Jonah the Prophet
In the previous issue, our reflections on the Book of Jonah focused on the prophet’s character—his self-centeredness over obedience, and how the rest of creation was more obedient to God than he was. Today, we will meditate on other spiritual lessons we can learn from the Book of Jonah.
1. No one is forgotten before God:
This is a lesson we learn from the Book of Jonah, with many examples.
Nineveh—the distant, foreign, pagan, ignorant, idolatrous city steeped in evil and injustice—was not forgotten by God. Though it had ignored or forgotten Him, He did not forget it.
Without Nineveh seeking salvation, salvation sought it.
Without praying or seeking God, He sought it. He did not forget it; more than that, He had compassion on it. He even praised it and said to Jonah: “Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city…?” (Jonah 4:11).
God did not forget Nineveh—nor did He forget the sailors.
The ship at sea was full of pagans, each with his own god. Yet the Lord did not forget them; He saved them in His own way. They offered sacrifices to the Lord, made vows, and entered into His flock. The Lord sought them and brought them to faith. Just as He saved Nineveh through Jonah’s obedience, He also saved the sailors through Jonah’s disobedience.
Another person whom the Lord did not forget was Jonah himself.
Though he sinned, disobeyed God, fled from Him, and refused to deliver His message—falling into many errors as we mentioned before—God did not forget him. He continued to deal with him gently until He drew him to obedience and reproved him for his own salvation. Even when Jonah became angry because God spared Nineveh and sat east of the city to see what would happen, the Scripture says: “The Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery” (Jonah 4:6).
How wondrous is God! Even when Jonah was angry and distressed over God’s mercy, God did not forget him. He still wanted to deliver him from his sorrow—without punishing or rebuking him, without saying, “Why does your will oppose Mine?” He is the God who forgets no one, the One who said: “Even if a mother forgets her nursing child, I will not forget you.”
And do not think that this promise of remembrance applies only to His holy children; God does not forget even the “smoldering wick” or the “bruised reed.” He cares for the weak knees and the feeble hands.
God did not forget sinners and tax collectors—He did not forget Zacchaeus in the crowd, nor Rahab the harlot in Jericho’s siege. He did not forget us in our deepest misery, for “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us—the righteous for the unrighteous.” He did not forget the man who had been ill for 38 years, who perhaps thought himself forgotten. Indeed, God’s remembrance of us is the first lesson from the Book of Jonah. So, what is the second lesson?
2. All things work together for good:
As the Apostle said, “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). We learn this too from the Book of Jonah—even things that seem to cause trouble and distress work together for good.
The fish that swallowed Jonah was itself a great blessing.
It also worked for good—it was a faithful submarine carrying Jonah close to where he was meant to serve. That same fish taught Jonah how to pray. Jonah, who did not kneel to God on the ship, was found praying in the belly of the fish, making vows to God and speaking in faith, and came out ready to fulfill the divine will he had once rejected!
Do not be afraid if one day you feel “swallowed by a fish.”
Perhaps that “fish” was sent to you by God to bring you a special blessing. Remember the Scripture: “All things work together for good…”
The waves that nearly capsized the ship were also working for good.
That raging sea, the great storm, and the roaring waves—all were working together for good. Without them, the sailors would not have prayed, offered sacrifices, or made vows. The storm led them to faith.
Even the worm that ate the plant and saddened Jonah was working for good.
It deprived Jonah of his shade, and the sun beat down upon him, but this too was for his benefit. It led to a loving dialogue with God that resulted in Jonah’s spiritual growth.
God can use everything for our good.
He used Judas’s betrayal, Annas and Caiaphas’s envy, and Pilate’s cowardice—all for good—to accomplish the great work of salvation. Any matter in God’s hands can be transformed into good, even if it begins as evil.
Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave, but God turned that evil into good. The key is that we trust in God’s goodness, His righteous actions, and His wise interventions. That is why Scripture adds, “for those who love God.” Truly, for those who love Him, all things work together for good.
Not all people experience this, for many grumble and complain during trials. But those who love the Lord, when faced with hardship, ask: “What blessing does God want me to gain through this?” Thus, everything works for their good.
There is a beautiful and comforting verse in Genesis, at the end of creation’s story: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
Even the great sea creature, whether on land or in the sea, God saw as very good. Everything is beautiful in the eyes of faith, love, and simplicity.
Do you think a monkey sees its baby as less beautiful than a gazelle? Of course not—it would grieve if it turned into one! We sometimes see things as hard because the hardship is within us. If our inner self were sound, we would rejoice in everything—even in the fish that swallows us or the stormy sea that nearly overturns our ship.
Even Jonah’s sin in fleeing was turned by God into good.
Jonah boarded a ship to flee from God, but the Lord used that flight to bring salvation to the sailors. Jonah’s stubbornness became a means through which he came to know God more deeply, to grow spiritually, and to learn many lessons from the ship, the fish, and the plant.
Another spiritual lesson from the Book of Jonah is the goodness of God.
God was kind to the pagan sailors—He accepted their prayers just as He later accepted those of the Gentile Cornelius. By receiving the prayers of unbelievers, He turned them into believers. He guided them through the casting of lots, revealing the truth to them. Finally, He calmed the sea and saved them.
Just as He was kind to the sailors, He was kind to Nineveh.
That sinful city, worthy of destruction, once it repented—“God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10).
He forgot all their former sins, and they became white as snow before Him—so much so that Jonah was angry at God’s kindness!
With the same kindness that angered Jonah, God treated Jonah himself.
Surely, God was kind to Jonah, who disobeyed Him, fled from Him, and cared not for the salvation of 120,000 people, even wishing to die out of anger (Jonah 4:9). Yet God dealt with him with wondrous patience, had compassion on him, made a plant grow to shade him, and lovingly discussed with him His divine wisdom and purposes.
God was also kind in reconciling His children.
He faced a dilemma: Jonah and Nineveh. If He saved Nineveh, Jonah would be angry; if He pleased Jonah, Nineveh would perish. But our good God, with love and calm, placed His hand upon both their heads and reconciled them—bearing Jonah’s anger for a time until He gently convinced him.
In His goodness, God always acted positively, not negatively.
He never rebuked or punished Nineveh, nor scolded His disobedient prophet. He did not parade their faults before them; rather, He worked in the path of correction, construction, and salvation.
Indeed, in the Book of Jonah, we see not punishment but restoration.
The roaring waves that struck the ship were not punishment—God loved those sailors and saved them. The fish that swallowed Jonah was not punishment—it was an awakening. God loved Jonah, commanded the fish to swallow him, and later commanded it to release him unharmed. Likewise, God’s warning to Nineveh was not punishment but reformation.
Another lesson from the Book of Jonah is:
4. God always works and succeeds in His work.
Do not think that God’s rest on the seventh day means He stopped working. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
In the Book of Jonah, we see that God worked toward three goals: the salvation of Nineveh, the salvation of the sailors, and the salvation of Jonah himself. God had before Him the whole map: Jonah here, the sea and ship there, the fish, the worm, the sun… He commanded all with the wisdom of a mighty leader:
“Go, O fish—you will find a ship between Joppa and Tarshish; wait for it, open your mouth, and prepare.”
“Rise, O sea and waves—strike the ship until it nearly overturns.”
“Come, O worm—devour the plant.”
“And you, scorching east wind—blaze from the sun and strike Jonah’s head.”
All these forces worked together for the purpose of salvation. God succeeded in His work, despite human obstacles. In His love and wisdom, He saved all. To Him be eternal glory forever. Amen.
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