Then, if you know the story - you will know that Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, and for 3 days and 3 nights spent time there in the deep. He uses descriptive words saying, "the weeds were wrapped around my head," and "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains."  Jonah knew there was a mountain region in the depths of the sea! Sounds to me like he was there doesn't it? I don't recall him mentioning snorkeling gear either.  I wonder what "the earth with her bars was about me forever" means. No doubt it meant something to Jonah, but I highly doubt it was the local pub.

Then Jonah says, "then my soul fainted within me" which sounds to me like he died, or fell into a deep sleep. Remember Jesus said the girl was sleeping in the New Testament, and Peter, following his example, raised a girl from the dead as well and called her "asleep." His conscious mind didn't die though as Jonah observes about himself, "They that observe lying vanities, forsake their own mercy." I think he felt remorse then that he'd followed the path running away from God. Forget lying to yourself, it just doesn't do you any good! No use in wishing for the "good life" and just enjoying being a couch potato because sooner or later it catches up to you!

The great thing about Jonah is that he knows where to go when he's done something wrong. He knows how to turn from his ways! He decides to pray with thanksgiving. He decides to "pay what he vowed. Salvation is of the Lord." When someone is at their lowest low, deepest depth...there's nothing else to do but give up and follow God. Can you imagine Jonah's surprise to be spit out on the sand, Alive? Here he'd finally given up, and God decided to give him a second chance. 

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again saying, "go unto Nineveh and preach the preaching I've told you to preach." This time Jonah obeyed, and he spoke the words. They were not pretty words meant to make people feel good. They were not words of a preacher wanting the Ninevite's money. They were words of truth, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown."

Surprisingly, the Ninevites believed God, from the greatest to the least of them, proclaimed a fast and repented in sackcloth, including the king! They repented of their evil way, the violence...they began to cry mightily to God. They even covered their CATTLE with sackcloth! How many times do we as Christians not want to speak the truth to our neighbor because of our own pride? Because of fear that they won't listen? Now, finally the Ninevite's were given the truth and had a chance to respond! They said, "Who can tell [if] God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?" Apparently they knew enough about the God of Israel that He had done that before! God saw their works, that they turned from evil and decided not to destroy them.

This displeased Jonah.

*Gasp!*

God's mercy displeased Jonah?! Jonah said very honestly and angrily to God, " Oh Lord, didn't I say this before I ever left my country, that something like this would happen? "for I knew that thou [art] a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and you repent of the evil. Take my life from me, because its better to die than to live."

I really wonder what was going through Jonah's mind. Was he mad because his prophecy didn't come true regarding Nineveh, that the Lord would overthrow them? Now would he appear to be some sort of false prophet? Or was he angry because they didn't get what they deserved, when Jonah himself had lived peaceably?

The Lord said to Jonah, Do you do well to be angry? Jonah spent time outside of the city watching it. A miserable night - except for a gourd that sheltered him. But in the morning a worm ate it. Miserable worm. And the Lord still spoke to Jonah saying, "Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six-score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and [also] much cattle?"  60,000 people saved and Jonah mopes.

Guess what. The Book of Jonah ends right there! What? No accolades for Jonah for preaching the gospel of salvation. No encouragement. Just the honest truth. Kinda like, This is my story, take it or leave it. This is what I felt. These were my motives. I'm not perfect, not any better than you, just a man sent by God to preach the word.

You know, there aren't very many characters in the book of Jonah that could speak or write. Basically, you have Jonah. The worm couldn't write. Neither could the gourd. At that point Jonah could have disappeared into the distance, and died should he have chose that. We don't know what happened to him from the Bible, but we do know that the account of Jonah got written down and passed down from generation to generation. It became the sign that Jesus pointed to, giving it to his disciples. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here. Matthew 12:39, 40, 41  Jesus foretold his own death and resurrection right there to those who would hear it.

The word of God really does fit together! The best part about the book of Jonah, I think, is how he finishes it. He doesn't try to lift himself up, or justify himself. He simply ends with God's words. And what could be better than the plain simple truth: "Should I not spare Nineveh?" God asks.

Ha! Touché!  What is God asking us today, quietly, waiting for our answer. Is He asking us, "Do you approve of what I'm doing?" "Am I God, may I do as I think right?" "Can I forgive that man over there - or are you going to get cantankerous with me because you don't like him." It's amazing that God doesn't give up on conversing with Jonah!! He keeps talking to him even when they don't agree!

Here's another question. 

Do you hear God's questions?