Jonah

Beyond the Tale of a Whale

Mark Yarbrough

• Publisher: B&H Academic
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781087723488
• eBook ISBN: 9781087723501
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Many people are intrigued by the biblical account of Jonah. Unfortunately, some view it as a simplistic moral tale, akin to a fish story or a child's fable. In Jonah: Beyond the Tale of a Whale, author Mark M. Yarbrough leads readers into a deeper investigation of this significant biblical book, discovering in it encouragement to Christ- followers to evaluate their spiritual growth as they pursue the heart of God.

The Book of Jonah

Chapter 1

GPS 101

(Jonah 1:1–3)

Opening Thoughts

I have a love/hate relationship with Dallas traffic. What was once my little commute to downtown Dallas and the Dallas Theological Seminary campus has grown from under thirty minutes to over an hour as the DFW metroplex has expanded its borders. I keep telling myself that I love the people that traffic represents—people who need the good news of God’s Savior! While that is certainly true, my creature-comfort nature hates crawling car congestion, and to be honest, pavement! I’m a man of the earth, and I simply love the outdoors.

To be a good steward of my extended moments in motor-vehicles, I—like many—have become dependent upon Global Positioning Systems (GPS). GPS programs are simply amazing when it comes to navigation. They have made my daily transit much more efficient and less time-consuming.

But it hasn’t always been that way.

There have been times that I have not trusted that “person” in the phone who tells me where to go, when to turn, and what exit to take. In fact, I’ve had words with that person! For those who do not use such programs, most systems allow you to customize the voice that gives the instructions. My kids set mine to a female’s voice, and early on as a GPS skeptic, I simply wanted to bicker with her about which way was best and why. On one particular occasion, with family in tow, I ignored her voice of wisdom and bolted off on the course I knew was best—only to find a blockade of cars waiting around the bend. In a moment of well-timed humor, my wife bellowed out, “Mark Yarbrough . . . obey the woman!”

Although it has not been easy, I’ve learned my GPS really does know best. The eye in the sky sees the correct track to my destination. And when I obey, it’s always for my good.

I wish that I could tell you I have mastered immediate and unquestioning obedience to God’s heavenly GPS directions, but I have not. I suspect you haven’t either. Unfortunately, there are times when the Lord gives us clear direction and instead of submission, we bolt off in the opposite direction.

As our story unfolds, God gives His prophet well-defined instructions that Jonah adamantly rejects. Instead of dutiful, prophetic compliance, Jonah hightails it to Joppa and then heads out on the Mediterranean to hide from God. Seems ludicrous, doesn’t it?

I’m guessing that is the exact response the Creator of the universe feels when we run.

Hmmm . . . maybe we have more in common with the renegade prophet than we realize—even at the onset. So, hold on tight, friends. This story hits the ground running (pun intended). And don’t forget: Jonah’s story confronts us all. It forces us to ask, “Am I growing, spiritually?”

Textual Understanding

^1:1The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:

^1:2“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

^1:3But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

In the days of Jonah, in the midst of the northern kingdom of Israel’s political success and land expansion, Jeroboam II (793–753 BC) was leading God’s people toward spiritual bankruptcy. Amos, a contemporary of Jonah, railed against the materialistic culture that preyed on the poor and oppressed. There were clear problems in the home country. However, instead of instructing Jonah to prophesy to his own people, God commissioned him to go to Nineveh and preach against it. As a prophet, referenced only once elsewhere in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah receives a task to take God’s word to the nations—starting with Assyria.

It is within that backdrop that the story of Jonah opens. The text states, “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai” (Jonah 1:1). Note the text: God’s word came to Jonah.

If you are like me, it’s easy to zip past the common, introductory statements. But don’t miss two important points. First, notice that the word LORD is in small caps. Whenever you see it in small caps in your English Bible, it’s the translators’ way of showing us that behind the designation is the Hebrew word YHWH (יהוה), the proper and personal name for God in the Old Testament. Why is that important? The author wants us to know that this word, or message, came from Israel’s God to Israel’s prophet. In fact, the author uses “the word of the LORD” seven times in the book. The author desired the reader to see that God’s word—His statements, instructions, and commands—are important and worthy of following for our good.

