Jonah

The purpose of Jonah is to make clear that the Lord delights to show his mercy, grace, and love to all his creation and to challenge his people to do the same. It achieves this purpose through brilliant storytelling that makes use of literary devices such as word play, irony, and contrast. The commentary will point these out as they arise, but the following overview will show how such devices help to accomplish the book’s purpose.

In the book’s first half (Jonah 1–2), contrast is drawn between Jonah, who is an Israelite prophet who claims to fear the Lord, and pagan sailors, who worship false gods. Ironically, in chapter 1, the Israelite prophet disobeys the Lord while the pagan sailors fear the Lord greatly. Chapter 2 continues the irony: the Israelite prophet finally promises faithfulness, which he will demonstrate by making sacrifices and vows—the very things the pagan sailors already did in chapter 1! Already, the Israelite audience is challenged to see that pagans can be more spiritually sensitive than God’s people, which should humble any spiritual pride the Israelites might have.

In the book’s second half (Jonah 3–4), contrast is drawn between Jonah and the Ninevites and then between Jonah and the Lord. In chapter 3, the Ninevites respond on the first day of Jonah’s preaching—far more quickly than the three days it took Jonah to pray in chapter 2! Once more, pagans are more spiritually commendable than the Lord’s prophet; once more, spiritual pride in the Israelite audience is challenged. In chapter 4, Jonah is angry at the Lord’s forgiveness toward the Ninevites, a forgiveness the Lord was delighted to grant and that was the very reason for giving Jonah his mission. The Lord did not want the Ninevites’ death; he wanted their deliverance. Israelites should see clearly that the Lord’s heart is very different than Jonah’s and ask themselves, “Whose heart is my heart more like?”

Chapter 4 ends with a well-known object lesson that contrasts Jonah’s pity for a meaningless plant with his own lack of pity toward a city full of people for whom the Lord cares deeply. The book’s last words are a question left for us to answer: Should the Lord not pity sinful people? The implication is that if he should, we should as well.

The book thus underscores that the Lord’s mercy, grace, and love are for all people. In doing so, it also challenges the spiritual pride that has led Jonah—and can lead us—to look down his nose on those he deemed more sinful. For it is only when we remember how desperately we need the Lord’s merciful love, and how freely he has given it to us in Jesus, that we will have hearts overflowing with the same merciful love toward everyone we meet.