“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
Verses 1-2 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
The Hebrew word translated as “word” is “dabar” and it means speech, word, speaking, saying or utterance. The name, Jonah, means “dove”. And the name, Amittai, means “my truth”. Why is this interesting? Because Jesus Christ is the Word, and when He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River the Spirit of God descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and He is the way, the truth and the life. All truth is “my truth” or God’s truth. Everything else is from Satan, the father of lies.
The name, Nineveh, means “abode of Ninus. Ninus is another name for Nimrod. Nimrod founded and built Nineveh, the ancient capital city of Assyria. It was located on the east bank of the Tigris river. He also founded the city of Babylon. Genesis chapter 10 reports that Nimrod had a kingdom and therefore he was a king, and that Babel was part of that kingdom in the land of Shinar (where Abraham and Lot came from) and it was the location for the failed building of the tower of Babel. As a result of the rebellion of Babel, God confounded the world’s language and so the people all began to speak with different languages and couldn’t understand each other enough to continue their building project. Nimrod lived around 2295 to 2230 B.C.. Jonah lived round 832 to 785 B.C., so the city of Nineveh was old and well populated at the time of the writing of this prophetic book, the population estimated to be around a million souls.
The Hebrew word translated as “great” is “gadowl” and it means great, large in magnitude and extent, in number, or in importance, and it means distinguished when used to describe men. So God called Nineveh great because it was physically large in size with a large number of inhabitants, it was an important city, and it had men of distinction living there. So God commanded, not asked, Jonah to “go” and “cry against it” because it was also a very wicked city.
Application: Commanding Jonah to go to Nineveh would have been like today commanding a man to go to New York City and proclaim the Gospel message out on the streets for all the masses of people scurrying about to hear. It would seem like a rather risky, fearful, and daunting task, so it can be understood by believers today that the prophet Jonah was somewhat hesitant to go and so attempted to avoid obeying the voice of God. But when God tells a converted Christian believer to do something, rest assured He will not command something that cannot be accomplished. He has a plan, and if the believer obeys, that plan will come to fruition and the believer will receive a blessing through obedience to the will and the voice of God. One should never ignore the Word of the LORD as that will lead to trouble.
Verse 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
The name, Tarshish, means “yellow jasper”. It was a Phoenician city located on the Mediterranean Sea and was the place to which King Solomon sent fleets of ships for metals such as gold, silver and tin. It was also the city associated with the Apostle Paul by Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, who wrote that it was the same city as Tarsus. Since it was across the Mediterranean Sea, Jonah needed a ship in order to go there and so he went to Joppa on the southwest coast of Palestine. The name means “beautiful”, and Joppa is the city associated with the Apostle Peter who was a descendant of Jonah. “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 16:17 Barjona means “son of Jonah”. Why did Jonah choose this course of action? Because Nineveh was east of his home town and Tarshish was west of his home town. He was trying to put as much distance between himself and Nineveh as he could by fleeing in the opposite direction. But he could not put distance between himself and God. “Wither shall I go from thy spirit? Or wither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the winds of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Psalms 139:7-12
Application: All Jonah was called to do was to go to the city and speak out against its sin. Nothing else. He did not have to move there or establish a religious center or raise money or do anything else other than to speak to the people. But Jonah didn’t want to go, possibly because he really did not like the Assyrians living there, and possibly because he lacked faith in God at the time and was fearful. God will direct the paths of His people, and often the path will not be to the liking of a Christian believer. But part of being a servant of the LORD Jesus Christ is to obey His commands and walk where He directs, trusting Him for all things, never doubting.
Verses 4-5 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
So while Jonah was attempting to hide from God in the bowels of the ship and planning what he would do next when he got to Tarshish, a major storm arises and batters the ship. Back in the day, when mariners went out to sea, they had nothing but the ship they were in, the sea surrounding them, and the sky above. They navigated by the stars. They would spend endless hours in the dark of night observing the heavens and the stars and the moon. They knew there was a God as they recognized that there was order and design in the sky. So mariners believed in a higher power even if they did not know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So during the storm it is recorded in the verses above that they cried out to their god for help as they lightened the ship by tossing the cargo overboard. In the meantime, Jonah was feeling safe and secure and sleeping comfortably down below while the ship was rocking wildly in the waves of the sea, most likely because he thought he had escaped from obeying the Word of the LORD, and anything else that came his way like a storm was insignificant when compared to annoying God Almighty.