God’s word came to Jonah—a name imbued with meaning. For most of us in Western culture, there is generally no meaning behind our names. Yet, I recently found a name card for “Mark” at Cracker Barrel when standing at the register for check-out. I picked up the card and it said, “Mark—root name meaning ‘Victorious Warrior.’” Along with a definition, it gave the origin of the name and general pronunciation and derivatives. Excited about my name of power and prestige, I spun the display wheel with pity, looking for other lowly and less desirable names. Much to my surprise—they all had meanings with great significance. Not one card said something like, “Bill—root name meaning ‘Big Dork’!” I had been suckered into American marketing.

But things were different in the ancient Near East. In Jonah’s culture, names frequently had meaning and significance, and so it is with this prophet’s name.

I want you to learn some Hebrew as we study the book together. The Hebrew word for Jonah is יוֹנָה, and I want you to learn how to say it. So, say aloud after me: “Yo-na.” (Just for clarity, the “Yo” is like the “Yo” in Yosemite. And “na” is like the “na” in “naught.”) Try it again: “Yo-na.” If you can say Yo-na, you are pronouncing Jonah’s name in Hebrew. And not only is it a proper name; it is also a simple word that is still used in modern Israel.

If you were to go to Israel today (and by the way, it is the Lord’s will for you to go to Israel!) and point up into a tree and say, “Yo-na,” a Hebrew-speaking Israeli would search for a dove in that tree. Why? Because the name Jonah (Yo-na) means “dove.” The first readers/hearers of this short narrative would immediately become attentive, because there are literary, cultural, and biblical ties between the nation of Israel and a dove.

Can you think of a few such connections?

Early in the book of Genesis, a dove was sent from Noah’s ark on a scouting expedition post-flood (Gen 8:8–12). Over time it became a symbol of peace. In the book of Leviticus, the dove was an acceptable sacrifice (Lev 1:14). Because of that, a dove was a simple picture of sacrifice and restitution. The nation itself was, at times, pictured as a dove in the Psalms (e.g., Pss 55:6–9; 74:19–20). In Luke 2, Joseph and Mary presented the infant Jesus at the temple with a sacrifice of a dove (often translated “pigeon”) because they had very little financially. So, Jonah’s very name means “peace/sacrifice.” Knowing where this story is going, do you see the irony?

Jonah’s life is anything but a picture of peace and sacrifice.

However, we are not done yet. Jonah has a genealogical name. His genealogical name in the text is Amaitti, and this also likely involves a wordplay. Why? Because his genealogical name looks and sounds like the Hebrew word אֱמֶת, which means “truth” or “faithfulness.” So now, think about the opening lines of the book again. The word of the LORD (YHWH—Creator God of Israel) came to Jonah (dove/peace/sacrifice), son of Amittai (truth). If Jonah were true to his name, he would have been a living symbol of peace and truth. Sadly, he was anything but that in the story. The author begins the narrative with an opening line that foreshadows the situational irony.

As a tool of literature, irony usually involves a surprising reversal. It can appear in a figure of speech, an event, or a statement that presents the opposite of what is expected. Biblical narratives that desire to confront the potential guilt of hearers use irony at times. In Jonah, the author wanted to grab our attention from the beginning. Jonah will not be what his name represents. In fact, he will be just the opposite.

As the narrative continues, the prophet is supposed to do something. Specifically, God tells Jonah to “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). Nineveh was at one time the capital city of the Assyrian Empire and was symbolic of the sin and wickedness of all Assyrians. Many English translations render verse 2, “Arise, go,” which is exactly what we expect a prophet to do (cf. NASB). After all, that’s the mark of a true prophet—he hears the word of the Lord and obeys.

Let me simplify this:

Word of the Lord + Prophet of the Lord = Obedience.

That’s exactly what we have elsewhere in Scripture. In fact, the precise phrase used at the beginning of the book of Jonah appears other places where God assigns a task to His prophet.

Take note of 1 Kings 17:8–10: “Then the word of the LORD came to [Elijah]: ‘Go at once to Zerephath.’ . . . So he went to Zerephath.” The same formula is repeated in 1 Kings 18:1–2: “The word of the LORD came to Elijah: ‘Go and present yourself to Ahab.’ . . . So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.” When God said it, the prophet did it. It was that simple, and the Hebrew ear understood this prophetic mandate as a model: when God speaks, people should obey—especially prophets.

But not Jonah.

Our prophet did just the opposite. He ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3), a city in Spain near the Strait of Gibraltar, as far away as the k...

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Preliminary Matters
• The Book of Jonah
• Wrap-Up
• Yarbrough Family Growth Board
• Notes