The whale. Or was it a big fish. This is what people think of from the book of Jonah. (The ESV translates it as a great fish by the way.) But let me assure you the book of Jonah is about more than an underwater sea creature.
This last year I took one of the hardest classes I have ever taken in education: Hebrew. It is the language the Old Testament was originally written in. And even though it was difficult to learn, at the end of the year I was able to do something very exciting. I translated the book of Jonah from Hebrew to English. And I learned that there was a bigger character in the book than the whale. Or fish.
The book of Jonah is about God. It is about his compassion, wanting to save a people that everyone considers evil. It is about people seeing him for who he is, and repenting before it is too late. It is about a God who saves.
Translating line by line, I learned to look at the book more closely than I had in the past. And I noticed a new group of characters I had read right past before. It was the sailors on the boat. (Or the mariners as the ESV translates it).
God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh, but he gets on a boat going the other way. And the sailors are afraid in chapter 1 verse 6 when the storm comes up. They are exceedingly afraid when they find out the storm is a judgment from God on Jonah’s disobedience in verse 10. But by verse 16 they have learned a different kind of fear. After these sailors throw Jonah into the water, the storm calms down and they get the point of the book: Fear God.
While I was translating, I began to wonder: Did God have Jonah go the wrong way just so these sailors would come to know him? This is the kind of God we have. He is looking for the people far off, people his own prophet doesn’t want to go to. But God wants them to know him for who he is.
In this book God saves a large, evil city and a small ship of sailors. It is a great story to learn about his compassion, how he would even save a group of people much further away: you and me.
I’m excited to read Jonah together over the next four days. May we all come to see God for how big he is and for how much he cares for small people like us!
I really enjoyed your blog this morning Pastor Bobby. How awesome
to study Hebrew, that is a desire of mine, so I can understand
God’s word more. The last line you said in your blog was very
comforting to me.
“May we all come to see God for how big he is and for how much he cares for small people like us!”
We have a BIG all powerful God,
for us! “His small humbled people.”
Thank you Pastor Bobby! and thank you Lord!
Awesome blog Pastor Bobby!! I’m excited to read through Jonah and learn about God’s compassion rather than just thinking about Jonah getting swallowed by a fish!
Thanks for this helpful blog, Pastor Bobby. As I read Jonah I kept thinking about this being a foreshadowing of God saving the Gentiles (as represented by the pagan mariners). I am grateful that God is compassionate and merciful to save sinners like me!
great blog Pastor Bobby, the first time i read it i ddint get it or understand it at all! but it help me out..and now i do.
thanks!:)
Great job on completing Hebrew class Pastor Bobby! Great blog too, it is good to hear how God is using the things you learned to understand His character deeper!
Wow!!! I’ve never thought of this story as a purposeful act of God to acquire more followers!! Thank you so much for this blog!!
good thoughts! I had never thought about how God used Jonah to show the sailors His power before….
Thank you for sharing a perspective which opens my eyes up to see beyond and think outside the box. And that I can never ever put God INTO a box. He indeed works ALL things out so that He is best glorified. Great insights, and I am stoked you persevered through such an intense class. Not just because you did it, but because it obviously lent you a greater ability to pursue our omnipotent God and gain understanding regarding His providence. To God be all glory, honor, and praise.
This blog is so powerful! I never knew that a minor prophet that simply told a story about a big fish eating Jonah could have such an eternal meaning-that God is compassionate and wants to save those far away. Thanks for writing this!