Application: Notice that the heathen mariners were afraid and attempting to mitigate the situation whereas the man of God, Jonah, was asleep and doing nothing to assist. Today, many Christian believers are like Jonah, asleep as the situation on Earth deteriorates all around them. They are arrogant in the sense that they assume preservation by God. Because of their belief in the false doctrine of C. I. Scofield, they believe they will be “raptured” and avoid “the tribulation” and that the heathen will have to endure this tribulation because they are not believers in God. They tend to be unconcerned about the plight of the unsaved and they live their faith “in a closet” and expect the pastors to evangelize all the heathen in the world. They ignore the last commandment of the LORD Jesus Christ as recorded in Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Application: God created all things, and therefore He can control all things, including the elements (earth, water, air and fire). He uses them to accomplish His purposes. How many storms has He sent to change the course of people – cancelled flights, road closures, cancelled travel plans, changes in war strategies, etc.? These are never an inconvenience, although people interpret interruptions in their lives as being so, but they always accomplish the purposes of God. Even with the advent of geoengineering and weather manipulation that is destroying the Earth and its natural resources and killing both people and animals, God is still in control and is allowing evil men and women who are serving Satan to carry out their planned destruction in order to establish their New World Order and destroy that which God has created. Why is He letting them do so? To accomplish His plan, to fulfill prophecy, and to test His people, the Church, who have no choice but to trust and obey Him in these last days or perish. Only those who really are converted, filled with His Spirit, and walking with Him will survive the devastation that Satan and his fallen angels and human followers are bringing forth. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelations 12:12
Verses 6-7 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
Even the master of the ship (captain) was disgusted with Jonah because he was not crying out to his God and not helping the crew. This was such a serious storm that the mariners were expecting to lose the ship and drown.
Application: This writer freely admits that lately a feeling of disgust has been present when watching the mainstream organized evangelical establishment churches sit on the sidelines and ignore the storm that is covering the whole Earth. People are dying from created diseases manufactured by rogue governments via universities and corporate pharmaceutical companies for the purpose of depopulating the world so that the ruling elite can control the goyim or the people who have been and who are being reduced to slaves of the “state”. Church members are experiencing cancer and other health issues from the poisoning of the air, water and food supply. Where are the believers on their knees seeking the LORD’s help? Who is crying out to the LORD for His intervention? How many churches merely meet once a week, sing a few songs, say an opening prayer, listen to a sermon from a false bible, close in a short prayer, and rush to the parking lot to meet their friends and family at the local restaurant? Yes, prophecy has to be fulfilled, but God’s people are still to be working until time is no more, being “watchmen on the walls” and sounding the alarm.
Casting lots was a system of decision making that was first written about in Scripture in Moses’ day as recorded in Leviticus 16:8. It often consisted of throwing pebbles onto the ground. Joshua used this method when dividing up the land for the children if Israel. “And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.” Joshua 18:10 God did not condemn this practice and it was a way of making important decisions, and the lots would fall where God wanted them to fall. “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.” Proverbs 16:33 It was not a form of gambling, although Satan has taken this practice and mimicked it for evil. Casting lots was also used by pagan people as evidenced in the verses above when the mariners called for casting lots to determine who caused the storm. Jonah who was hiding from God was exposed as the source of the life threatening problem.
Verse 8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
The mariners were practical men not taken with rash decisions as their trade required men who considered options before taking action. So they interrogated Jonah to find out what he had done.
Verses 9-10 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah started by identifying himself as a Hebrew, the word meaning “one from beyond”, and he testified of the greatness of his God. Most of the pagan nations were familiar with the Hebrews and with the power of their God, so the mariners were even more afraid when they realized which God was involved. Jonah, to his credit, did not lie or try to defend himself when he revealed that he was running away from the LORD.
Verses 11-12 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
The character of the mariners is further revealed as they wanted Jonah, the cause of the storm, to decide what would be the best course of action to appease the Hebrew LORD. They did not want to harm Jonah or make a rash and possible futile decision. They were men of honor. Nor did they like Jonah’s plan of throwing him overboard to perish. They did not want to be responsible for what they saw as an action that would take a life, and they recognized that Jonah was a servant of a powerful God.
Jonah is willing to die to save the ship and the mariners’ lives. He knows he is the cause of the calamity, and it appears that he is already depressed and not terribly worried about his life. He knows he has done wrong, but apparently, his hatred of the Ninevites is so strong, death is preferable to him rather than preaching salvation to the city as commanded by God.
Verses 13-14 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.
