Old Testament · Divided Kingdom
Jonah
“He said: 'In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.'”Jonah 2:2
Biography
Jonah was a prophet from Gath Hepher who fled from God's call to preach to Nineveh, Israel's feared enemy. Thrown overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, he prayed from its belly and was given a second chance. He preached a brief message and witnessed the greatest mass repentance in recorded history — the entire city of Nineveh, 120,000 people, turned to God. Yet Jonah was furious at God's mercy to his enemies and sulked outside the city. God's gentle closing question: 'Should I not be concerned about that great city?'
Spiritual Lesson
Jonah is remarkably honest about the prophet's inner life: the tendency to run from hard assignments and to be reluctant about mercy for those we consider enemies. Jesus used Jonah's three days in the fish as the sign of his own death and resurrection. The book ends with an unanswered question — inviting every reader to consider whether they share God's heart for the lost.