said more than what we have recorded for us, but the presentation is that what he said included what is recorded here:

"Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."

This was the Lord's message. Additional words may have been used. More detail may have been given. But the Lord's messages was: "Forty days from now Nineveh shall be overthrown ---" We have no other details anywhere --- But who needs them?

Maybe God would overthrow the city by His direct action, or maybe an enemy country would come and overthrow the city.

There is no hint that there was any threat to the city at this time. So the message would therefore be even more shocking, and, from a human standpoint, less believable.

It would simply be "Believe God through the words of this messenger -- Or don't believe it.

The people believed the message ---

Notice -- It was not stated that they believed Jonah. They "believed God" -- This is very important -- Don't believe Criswell. Don't believe me. If the Holy Spirit doesn't tell you that what is said is right, then don't believe it.

Jonah was just a messenger boy. Without any threatening enemy his message would mean nothing in itself.

But the people accepted it as God's message and, though there was no threat visible, they believed God.

Their actions showed their repentance. Their actions were a result of their repentance and simply indicated that they had repented.

Remember John the Baptist's words to the Pharisees who came to be baptized.

Jonah came. He proclaimed God's message. And these people, who were not recipients of the vast knowledge of God that was given to the Hebrew people through the promises to Abraham, these foreigners, these strangers believed and repented.

No wonder Jesus wept when, near the close of His ministry, He looked over Jerusalem, the city God had selected to be His Holy City.

Conclusion

Believe God ---- It's so simple that few people really do.

Men, with the help of Satan, have caused people to believe that "believing God" is a very elaborate and complex thing.

The truth is exactly opposite to that. The Bible says, believing does not even require any understanding. Believing does not even require that one feel he or she will have any assurance of the truth afterwards.

That part is God's part.

Believing is a one time, heart-felt acceptance of God's truth.

Believing is for us the truths and the carrying out of them are HIS part and we don't need to worry about them. Neither how nor when they will be carried out. Causing it to come to be is not a part of our responsibility.

© 1979
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