The mariners, being unable to sail in the storm, tried to row the vessel to land, but God did not allow it to be so. After exhausting effort, the mariners cried out to the Hebrew God to save their lives and to not hold them accountable for Jonah’s life. The pagan people had great respect for prophets, and they finally realized that what Jonah had said was the only way out of their predicament. They also realized that Jonah’s God was in charge of the situation.
Application: An interesting point here is that the pagan mariners tried their best to save both the ship and Jonah when Jonah was not willing to try and save a city of people from destruction. Is there a parallel today? Are pagan people more willing to help people than are the people in the local churches?
Verses 15-16 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
More than likely, the mariners on this ship were all believers in the God of the Hebrews when, after tossing Jonah overboard, the storm immediately stopped. They were seasoned sailors who knew weather and how weather patterns worked, and storms just didn’t stop and waves just didn’t become calm that fast. There was a supernatural element at work here and they feared or were in awe of Jonah’s God. They immediately offered some kind of sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. It would have been interesting to know what some of those vows consisted of and what these mariner’s lives were like after this encounter with the LORD God Almighty and His prophet. Perhaps they gave their allegiance to the LORD and forsook their other false gods.
Application: This historical event changed the mariners’ lives forever. God often allows His children to go through the storms of life to get their attention, to correct their error or sin, to build their faith, and to show them His power. When God’s children repent and acknowledge Him, the storms will cease. So for the believer, storms are a good thing. When each storm of life is calmed, the believer has a testimony that can be shared with others.
Verse 17 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.
God is never surprised. He transcends time and so He knows everything people have done, are doing, and will do. He knew Jonah would be overboard and at risk of drowning in the sea at the precise time and in the precise location that this historical event occurred, and He had His “prepared” or appointed fish on standby to swallow Jonah and save him from dying at sea. Much speculation has occurred over the years as to what kind of fish this was. The largest fish known today is the whale shark. It mainly eats plankton, it is no threat to people, and it can grow to over 40 feet in length and live for 70 years. There are other large fish that could also qualify for the job of housing Jonah for three days and nights. People who doubt this Bible narrative about Jonah surviving for at least 72 hours inside a fish do not have faith in the power of the LORD. In 2021 a lobster diver ended up in the mouth of a whale and lived to tell about it, and there have been other stories over the centuries that cannot be proved or disproved. It really doesn’t matter as with God, all things are possible, and if His word says this event happened, it did happen. And Jesus spoke about the prophet Jonas and verified the truth of this event as recorded in the book of Matthew. Plain and simple.
Application: Why did God specify in verse 17 above the length of time Jonah was in the fish’s belly? Because this incident was pointing to the LORD Jesus Christ and the time His body was in the tomb after being murdered by the Jews. “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 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.” Matthew 12:38-41 So Jonah’s experience was to be a sign confirming that Jesus Christ was/is the promised Messiah.
Application: Today, Western mainstream organized evangelical establishment churches celebrate Easter, a pagan holiday that is recorded in the book of Acts. “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” Acts 12:1-4 Easter was Herod’s holiday. It has always been a witch’s holiday. It has never, nor can it be, a “Christian holiday”. Nevertheless, churches celebrate this time in an attempt to make it “Christian” by teaching that Jesus died on a Friday (good Friday though this writer fails to see what was good about murder), was put in a tomb, and rose again to life on Sunday (Easter Sunday where various congregations assemble at dawn to face the sun and give worship to the sun god, Satan). Hmm. This teaching maths out to approximately 1 1/2 days. How can it be that the Church of Jesus Christ has strayed so far off from the truth that they cannot even math out three days? Jesus died at Passover, not at Easter. He was crucified and died on a Wednesday, and was buried in the evening of that Wednesday. He rose on Saturday. Three whole days and nights in the tomb. The discovery of His resurrection was made early Sunday morning. Pretty simple. By willingly promoting a lie, the Western Church has made itself weak and powerless. How can a Holy God give signs following as He did for the apostolic Church when they can’t even get this one sign correct? Is it any wonder that Christian believers rarely or never see miraculous healings, never see devils cast out of people so that they are free from spiritual bondage, and never see the dead raised to life? Were these signs only for ancient days? If so, why did Jesus give the command to His disciples to work miracles? “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8 No, God has not changed, His commandments have not changed, but His people have strayed from the truth of the Scripture and have become useless servants in His spiritual Kingdom. They have adopted the doctrines of men (Scofieldism, Judaism, Catholicism to name a few) and incorporated them into the Church, they have killed the Word of God by adopting copyrighted false bibles, and most believers do not even know what it really means to be a Christian. “Ye worship ye know not what:” John 4:22