Jonah

From ArticleWorld

Jonah, whose name means, “Dove,” was the son of Amittai. He was born in the village of Gath-hepher, near Nazareth. Jonah is believed to be the author of the book of Jonah in the Holy Bible and the oldest of all the prophets. His story is most popular in Sunday school classes all over the world. It is a story of disobedience and repentance and ultimate obedience.

Jonah and the whale

The Lord God of Israel had called Jonah to preach to the Ninevites, letting them know of God’s impending wrath on them for their evil way of life. However, Jonah refused to travel to Nineveh. He didn’t believe that the Ninevites should be saved. He ultimately ran away from God, seeking refuge in a boat traveling to Tarshish. Because of Jonah’s disobedience, God sent a great storm to toss the boat on the sea. This compelled the others on the boat to deliver Jonah to God. God then sent along a great fish (a whale in most accounts) to swallow Jonah, where he remained 3 days and 3 nights. Jonah repented of his disobedience and agreed to travel to Nineveh to bring God’s message to the people there. The Ninevites repented and God spared them from utter destruction.

Repentance

Jonah’s repentance was genuine. God used his life as a demonstration of obedience and faithfulness. Although it is also important to note that while Jonah was repentant and faithful, he still lacked one very important aspect: compassion. In the end, he still didn’t believe that the Ninevites should have received God’s grace and compassion. That is one aspect that Jonah most likely had to spend plenty of time learning.